FAM Wins Prestigious Export Award

FAM was recently honored with the ‘Leeuw van de Export’ award. Every year, Flanders Investment and Trade (FIT) recognizes Flemish companies with this award for the most striking export strategy and results. The award was presented to FAM for several reasons, according to Mark Van Hemelrijk, CEO of FAM: "Our excellent results in the past five years speak for themselves. But FIT is also rewarding our different approach to strategy per region. [...] FAM is living proof that you can develop a sustainable export strategy in which the local partners and suppliers play important roles. We believe in giving something back to Flanders and our economy for all the opportunities we have been able to benefit from."

In recent years, FAM has seen a turnover increase by at least 107%, from EUR14m in 2014 to EUR29.68m in 2019. "This growth is 91.3% based on our turnover from exports," explains Van Hemelrijk. "I may say it’s a very healthy export: we are present in at least 97 countries across a number of continents. And we have no plans to stop expanding."

According to Guy Baeten, strategic market development director at FAM, the rising turnover from export is the result of a well-thought-out growth strategy: "In the early years, the direction we wanted the business to move into was often based on gut feeling. If an opportunity came up and we felt that it was the right choice, we went for it. But at a certain point, you need a strategic positioning to shape your future." He continued to say that the requirements of the target market, the necessary capacity, the approach towards potential clients, everything was thoroughly researched before taking the next step. "The way we targeted possible new markets was sometimes quite different, but it appears to have been successful. For example: almost 60% of pizzas in North America are topped with cheese cut by FAM machines," Baeten added.