DL Chemicals: quality, durability and structure thanks to clear standards
Last updated:
5/11/2025
DL Chemicals has been a fixture in the Belgian chemicals sector for almost 90 years. The Waregem-based family business develops and produces high-quality solutions for sealing and bonding - from silicone sealants and adhesives to PU foams, coatings and ancillary products. With production sites in Waregem and Wielsbeke and a team of 185 employees, DL Chemicals today exports to more than 50 countries.
The Organisation 's mission is clear: to develop durable, reliable and safe products for both the professional user and the do-it-yourself market. And that mission translates into a consistent focus on quality, innovation and customer orientation - pillars that are also central to their use of standards and the NBN standards platform.
"Within DL Chemicals, we work in a very structured way," says Claude Devos, Operations Manager at DL Chemicals. "I am responsible for everything related to production, maintenance, logistics and projects. Quality runs through that like a red thread."
The Organisation has its own R&D and quality lab, where products are constantly tested and improved. "We distinguish between Quality Control - everything to do with production and internal processes - and R&D. But standards play an important role in both," Claude explains. "They help us develop products, set up quality controls and transmit correct specifications to our customers."
"When customers ask about certain features of a product, we find it important to base ourselves on recognized values - so that they are recognizable to everyone."
Standards thus form the basis of DL Chemicals' quality and sustainability approach. The Organisation is certified to ISO 9001 and ISO 14001, and actively works with CE marking and Declarations of Performance (DOP). This fits in with their commitment to transparency and traceability - values they also uphold internally.
DL Chemicals couples that quality approach with a strong sustainability strategy. They are strongly committed to energy efficiency, renewable energy, sustainable packaging and CO₂ reduction. The Organisation also wants to be climate neutral as soon as possible.
"Standards help us make those ambitions concrete," says Claude. "They ensure that we comply with legislation, with environmental requirements and with our customers' expectations. When we receive audits or have to submit data to the poison control center, for example, standards allow us to demonstrate perfectly that everything is correct."
"If you can use DOPs to show what route a product has gone through, you show professionalism. And companies that work with standards are just taken more seriously."
Previously, standards management at DL Chemicals was less structured. "We were working with Excel lists and scattered documents," Claude looks back. "At a certain point, we could no longer see the forest for the trees. That's when we decided to come clean and switch to the NBN standards portal."
That switch brought peace, clarity and efficiency. "Everyone now has access to the same, up-to-date information. Sales, product management, R&D and quality control all work through the same system," says Claude. "Since we've been using the NBN platform, I haven't actually heard anything more. That to me is the best proof that it works well. (laughs)"
The portal also ensures that DL Chemicals always has the latest approved standards. "You can be sure that what you consult is current. You're not behind the times, and there's no more discussion. That's important for our customers as well as for our employees."
The platform's user experience is receiving nothing but praise within DL Chemicals. "The NBN portal is simple, clear and easy to use even for an IT layman," says Devos. "The procedures to request new standards are smooth. Such a request arrives in my mailbox, and in no time everything is available."
He is also decidedly positive about the cooperation with NBN: "The service is top-notch. If there is a question, we quickly get a clear answer. You guys are always accessible, and we appreciate that."
And what strikes him most is the customer-oriented way NBN communicates. "When I got to know NBN, I was still a layman in that field. But the explanations were always clear, factual and not pushy. It simply said, 'look, this is the benefit, and these are the costs.' The cost-benefit analysis was clear, and no sale was forced. The customer was the focus."
For Claude, it is clear: standards and the NBN platform reinforce each other. Where standards provide international uniformity and trust, NBN provides smooth, accessible and reliable services. "I'm a big believer in systems that bring clarity," Claude concludes. "They provide structure, knowledge and trust - within the Organisation as well as to the market."
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