Dirk Schippers of EDR Shipyard has been working with Security Masters for more than 10 years and has established a close business relationship with Filip Pellens, manager of Multi Masters Group’s security division. They understand each other perfectly, resulting in a successful collaboration.
Corporate responsibility for a sustainable future
As QHSSE manager, Dirk is responsible for the Quality, Health, Safety, Security and Environment policy at one of the leading companies in the port of Antwerp. He is therefore responsible for the overall safety condition of the company. EDR Shipyard repairs and paints ships from all over the world.
Their mission is clear. “We want to repair our customers’ ships in the safest and most environmentally responsible way possible. And we want environmental friendliness to be part of our vision. Executing everything we do with respect for the environment is a challenge in our industry, but we work on this every day. We try to work with new technologies to be as sustainable as possible,” he says.
Strong together
In the search for a facilities partner, the goal was immediately clear: find a partner that takes a personalised approach. So EDR Shipyard came to the right place with Multi Masters Group. “It quickly became clear in our meetings that Security Masters values a personal approach and is very customer-focused. They really listen to their customers and think about solutions with them.
I partnered with them in 2013, and am still happy to do so. The security guards themselves come up with solutions and I really feel that,” say Dirk with praise. He therefore describes Multi Masters Group as customer-focused, reliable and human, without a doubt.
Security Masters at its best
The EDR Shipyard site has five permanent security masters who are ready to welcome visitors every day. “They receive all our visitors and register all incoming and outgoing people. They are also responsible for camera surveillance,” Dirk says of Security Masters. “What I notice about them is that the team has a very strong bond. They are our colleagues, but you can also see that they have a strong connection with Multi Masters Group, which is a good sign. It means they are really engaged with their people. The togetherness among the team, we are also a part of that.”
“Other opportunities for the future are definitely there.”
Technological growth
Security Masters has also experienced significant technological growth in recent years. “Previously, security guards had to walk their rounds using a list,” Dirk says. “Now everything is automated and the digital system tells them which round they need to walk. Even recording what happened during the day and any incidents used to be done on pen and paper. But they now have a software platform so the agent on duty can create reports. This reporting, depending on the incident, is always forwarded to the right people with high priority so the problem can be dealt with as quickly as possible.”
Security Masters is there to ensure security on the site. “The people who come to work here every day really do care about welfare and safety,” says Dirk. “They think it is important that everything is in order. In the past they did their jobs to the best of their ability in difficult circumstances because they were in obsolete facilities. But now they have a revamped security lodge.” A nice reward for our teams after their years of hard work.
Facility partner standing shoulder to shoulder
“We have plans to expand Multi Masters Group’s services,” he says. “We sat down with the team to identify a particular security issue. So other opportunities for the future are definitely there,” Dirk says. “I have survived choppy waters with Security Masters. There were difficult times such as the structural deficits, economic crisis and corona pandemic. But rapid growth has allowed the team to stay fully engaged.”
