Driving safely on the right tyres? Vulco’s tyre centres can take care of that! The change from summer to winter tyres and vice versa ensures peak activity in these centres twice a year. Link2Europe helps them ensure that everything runs smoothly.
Patrick Van Hemelrijck and his partner Stefaan Houtsaeger run seven branches of Vulco in the Flemish part of Belgium. Roughly speaking, they replace 60,000 tyres, twice a year! From mid-October to mid-December and from mid-March to mid-May, it’s all hands on deck in the tyre centres. During these peak periods, Link2Europe sends a dozen or so mechanics to reinforce Vulco’s permanent team. Patrick Van Hemelrijck tells us more…
Closer cooperation over the years
‘Because experienced tyre mechanics are scarce on the Belgian labour market, we have been using international workers for ten years. This used to be done via another party, until we discovered Link2Europe in 2015. At the beginning, we were particularly intrigued by their wide range of services for the employees: accommodation, transport and support. In the years since, our expectations of these services have certainly been met. Everything runs smoothly, and we are satisfied with the quality of the workers they select for us. Over the years, our cooperation has become closer. We feel that the company is growing, both in resources and in people. The number of countries in which they operate is also increasing, which is reassuring as we look to the future.
Because we use our interim fitters during peak periods, they have to be operational from day one. Work experience is therefore essential. By working with Link2Europe, we get people who have done the job before in the Netherlands or Germany. They have gained the necessary experience and language skills there. Fitting tyres is quite a taxing job: working bent over, lifting tyres that can weigh up to 50 kg, and handling colder temperatures in the winter season. Mechanics mainly perform practical work. The tyres must be fitted correctly, for safety, and we do not want any damage to the rims either. Accurate and careful work is key.
We use Link2Europe to recruit around 20 temporary tyre fitters a year, mainly from Poland and the Czech Republic. Sometimes they even stay with us after the peak period, and one employee chose to settle permanently in Belgium, so we employed him. Due to the pandemic, we had some extra absences this winter, and here too Link2Europe helped us, by sending experienced staff who were no longer needed at another workplace.
International employment without worries.
‘International employment is important for our organisation, in order for us to be sure that we have sufficient resources to serve our customers optimally. Cross-border employment brings numerous challenges in terms of social security and labour law, but Link2Europe takes care of all this. What’s more, they also handle all administrative and practical tasks and follow up on their people themselves. They do not leave them to their own devices, and they’re keen to work out solutions if things sometimes go wrong. I know from experience that not every company does the same!
‘We now have a pool of guys coming back season after season; temporary colleagues who are motivated to work hard and earn money. They know exactly how our business operates… and where the coffee is!’
Are you too looking for seasonal workers to tie you over on busy periods?
Here at Link2Europe, we are happy to help.
