What's in a name. It Asbestos platform is an engineering office that inventories asbestos and other building materials. “I always have 3 tabs open: LinkedIn, ChatGPT and openthebox.”
Barn Hamelink only worked as a self-employed person for years before deciding in 2021 to develop a business involving the inventory of asbestos. Everything gained momentum when the legislator made it mandatory to draw up an asbestos certificate when selling older homes in November 2022. The team now has 19 employees.
The Asbestos Platform focuses on both individuals and companies. “In addition to a sales certificate, we help employers meet their obligation to make an annual inventory of materials containing asbestos in buildings. In addition, an inventory of building materials, a so-called SOP or demolition follow-up plan, is also required when demolishing or renovating large brews. '
In the long run, Barn wants to evolve into a wider range of services. “We are investigating how we can support banks and insurers in case of emergencies. In addition, we want to further unburden brokers with energy services such as an energy audit, an EPC certificate and the inspection of electrical installations. '
“Openthebox is always open for me”.
Barn Hamelink, business manager
Transparency
“Thanks to my CFO, I got to know openthebox. Before that, I used other platforms but I wasn't really satisfied with them. The clarity at openthebox makes the difference. '
Barn uses openthebox every day. “Openthebox is always open for me. I look for any new contact or company on openthebox — even while talking to someone on the phone. I'll see everything I want to know and I'll immediately use the info I get from openthebox in my conversation. '
“I mainly look at contact information and the Spiderweb to see who the co-directors, founders, etc. are,” says Barn. “This shows that you're interested in the person you're talking to.”
Be well informed
'I also use openthebox to identify stakeholders and to estimate how big a company is, 'explains Barn. “For example, “When I target a large real estate agency, I check in openthebox to see if at least 10 employees are employed. I then compare this with what I find on LinkedIn and so you can verify data and compare it with the official information from openthebox. '
Financial barometer
“Within the company, both the CFO and myself use openthebox. Our CFO mainly uses openthebox to look at issues such as profitability, solvency and repayment capacity. At partners, we also check whether the company works with its own staff. We are sensitive to that. I myself use the financial barometer and certain parameters to make an initial scan of a company. '
The Spiderweb
“I use the Spiderweb most often. Recently, an EPC company called me to work together. In the Spiderweb, however, I saw that there is a study office specializing in asbestos at the same location as that company. So it turned out that the EPC company was not interested in working together at all but wanted to know my prices. With openthebox, you can get to the reason why someone contacts you.
