energy
Ronald van Groningen
TotalEnergies
We've been a customer for over ten years, that really means something'
There are more than 400 TotalEnergies service stations in the Netherlands. The company is transforming from an oil-gas company into a multi-energy company. TotalEnergies is active in all energy markets: wind, solar, hydrogen, and biofuels. In terms of energy transition, the group is ambitious to be CO2 neutral with its global activities by 2050. When we speak to Credit Manager Ronald van Groningen of TotalEnergies Marketing Nederland N.V., he reports that he has just renewed the contract with Xolv.
Prolonged due to success
Ronald has worked at TotalEnergies for 16.5 years, of which some 9.5 years as Manager Credit Control, such stated on his business card. “When I first started in this position, our purchasing department had a tender running for a new broker. Xolv came out of that as the best party. The fact that we are prolonging this cooperation again almost ten years later indicates that we made the right choice.”
Smart solutions
Especially Xolv’s brainstorming and their ability to quickly come up with a smart solution appeals to Ronald. He comes up with an exemplary practical example. “In the Netherlands, TotalEnergies also buys fuel from other companies; there are specific agreements for that. According to the regulations, a certain percentage of that fuel must be biofuel. You can add the biofuel physically or buy so-called tickets for it, thus fulfilling your obligations via that option. You have to pay for these tickets in advance, and they are settled once every six months; hence, substantial amounts are involved. Imagine that the supplier goes bankrupt and we don’t get the tickets, while we still have to meet our obligations. In the worst case, you would have to repurchase the tickets and pay twice. In close consultation with Atradius, Xolv has found a smart solution to cover those kinds of risks as well.”
‘With Xolv, we have a brainstorming partner and a sparring partner.’
Top-Up insurance
Xolv also regularly arranges Top-Up insurance for TotalEnergies. Ronald explains: “TotalEnergies not only delivers to large parties but also to smaller customers such as distributors. This might, for example, involve orders of around 1 million euros, but the credit insurer is only prepared to cover half a million euros based on the available figures. With the Top-Up insurance, we can still fully cover the risk or at least for the major part, provided that the credit insurer deems the customer creditworthy enough.”
The ins and outs
In the Netherlands, it is common to have a broker between the customer and credit insurer. “I have a financial background myself, but at the same time, I realize that credit insurance is a very specific product. Xolv does nothing else and knows all the ins and outs. That is crucial. That is why Xolv is also our sparring partner when it comes to new developments in the energy market. They are completely involved in the process of finding solutions to issues that affect our company and in which they can be of service to us. At the same time, they keep us informed of new financial solutions that may be of interest to us. This proactive attitude is a great added value,” concludes Ronald.
