Something fishy
Den Heijer – known as W.G. den Heijer & Zoon B.V. in full - is a household name in fish-loving Holland. The organisation that was founded in 1946 in the heart of the harbour of Scheveningen, has over 75,000 square feet of floor space at its disposal. This space is much needed, because Den Heijer is an absolute overall supplier, having many renowned restaurants and organisations (including Makro) among its clients. Excellent contacts with suppliers, modern cooling and refrigerating facilities and a service-oriented attitude, assure that even the most spoiled fish-lover will be surprised by the enormous selection we have to offer.

“If it swims, we can supply it,” is the clear-cut explanation of Auke Andela, Facility Manager of the company with a staff of fifty. “From way back we have been an importer of shrimp, but as the years went by our range of products expanded further and further. We buy the very best products the oceans have to offer. From juicy lobsters from Canada to tasty shrimp from Bangladesh; quality is our strength. Because we have large clients and we carry our own brand (High Seas), the quality simply has to be guaranteed.”

Close relations with Asia
The history of Den Heijer dates back to right after the second World War and contains elements that would not be out of place in a boys’ book. Auke: “My father-in-law was a true pioneer. He was one of the first Dutchmen that bought shrimp in China and that is why people to this day still associate us with the shrimp-business.” Even in 2007 there are still products being imported from the Far East. Auke: “We even set up our own line of meals in Sumatra (Indonesia), so that we support the local population. These meals are distributed under our High Seas label . They are healthy, tasty convenience products, that enjoy great demand. At this time we are in the process of researching the possibility to introduce them to a larger market through supermarket chains.”

Something fishy
Den Heijer is especially known as a supplier to the catering industry. The company has a an extensive fleet of cars, so that customers can be supplied quickly. But it also happens that people come to collect the products themselves. “And that is where Safescan enters the equation,’ says Auke. “There are many people who come to collect orders in the store. And of course these orders are paid for in cash. Occasionally, we had to accept some fishy banknotes, so to speak. We knew that the UV-lights at the cash registers were outdated and we had already tested several new devices. Most of them were uneasy in use; banknotes could only be entered in one direction and they often had to be scanned several times to obtain a reliable result.”

Innovative product
“After we tested the Safescan 125’s, it was instantly clear that this was truly an innovative product. The banknotes are entered easily in any direction and are checked in the blink of an eye. A light and a bleep indicate whether a note is valid or counterfeit. We have now installed the Safescan 125’s at all our cash registers.” The visitors of the wholesaler respond positively to the presence of the new detectors as well. Auke: “Our customers are retailers. People who know very well how aggravating it is to accept counterfeit money. Therefore they are very interested in these devices. There have already been several occasions in which the customers eventually purchased a Safescan themselves.”

The back-office of the company uses the Safescan 2955. Auke speaks very highly of this device as well: “All the paper money is processed with it. Sorted or unsorted; the machine counts and checks the notes at high speed so that there are no delays in cash payments. After counting we can read the total amount and the numbers of each type of banknote directly from the display. And of course this is very helpful when large sums have to be paid in cash. Last week I read that more and more counterfeit Euro-banknotes are circulating every day. Luckily, that is no longer a problem for us, with the Safescan 125 and 2955 we identify the fishy ones effortlessly!”