Interstil Benelux

“We present fabrics.”

What characterises Interstill?

Ed Jansen van Doorn: “Interstil is a German family business. It has now been around for over 40 years. We supply rail and bar systems, mainly across Europe but also worldwide. For the past five years, we have been also supplying the Netherlands without any intermediaries. We deliver from the factory directly to the retailer. This allows us to directly inform and advise our customers. We notice that this has made it possible to build closer relationships with them. I very much enjoy doing this work.”

How does your company differentiate itself?

“What makes our company unique is that we do almost everything ourselves. We design everything and we also build the machines used for production. We even take the marketing aspects upon ourselves. We try to work as independently as possible, which means that the scope in which we operate is very large. We can produce almost anything. In other words, we have a solution for every window. And if there’s no standard solution we’ll come up with a tailor-made one ourselves.”

What aspect of your work do you enjoy the most?

“Coming up with solutions for customers. Customer contact is very important, but coming up with solutions that are both functional and design-oriented is what I enjoy the most about this profession. Customers order with us and we ensure that everything is properly processed into our system. Five days later, the order arrives in the Netherlands. Everything comes directly from the factory in Germany. In the Netherlands we have no products in stock, but that isn’t really necessary thanks to our fast delivery times.”

What does sustainability mean for your company?

“We make sure we reuse our waste as well as possible. We also aim to work as efficiently as possible when it comes to transport.”

What does the future of Interstil look like?

“Being able to offer advice is becoming more and more important. I also believe that by using the Internet we can make our product more and more accessible. It can be difficult to sell our products online given that most of them involve tailor-made production. People often prefer to discuss those matters on the phone where they can ask for customized advice.”

What should customers take into account when choosing a rail or bar?

“‘We present your fabrics’. That’s our slogan. The customer first chooses a curtain, after which the overall style is determined. Subsequently we look at which rod or rail suits that particular style. A beautiful rail or rod truly completes the look of a curtain.”