Why you can always rely on our parts

23 September 2026
Bepco
Bepcoparts

 

When equipment breaks down, it is essential to obtain replacement parts that can be assembled flawlessly and perform as expected. This is why quality in all its forms sits at the core of everything we do at Bepco. In this interview, our Quality Director, Björn Vansteenkiste, explains how rigorous quality testing and a commitment to continuous product improvement ensure that you can always rely on our parts. 

About the expert

Björn Vansteenkiste has been at TVH, of which Bepco is a part, since 2020. As Quality Director, he is responsible for the practical organisation of the quality teams to ensure optimum product quality control, but his commitment goes much further. He also plays an active role in promoting and integrating product quality assurance in all processes that affect product quality. Prior to joining TVH, he gained 22 years of experience in various quality-related positions in the automotive sector.

Rigorous quality testing

The standards behind our tests

“At Bepco, we never want to compromise on quality,” Björn begins. “This starts with ensuring our organisation has people with the right mindset when it comes to quality. The driving force behind these efforts is our Quality Department, which consists of over 100 quality specialists operating on three continents. But we also continually raise awareness of the fact that quality is everyone’s responsibility.”

“Our specialists are responsible for various tasks to ensure quality, including establishing product standards. These standards cover a number of attributes that are Critical to Quality (CTQs), which must be met before a new part is added to our range. CTQs typically relate to the form, fit and function of products, their compliance with applicable safety and product regulations and, where relevant, their appearance and durability.”

“Once a product standard has been established, it forms the basis of a Quality Master Sheet. Used during first-article inspection and the random sampling of incoming products, this sheet provides our quality inspectors worldwide with clear guidance on what to inspect and which specifications the part must meet,” Björn explains. “It goes without saying that our inspectors adhere strictly to our standards, without compromise. Consequently, around 40% of the high-risk products that undergo first-article inspection are rejected. Of the 2.5% of incoming goods that are randomly sampled, usually critical parts, approximately 7% are deemed unacceptable.”

“In an ideal world, we would like to have a Quality Master Sheet for each product. However, creating this tool is a long-term project. While we are working on retroactive sheets for existing products, we also need to make sheets for the new parts and accessories that are constantly being added to our range.” 

How we test

“To ensure that our parts and accessories meet the product standards set out in the Quality Master Sheets, our Quality Department uses various measuring and testing methods,” Björn continues. “We carry out dimensional checks, take 3D measurements, and analyse the material. For our house brand, TotalSource, for example, it’s essential that its parts are manufactured using materials of at least the same quality as OEMs. We achieve this through spectral analysis, a method of measuring the exact chemical composition of metals.”

“But our most rigorous tools for checking parts are our more than 25 state-of-the-art test benches. Designed and built in-house to simulate real-world operating conditions, they guarantee the high quality and performance of each tested part. We already have a number of test benches, including hydraulic test benches, transmission test benches, test towers, and endurance testers. However, we are also constantly working on developing new ones.”

Investing in testing

“Given the importance of testing to ensure the quality of our range, this is an area in which we continue to invest,” Björn says. “As I mentioned, we are constantly developing our test benches, but we are also investing on a larger scale. In 2026, for example, the Belgian branch of our Quality Department moved to its new location in Plant T, TVH’s new and innovative central hub for all incoming goods in Waregem. This means that the team is now much closer to Goods-In, improving the efficiency of all our quality inspections.”

Continuous improvement

The importance of customer feedback

“Naturally, our quality testing isn’t just used to determine whether we’ll add a certain product to our range. The results of these tests also play a key role in product improvement,” Björn continues. Another decisive factor is customer feedback. Although we only receive quality claims on 0.3% of all order lines, we take every one very seriously.” 

“When we receive a complaint, we take immediate corrective action. The quality team identifies which warehouses in our global network carry similar products and removes them from the supply chain. This process is done within 48 hours, ensuring that sub-standard parts are swiftly taken out of circulation. After that, we also take preventive action. Any product redelivered after customer complaints undergoes a thorough inspection to ensure there are no remaining issues.”

Adapting parts and packaging

“But it doesn’t stop there, of course,” Björn reassures. “Based on customer feedback, we can make targeted updates to our range that will have a real impact. On the one hand, this involves adapting the parts themselves. For instance, we upgraded a selection of our joysticks for mobile elevating work platforms (MEWPs) this year, improving our assembly and testing processes to guarantee long-lasting reliability. Another recent example is that we have changed suppliers and updated our drawings for a number of hydraulic cylinders.”

“On the other hand, we can sometimes solve issues by improving our packaging. This can be as simple as adding caps to our hydraulic hoses to prevent pollution, or it can involve a whole thought process. For example, our packaging engineers recently developed a solution to protect TotalSource radiators from damage during transport. And we previously undertook a similar project for Glassinter windows, which resulted in the purchase of a custom Box-On-Demand solution.”

“In that way, we’re constantly working to improve our parts and services. This is essential to ensure that we evolve with market demands, keep pace with changing equipment, and guarantee that customers can always rely on Bepco,” Björn concludes. 

Find out more about the details behind our quality

Gain more insights into Bepco’s quality testing, optimised packaging, product improvement, and expert support in our blogs:

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About the authors

 This blog post is brought to you by your quality team.