By Orlando Gaete, CEO, Driessen Catering Equipment
When I was approached about leading Driessen, I had already almost two decades on the airline side of the table: buying, operating, and scaling equipment under real-world pressure.
From that vantage point, you develop a clear understanding of what truly matters. Airlines do not select partners based on presentations or brand positioning. They decide based on operational performance, reliability under pressure, and how a supplier behaves when something goes wrong.
That perspective shaped many of the decisions I made throughout my career. It is also what makes this role at Driessen compelling.
Driessen operates in one of the most demanding segments of aviation. The expectations are high. The margin for error is low. Customer centricity here cannot be superficial. It has to be structured, disciplined, and consistent.
That is the standard I am focused on reinforcing at Driessen.
Airlines Do Not Buy Equipment in Isolation
When an airline invests in catering equipment, it is not simply purchasing a trolley or container. It is investing in what that equipment enables across its operation.
Every piece of galley equipment touches multiple processes: catering logistics, aircraft turnaround, cabin crew handling, maintenance planning, and fuel efficiency. A single design decision can influence ergonomics, downtime, and lifecycle cost.
This is why airlines evaluate suppliers through the lens of total cost of ownership rather than purchase price alone. Weight influences fuel consumption. Durability influences replacement cycles. Reliability influences uptime. According to IATA, fuel remains one of the largest cost components for airlines, typically representing around 30% of operating costs. Even marginal weight reductions can have a massive impact across fleets and flight hours.
This lifecycle perspective is central to our industry. Driessen has consistently focused on reducing weight and improving operational performance, as demonstrated by the launch of the Hybrite Ultra Lite, the world’s lightest certified onboard catering trolley.
Airlines reward solutions that perform predictably and reliably at scale.
Reliability and Partnership Define Long-Term Success
From an airline perspective, reliability is the starting point.
When equipment fails, it does not fail in isolation. It fails during tight turnarounds, under operational pressure, when delays cascade across the network. Airlines remember clearly who responds with urgency and who becomes difficult to reach.
Meeting a specification sheet is essential. It allows a supplier to get a seat at the table. What differentiates a long-term partner is how equipment behaves after delivery – across stations, across climates, and across years of intensive use.
Strong products alone are not enough. Airlines expect structured engagement. They expect clarity about who owns the relationship. They expect proactive contact, defined escalation paths, and follow-up that continues beyond delivery.
Research from McKinsey highlights that B2B loyalty is “up for grabs,” with customers increasingly willing to switch suppliers for stronger engagement and experience. In that environment, consistent post-purchase contact and responsive issue resolution become strategic, not optional.
Structured engagement builds confidence. Confidence creates continuity.
Suppliers who remain engaged become partners. Those who disengage become interchangeable.
Customer Centricity Is a System
Customer centricity is not friendliness. It is a system.
It defines:
- Who owns the relationship
- How often engagement occurs
- Which stakeholders are involved
- What performance indicators are tracked
It requires understanding a customer’s internal structure – engineering, inflight services, procurement, sustainability – and aligning with their operational reality.
Airlines operate in an environment shaped by regulatory scrutiny, sustainability targets, and cost volatility. Authorities such as EASA continue to strengthen oversight across safety and compliance frameworks.
In this context, suppliers must deliver equipment that performs consistently and supports operational stability.
At Driessen, that means:
- Lightweight engineering that supports fuel efficiency
- Durable products designed for intensive use
- Clear performance tracking
- Responsive service when challenges arise
We are supporting operational continuity.
Leadership Must Be Earned Continuously
Driessen’s position as the global market leader in onboard catering equipment reflects decades of engineering expertise and close partnerships with airlines worldwide.
Market leadership, however, is never permanent. Companies such as Kodak and Blockbuster once dominated their industries before failing to adapt to changing customer expectations. In aviation, standing still carries the same risk. Performance expectations evolve. Sustainability pressures increase. Operational complexity grows.
My focus as CEO is disciplined execution and deeper customer alignment. That means reinforcing proven strengths, standardizing how we manage customer relationships, and ensuring consistency across every touchpoint – from early design discussions to long-term operational support.
In aviation, leadership must be earned continuously.
By aligning engineering strength with structured customer engagement, Driessen will continue to deliver equipment airlines rely on every day – and partnerships built for the long run.
