We sat down with Erik Wassink to reflect on his 44 years at Stahl.
Stahl is fortunate to have employees who have been with the company for decades. With such a wealth of experience, our long-serving colleagues have seen Stahl through from the dawn of the digital age to our new brand and purpose. So, what do they think about Stahl and how it has changed? We caught up with one of them to find out.Erik Wassink has worked at Stahl since 1980 – that’s 44 years! He is currently a Senior Technical Expert, based at our head office in Waalwijk, the Netherlands. We caught up with him to reflect on four decades at Stahl and his enthusiasm for our sustainability drive.
Erik, what has made Stahl a special place to work over the years?
‘The people at Stahl have been open-minded from the beginning. It’s easy to get along with everyone here’, says Erik.
‘Ultimately, this easy sense of belonging is what makes Stahl strong, because it helps us work well as a team.’
‘We also maintain a friendly image for customers: everyone is very welcome in our lab and customers have often remarked on our positive working environment. This reflects our view of our customers as long-term partners.’
Stahl launched its new purpose in 2023 – Touching lives, for a better world. How does this purpose drive your work at Stahl?
Erik is clear-eyed about the direction that Stahl is taking: ‘Climate change is something we need to address urgently if we want to leave behind a liveable world for the next generation.’
‘I’m proud that Stahl is committed to greener alternatives for our products. We’ve already made a lot of progress.’
‘For example, we have a whole range of products made from bio-based materials, called Stahl Ympact®.’
Erik explains, ‘They’re just as good as the traditional range with less fossil fuel resources. There are also many other bio-based products in our portfolio, such as Stahl NuVera®.’
Along with our new purpose, we have a refreshed logo and brand identity. What were your first impressions of it?
‘At Stahl, it’s all about quality, and that’s what really comes through in the new logo. I like the nod to our ‘test tubes’ heritage with a modern expression of where we’re going next.’
‘I look forward to seeing how it will generate more business and reinforce our great reputation for coating solutions!’
When you started in 1980, Stahl was still ten years away from moving to its new global headquarters in Waalwijk, The Netherlands. What changes have you seen in the company’s branding and presentation?
‘Our logo lasted for as long as it did because it has been a hallmark of how long we have been the leaders in the leather industry’, Erik recalls.
‘Stahl has a real pedigree that our brand has confidently expressed for many years. I’m still very proud to work for Stahl.’
‘The logo has evolved – not completely changed. That’s a statement of what matters at Stahl: greener alternatives with the same great quality of our continuing products.’
‘We have done a lot more to market ourselves in recent years’. Listing the variety of brand activities Stahl has undertaken, Erik notes that Stahl now appears ’in every leather magazine, at every convention’ and is ‘much more engaged on social media’.
In 2030, we will celebrate 100 years of Stahl. That’s a long way from the company that Harry Stahl founded during the Great Depression. What do you think are the company’s priorities to thrive in a challenging future?
‘We have become the biggest name in leather and flexible substrates because of our excellent technical support and well-designed off-the-shelf products.’
‘We want to stay close to our customers to build on our good name. Of course, that means working together as a team to deliver that great service – always sharing information, communicating and helping each other, no matter how long you’ve been with Stahl.’
Erik has captured the essence of what makes Stahl great. It’s only through customer care, innovation and teamwork that we have grown from our humble beginnings in Peabody, Massachusetts, USA in the 1930s to our worldwide presence in 2024. We love to see long-serving colleagues like Erik, who are so proud of our heritage, embracing our purpose and applying their expertise to new challenges.
Want to hear more stories from the Stahl team?
- Our brand evolution as seen by long-term colleague – René Maas
- Our Brand Evolution as seen by long-term colleague – Annelies Janssen-van Drunen
- Meet Yoo Keng Lim
- Meet Montse Pous: Committed to building on a culture of excellence
- Meet Tracy Lou
Looking to join the Stahl team? Check out our vacancies.