“Previously, if you asked ‘What do we actually have?’, nobody knew.
Now, with Centix, we can answer that straight away.”
Hemink started as a painting company but has since grown into a nationwide property services company, specialising in property maintenance for housing associations. The group now comprises three branches located in Holten, Nijkerk and Zaandam. Together with several other companies, including one specialising in fire-retardant measures, they form Hemink Holding.
Due to the company’s significant growth, managing equipment became increasingly challenging. Marc van Slooten, equipment manager at Hemink Holten, was appointed internally to bring structure back to equipment management. To support this process, the organisation partnered with Centix. We spoke with Marc about this collaboration.
Choosing Centix: “Bringing order to the chaos”
As Hemink continues to grow rapidly, effective equipment management has become increasingly important to maintain a clear overview. Marc explains: “The person responsible for the warehouse was managing materials, equipment and tools. However, as the volume increased, the task became overwhelming and difficult to manage.” Several attempts were made to catch up, including working with an external inspection company.
Nevertheless, Hemink preferred to keep the management of equipment in-house. Eventually, Marc van Slooten was appointed internally to bring structure to equipment management. “When I started at Hemink, my tools for managing equipment were limited to a notepad and Excel – nothing more.”
Marc began looking for an equipment management system to improve oversight and control. He soon came across Centix. “I was already familiar with Centix from my previous work, so it was a logical starting point. I was also looking for something easy to use that would work well for everyone. Centix is straightforward to set up. While there are several providers of management software, Centix’s extensive experience and many expansion options made it the clear choice for me.”
Benefits of Centix
Hemink registers more than just equipment and tools in Centix. Building components are also recorded, such as roller doors, fire extinguishers and heating systems. “We do this simply to maintain a clear overview.” The organisation has now been working with Centix for six months and is already gaining much better insight into its equipment management. The experiences during this initial period have been very positive. “We are very satisfied with our cooperation with Centix so far!” The property maintenance company is already experiencing significant benefits from using the system.
Overview of who, what, where and when
The biggest advantage of Centix for Hemink is the clear overview it provides. Marc explains: “With just the press of a button, I can now, for example, see how many machines of a certain type we have and when they need to be inspected. This is particularly valuable given the number of employees we have. At some point, you simply want to know how many drills you actually have. Should I buy another one, or should I reassign them? Previously, if you asked, ‘What do we actually have?’, nobody knew. Now, with Centix, we can simply say: ‘We have this many drills, this many steps and ladders, and they are assigned to these employees.’ Once everything is properly recorded, it stays that way. After that, it’s mainly about consistency: consistently assigning equipment to the right person, registering new machines and continuing to keep the data up to date.”
“At Centix, you can always get someone on the phone, which I really appreciate.”
Centix app combined with QR codes
Working on site has become easier for the property maintenance company thanks to the Centix app. The app enables Hemink to manage its equipment directly on site. Using the app in combination with Centix QR code stickers offers significant benefits for the company. “What I really like is that I can now tell people on site: ‘If an inspection takes place, simply scan the item and you can immediately show the certificate to the inspector.’ I think that’s a major advantage.”
Equipment management in Centix also allows Hemink to hold employees more accountable for their own equipment, as each item can be assigned to a specific individual. Through the use of QR codes, it is easy to see who the equipment belongs to. Marc adds: “On some projects, we may have up to six painters working at the same time, and sometimes one of them needs to leave the site for another job. In those cases, someone might wonder, ‘Which step ladder is mine?’ By scanning the QR code, they can quickly check whether the ladder belongs to them or not. This ensures they leave the site with their own equipment, rather than risking it getting mixed up with someone else’s.”
Easy inspections thanks to standard checklists
An important requirement for the property maintenance company is the availability of standardised checklists for inspections, which can be accessed instantly via mobile or tablet devices. Before implementing Centix, the inspection process was far more cumbersome. Certificates had to be written manually, scanned and then uploaded.
Now, PAT testers can be easily connected to Centix, after which all test data is automatically transferred and linked to the corresponding machine, making certificates instantly available. “We already have 5,000 machines in our system. If we had to inspect each one manually, it would be unmanageable.”
Support with a personal touch
Marc greatly values the support provided by the Centix support team, particularly the quality of their responses and the friendly, helpful approach of the staff. “At Centix, you can always get someone on the phone, which I really appreciate. Whenever there’s something I can’t figure out, I always receive courteous and effective assistance from the support team.” In an era dominated by digital and remote support, the personal contact and guidance from a Centix employee truly stand out. Marc adds: “I really appreciate the personal touch.”
Phase 2: Charging to projects
Hemink is currently in the final stage of the first phase, in which the remaining employees are being registered and a clear overview of equipment management is being established. Although phase one has not yet been fully completed, Marc has already begun preparing for phase two. He believes it is important to continue building momentum once a phase has started. During an online product demonstration, Centix’s Product Owner listened to the requirements for phase two and explained how Centix could support this next stage.
Marc outlines Hemink’s vision for phase two: “At the moment, all costs are classified as general expenses, which does not give an accurate picture. For example, one project might rent a forklift externally, while another uses one from within our own organisation. This creates inconsistencies in our cost analysis. The goal is to establish an internal Hemink equipment service that allows us to allocate costs accurately based on machine usage. In the next phase, we will start by charging major equipment – such as telescopic handlers and forklifts – directly to projects. After that, we will extend this approach to smaller machines as well. The additional modules within Centix play a key role in making this transition smooth.”
Conclusion
The property maintenance company is very pleased with the clear overview that Centix’s equipment management system provides. They are also highly satisfied with their collaboration with Centix. Marc says: “So far, our cooperation with Centix has been excellent!” The company confidently recommends Centix. Marc emphasises: “If you are looking for a solution to manage your equipment, especially during periods of company growth, Centix is the answer. Relying on outdated methods such as Excel will eventually lead to limitations. With Centix, you won’t run into those limitations – it grows with you.”
Discover what Centix can do for your organisation
Interested in learning more after reading about Hemink’s experience? I would be happy to walk you through the possibilities Centix has to offer during a product demonstration. Depending on your requirements, I will guide you through the system in around 30 minutes to an hour and a half, giving you a clear overview of our complete equipment management solution.
Prefer to explore at a time of your own choosing? Request the demonstration video!
