Smartpart B.V. makes sheet metal ordering smarter

Smartpart B.V. makes software to order sheet metal parts flawlessly and 100 times faster. Thanks to its innovative approach, this two-man company manages to hold its own amid big tech giants in the manufacturing industry. Owner Tobias Scheepers explains how they do it and how Poelmann van den Broek helps.

If you are not in the manufacturing industry yourself, the product of Tobias Scheepers and his partner Guido Mols is hard to grasp. On their website, you see graphic representations of sheet metal work, framed with terms like "completely in the cloud," "link CAD, CAM and ERP" and "automated processing of assemblies. Tobias makes it more tangible: "With our software, quoting and work preparation of custom products is fully automated. Processes that normally run at night because they take a lot of time are finished within 10 seconds with our software. In addition, we offer an easy ordering portal that does not require customers to install anything. That means a company can offer all its products online within two weeks." 

Attractive to produce locally

The benefits are great. For example, a product that has never existed before can be transferred flawlessly from engineer through factory to customer with minimal overhead. Unique products such as a custom bicycle frame can be made at no additional cost. Thus, even small parties can hold their own in the centralized manufacturing industry.

Thousands of parts per day

A start-up that involves mostly 'ups'? "Yes definitely," laughs Tobias, "we are getting good feedback from the market. Our software is now a standard product that makes thousands of parts every day, very cool!"

Protecting interests

About the contact with Poelmann van den Broek, Tobias says: "Via Startup Nijmegen we had an informal conversation with a former entrepreneurial lawyer. It was soon clear that he could solve something in ten minutes that would take us a day to figure out. When we started talking to large international parties, we immediately knew 'we need Poelmann van den Broek for that'. With their legal help, we were able to protect our interests excellently in a lengthy negotiation process without straining our good relationship with the multinational."

Further innovating

One small "down" was that it took much longer than expected for the software program to enter the market. Tobias: "Now that it's up and running, we can continue to innovate. And the great thing is that every little step you add also delivers immediate results."

Ordering a complete tractor

Now it still involves spare parts, but Tobias Scheepers and Guido Mols aim to make ordering a complete tractor as easy as ordering new business cards within ten years. 

Poelmann van den Broek and StartUp Nijmegen

The #startupsanddowns column shows what Poelmann van den Broek can do for businesses in the nearby business incubator StartUp Nijmegen. A then-attorney Entrepreneurship has committed himself there on behalf of Poelmann van den Broek by guiding business owners and holding regular consultation hours and sparring sessions. He does this because we, as a firm, believe that young business owners deserve a flying start and because of his personal interest in them.