What has 20 years of FS Solutions taught us?
On December 5, 2005, Peter Horselenberg and Erwin Voortman founded FS Solutions with a clear ambition: to help customers optimize their processes through modular conveyor and sorting solutions.
That ambition truly came to life in 2006. The first major turnkey projects soon followed, including an overhead conveyor system for Smart Hambach (Daimler) and a conveyor line for footwear manufacturer Bata. Looking back, these projects laid the foundation for the company FS Solutions would become.
Twenty years later, much has changed. The organization has grown, markets have evolved, and the customer base has expanded. Yet one principle has remained the same: working closely with customers to find the solution that best fits their process.
Flexibility as a Common Thread
If there is one word that consistently appears throughout the story of FS Solutions, it is flexibility.
From the very beginning, the company deliberately chose a way of working in which specialized manufacturing could be outsourced when needed, while knowledge, engineering and assembly remained in-house. This approach made it possible to move quickly and stay close to customers.
As Peter likes to describe it: “We wanted to remain a speedboat, not become an oil tanker.”
That philosophy continues to shape the organization today. Growth was never the goal in itself. Growth came as a result of customer trust, larger projects and new opportunities. At the same time, FS Solutions remained focused on its core expertise and only developed solutions that aligned with its strengths.
Thinking in Solutions, Not Problems
Twenty years ago, this mindset was important. Today, it remains just as relevant.
At FS Solutions, projects rarely start with a standard product. Instead, they start with a challenge. How can a process be made smarter, more efficient or more reliable?
A great example is the long-standing cooperation with Bleckmann. According to Peter, this customer request once started quite literally as a sketch on the back of a cigar box. What began as a simple idea eventually developed into a fully engineered and implemented solution.
Perhaps that story best illustrates how FS Solutions has worked for the past twenty years. Not by starting with a standard product, but by starting with the customer’s challenge. Understanding the process, exploring possibilities and developing a solution that truly works.
Continuing to Develop
Standing still for twenty years is not an option.
In its early years, FS Solutions operated through the Schüco dealer network. The knowledge gained through projects and customer solutions gradually evolved into an increasing number of proprietary systems and applications.
From 2010 onwards, more and more in-house solutions were developed and sold. This created opportunities for further innovation, including sorting systems and a variety of specialized solutions developed directly from practical experience and customer requirements.
The markets also changed. While the company’s focus initially centered on food production and FMCG, new sectors emerged over time. The rise of e-commerce introduced new challenges and opportunities.
As markets evolved, FS Solutions evolved alongside them. Over the years, the company has worked with customers such as DHL, Amazon, Bleckmann, Unilever, Dr. Oetker and Johma. Organizations with very different challenges, but all looking for the same thing: a solution they could rely on.
Building Trust Together
Technology plays an important role at FS Solutions. Products and systems do as well.
But in the end, it is all about people.
People who work together. Customers who place their trust in the company. Suppliers and partners who help make projects successful.
Over the years, FS Solutions has grown from a small organization into a mature company. Despite that growth, it has remained committed to a flat organizational structure, short communication lines and a personal approach.
That personal character continues to be one of the company’s strongest qualities.
What Never Changed
Twenty years ago, the world looked very different.
Digital marketing barely existed. Social media was still in its infancy. Much of the communication happened through trade shows, phone calls, customer visits and even company stationery.
Today, the possibilities are entirely different. Yet one thing remains unchanged: business is still about people.
Digital channels may have transformed the way we communicate, but trust is still built through personal relationships, cooperation and keeping promises. The tools have changed, but the foundation remains the same.
Perhaps those are the most important lessons from twenty years of FS Solutions.
Stay flexible.
Keep looking for solutions.
Build trust together.
And continue working every day to create the best possible solution for the customer.
