Provident has firmed up its leadership team with several key appointments to its management team.
Andrew Van Denand, Operations Manager, can rightly claim that Provident is in his blood — his father was one of the original owners and founders of the company. “Provident blades were actually made in our family garage as the company was launching,” he said.
This allowed Van Denend a taste of everything as he was learning about the industry. He worked in sales, production and operations each and every day, building a wide-ranging base of knowledge.
“Operational efficiency and customer service are areas that I always strive to learn more about and continually challenge myself to achieve higher goals,” he said. “I want to know how I can create a bigger impact.”
Van Denend credits his start in the business as a laborer with giving him insight into issues that needed to be resolved and things that needed to be done to streamline the business.
“I really enjoy the work,” he says, considering his time with the company. “It’s fun to come up with solutions and see them succeed.”
When it comes to meeting customer needs, Van Denend sticks to several tenants. “You must demonstrate a quick response, have clear communication, get to the root cause of a customers problem, and instead of simply matching what they are using, you need to improve it.”
Van Denend points to an interaction with a customer, a wide-web printer in the Midwest, to highlight this belief.
“We took them from using a low-grade blade and seal that was frequently being changed out,” he said. “The team came together and got them on a high-end, long-life combo that improved their overall performance and efficiency.”
Creating efficiencies without a lot of resources, is a skill Van Denend touts, as well as, “seeing problems and coming up with solutions, especially when working with different types of people and departments that have different views.
“Provident has great products that provide longevity,” he concluded. “We have positioned ourselves in the market where we can provide high-quality products that competitors can’t compete with.”
Tim Allen, Director of Sales, also entered Provident on the ground floor; his brother started the company more than 30 years ago. Allen worked with him and supported many pressroom products before he started Precision Flexo & Gravure. (Precision and Provident would ultimately merge in May of last year.)
Allen has spent a good deal of his career trying to educate the industry about the importance of doctor blades. “Having our customers understand and incorporate doctor blade chamber management is the core of the business.
“Big press drums have different ink stations (each one in unique),” he said, “and there are four things that keep them from leaking; doctor blades and end seals are two of those items. The ink fills anilox roll cells and the doctor blades wipe access ink off so there is the perfect amount of ink in the cell.
“ ‘Doctor’ means ‘meter/wipe’. If the right amount of ink is being transferred, you don’t have to worry about too much or too little ink being transferred.”
He stressed that Provident has special blades that don’t wear out; they are engineered for abrasion so customers don’t have to change out the blade every day or every shift. “This is an amazing advantage when stopping the press can cost a converter $750 to $1500 per hour,” he said. “It’s also a huge waste of ink and substrates.
“Provident has a special ROI calculator that pulls customer numbers to truly see how much money they are losing every time the press is stopped,” he said.
Allen said success in the flexo industry depends on keeping a totally client-driven perception. “Customers need to not only be happy with the results,” he said, “they need to see first-hand the positive impact Provident’s combination of doctor blade and end seals provide them.”
Allen has always enjoyed the close camaraderie and friendships made along the way in the industry.
“On my very first sales call on my own I went in to sell a rounded blade to a company that was already using stepped blades,” he remembered. “The rough-and-tough plant manager called the press manufacturer for their input. On the other end of the line was the father of Provident Vice President and General Manager Andy Gillis, a good friend of my brother, who was able to validate the product and company.”
Allen described Provident as an honest company made up of real people. “We don’t brag or worry about what’s in it for us; we do what is best for our customers, every single time.”
