Service, with a Capital S

Nearly fifty years after TSS was founded by Ron Huijzen, Louis Huijzen explains why quality, relationships and practical problem-solving remain the company’s greatest strengths.

There is a phrase that comes up repeatedly when talking to Louis Huijzen about TSS. It isn’t the name of a product or a piece of engineering. It’s something his father, Ron, used to say.

“Service with a capital S.”

He says it almost in passing. But by the end of the conversation, it feels like the thread running through everything TSS does.

Nearly fifty years after Ron founded TSS, quality and service remain the standards by which the business measures itself. The company has grown from a specialist supplier of run-flat systems into a recognised provider of complete vehicle mobility solutions, but the principles behind it have remained remarkably consistent.

“When you take over a company that someone has spent their entire life building, you understand that you are not starting from zero,” Louis says. “You are continuing something that already has a history, a reputation and relationships that have been built over many years.”  …Read more

It is a perspective that feels increasingly uncommon. While many businesses talk about customer focus, TSS still places genuine value on understanding the problem before proposing the solution. Sometimes that conversation leads to a TSS product. Sometimes it doesn’t.

If another option better suits the customer’s needs, that is the recommendation they will receive. If TSS cannot provide the right answer itself, the company will source it through a trusted partner or point the customer in the right direction. Helping the customer comes first. Selling a product comes second. That has always been the company’s philosophy.

The business began with run-flat systems and built its reputation on them, but customers’ requirements rarely stand still. As operators looked for stronger wheels, improved braking performance, fuel tank protection and other ways to enhance vehicle mobility, TSS expanded alongside them. Growth was driven less by a desire to diversify than by responding to the practical challenges customers brought to the company.

Louis is noticeably understated when he talks about innovation. Rather than describing it as a race to introduce the latest technology, he sees it as a response to genuine operational needs. Development usually begins with a customer explaining a challenge, followed by a discussion about the most effective way to solve it. The focus is never simply on what can be supplied, but on what will work best.

Before TSS had installation teams, Ron was fitting run-flat systems himself. He believed in getting his hands on the products, testing them and seeing how they performed in real conditions. Among Rodgard engineers there was a well-known saying: “If Ron can’t break it, it’s good enough.” It was only half a joke.

If he could find a weakness, he wanted to uncover it before a customer ever did. That practical approach earned credibility because customers knew his recommendations came from experience rather than theory.

Louis followed a similar path, learning the products by installing them himself before advising customers in the field. That hands-on knowledge remains part of the company’s culture today.

A run-flat system is only one part of a much larger picture. Wheels, braking systems, tyre pressure, payload, operating environment and mission profile all influence the final solution. There is rarely a universal answer, which is why consultation continues to play such an important role in the business. Experience allows TSS to look beyond individual components and consider how the complete vehicle will perform in service.

The market itself has evolved over the years. Procurement has become increasingly formal, particularly within government and international organisations, where technical claims are expected to be supported by recognised testing, certification and quality management systems. TSS has adapted accordingly, maintaining ISO 9001 certification and supporting products with appropriate testing where required. For Louis, however, these are not new values but modern ways of demonstrating the same commitment to quality that has always defined the company.

Trade exhibitions such as Eurosatory and NEDS remain an important part of the calendar, not simply because they provide an opportunity to showcase products, but because they allow the company to meet customers, partners and manufacturers face to face.

The nature of those conversations has changed. Visitors often arrive already familiar with the products and capabilities. What they want is confidence that the people behind the company understand the operational challenges they face. Consultation, rather than salesmanship, has become the real value of exhibiting.

Ask Louis what distinguishes TSS from its competitors and he does not talk about market share or product range. He talks instead about experience, technical knowledge and commitment. Those qualities have helped build relationships that, in many cases, have lasted for decades. In a sector where trust is earned over time rather than through marketing, that may be the company’s greatest achievement.

Looking ahead, TSS intends to keep growing. New technologies will emerge, customer requirements will continue to evolve and new markets will open. But growth, Louis insists, should never come at the expense of the values that have shaped the company since its beginnings.

By the end of the conversation, you find yourself coming back to Ron’s familiar phrase. Nearly fifty years on, products have changed. Markets have changed. Customers’ requirements have certainly changed. But one thing has not, Service, with a capital S.