Interview with Jan Pieters, CEO Rioned
Rioned in Tilburg is the European market leader in sewer cleaning equipment. For more than sixty years, the company has been developing and supplying systems to clean sewers and solve sewer-related problems. The Netherlands has a strong presence in this form of water management, partly due to decades of focus on industrial design and aesthetics. For CEO Jan Pieters, it is paramount that Rioned's customers can work comfortably, effectively, and efficiently with the equipment.
CEO Jan Pieters on the importance of industrial design for Rioned: "For decades, we have always worked from the perspective of the customer. This is of course the end user, but it can also be the intermediary. Thorough market research and discussion panels provide the information from the market for our product development."
“In addition to user needs, there are, of course, various legal frameworks and trends within which a design must fit. For example, our first built-in machine, the ProfiJet, was a milestone for the industry in terms of design, ergonomics, and compactness. Many tried to follow us, but often without success.”
“The importance of emission requirements has increased significantly. We are also working on the optimal technology to make our users' work as easy as possible. Our close collaboration with technology partners makes a difference in this regard.”
“Until the end of the last century, our product development was largely driven by customer specifications,” continues Jan Pieters. “The motto was: You ask, we build. That seems very customer-oriented, but it is also reactive. To become a market leader, you need to be proactive. You must recognize opportunities and come up with solutions that positively surprise customers and put competitors at a disadvantage. This is how we developed our first ProfiJet. It was released around 2000 as a system that excels in design, compactness, and ergonomics. The competition was left behind.”
The Rioned eControl: a smart, compact control unit.
Rioned, owned by an American family business, is part of a large international network with access to extensive knowledge and technology. In the Netherlands, there is a trusted collaborative relationship with GBO Innovation Makers. Jan Pieters comments on this: "Around 2015, we noticed a need for a new way of working with our technology. As consumers, we spend days on our smartphones; people are accustomed to working on screens. The question was: how do we create a screen-based control system for our equipment?"
“GBO immediately came up with the idea of combining a rotary push button with a user interface on the screen. The user interface (UI) and user interaction (UX) of our products have taken a leap to the 'next level' with the eControl developed by GBO. The advantage for us as a client is that GBO has managed the entire process; from the initial analysis to the actual production. Where GBO does not have the competence in-house, they actively seek a partner within their extensive network. There are no secrets about who does what.”
“That open form of collaboration is for me a good demonstration of what ‘open innovation’ can be. As Rioned, we have always been able to provide our input. After all, it must be our product with our DNA. This has been exemplary with the eControl.”
“As a market leader, you can never sit still or rest on your laurels,” Jan Pieters continues. “We are, of course, observing what is happening around us with connectivity and data. I expect that in the not-too-distant future, steps will also be taken in our industry in this regard. We want to be part of that; our attention is certainly directed there. But the central question remains: what benefit does the customer gain? Collecting data and connecting equipment to cloud solutions should not become a goal in itself. If we do it, what is the added value for the user? GBO is on our radar to think along in this area as well.”
We are known for our distinctive designs, with which we have already won many prestigious design awards. We develop products with the right choices of materials and constructions, using knowledge of the latest technology and always with attention to people and the environment.
