Renson, Motus Handling and 4D Trans are the Ambassadors of the West Flemish Gazelles

For the eighteenth year in a row, Trends has set the ranking of the fastest growing companies under the 'Trends Gazelles' label. In the past few weeks we have published the ranking for Brussels, Flemish Brabant and Limburg. This week we arrived in the province of West Flanders. Via the links at the bottom of this article you can consult the ranking, and that for the three categories: large, medium and small companies.

The same link also gives you more information about the methodology of the Trends Gazelles. The principle is simple: the faster the growth of the company, the higher in the ranking. The fastest grower comes in at number 1. In concrete terms, we calculate the growth of turnover, cash flow and the workforce for each company, and reduce the outcomes to a score. That score determines the place in the ranking. We look at the growth over a period of five years. For the current edition of the Trends Gazelles, this is the period 2013-2017. The number one in the ranking is given the honorary title 'Ambassador of the Trends Gazelles', but not always. An Ambassador must fulfill additional conditions, such as operational independence. Also, a subsidiary of a foreign multinational cannot become an Ambassador.$

In the medium-sized Gazelles, the Ambassador's title goes to Motus Handling, a company that manufactures assembly lines and conveyor systems for industrial companies. CEO Frank Vandeputte: "Our customers are mainly in the food industry, but we are also at home at, for example, Volvo." The turnover figure was boosted especially in 2017 after the takeover of the bankrupt Soenen. The company located in Roeselare produces heavy machines for cutting, deforming and perforating steel sheets. "When the company went bankrupt, we were immediately interested, but we had one big condition: the entire technical team had to make the transition, without them, we would never have taken over the acquisition," says Vandeputte. He got the company back on track. "We brought our own corporate culture at Soenen and it stands for no-nonsense, flat structure and cost awareness. "The recruitment of new people requires a lot of effort." Large machine builders such as Vandewiele, LVD and Picanol are looking for the same profiles. Our only disadvantage is that we are less known, but we still have a lot to offer to young engineers. In our company they can enjoy themselves in just about all kind of domains: electricity, hydraulics, mechanics, pneumatics, ... We have it all! It is a real playground here for people who are passionate about technology.”

Source : Knack