De Lage Landen
Company Pro file
COVER STORY COOPERATION WITH DLL AND SARA SIN
Jan Kusters and Wïm Visser
De Lage Landen (DLL) is an asset-basedfinancing
company that offers a complete range of vendor
financing solutions, including leasing, administration,
risk management, and asset management services.
12 issue n ia .ry 20io THE WORD
opportunities for both Rl and DLL in China are great. "We are
targeting the top-5 F&A companies within their respective
sectors - pork, sugar, grain, and so on - which means that
we are looking at dozensofclients and prospects asour'core
founding' F&A portfolio. This means we have to offer a very
wide range of financial services, and this will continue to
grow, as companies in China are hungry to learn about new
banking leasing products and services. Once we begin to
deliver this process in a more standardised way within China's
F&A sector, both Rl and DLL will benefit tremendously - not
just in terms of revenue, but also in terms of helping to establish
Rabobank and DLL as leading F&A players in the country and
region."
In practice, good cooperation begins with open communi-
cation channels between both senior management and the
relationship managers that deal with the clients day-to-day.
According to Flans Loth, DLL's Senior VP Asia, cooperation
is supported at the most senior level. "On a regional (Asia)
level this is Rob van Zadelhoff and myseif, but also country
managers from Rl and DLL hold regular meetings to discuss
business opportunities and catch up more in general.
Additionally, we regularly brief Rl on what we're doing and
the products we offer. This allows us to understand each
other's business model and strategy and helps with cross
selling. We also focus on the softer elements of business
building. For instance, we organise joint social events and
have staff exchanges between the two companies, which
is crucial if we want our employees to be familiar with
each other and the other company's business model and
products."
Orlando Wang believes that the Chinese market is a
potential springboard to global markets, and is confident
that the combined regional expertise of Rl and DLL will
prove a winning combination. 'There are many local
companies within the F&A arena that we can do business
with domestically, and then try to take that business to
the rest of the world. Chinese companies are growing in
both size and ambition, and as local finance providers with
a global reach, both DLL and Rl are in an ideal position to
benefit." Hans Loth agrees: "In our customer contacts in
China we have noticed that DLL's global footprint is very
instrumental in our selling proposition. I do not know of
Over the past four decades the company has gained a wealth
of experience and knowledge in a select number of industry
segments, most prominently the F&A sector, its largest
business unit. DLL has grown successfully around the world,
and currently carries out vendor finance business in over
35 countries, as well as car leasing on a European level and
consumer finance within the domestic Dutch market.
As a wholly owned subsidiary of Rabobank Group, DLL supports
its parent organisation's international proposition. The com
pany's Banking Services division works with Rabobank
International globally to help complete its offering to customers
and to add value whenever and wherever possibie. In 2008
DLL achieved a net profit of EUR 235 million, held a lease
portfolio of EUR 23.3 billion and employed 4,965 staff.
