DeSnipperaar vs Rhenus Office Systems: archive storage or pure destruction?
Rhenus Office Systems is an international player in archive storage and document management. Part of the German Rhenus Group, active in dozens of countries, strongly rooted in the financial sector: banks, insurers, pension funds. With Rhenus, destruction is usually the final step of a longer archive-management process. DeSnipperaar is something quite different: a mobile shredder truck that destroys paper and data carriers locally and on demand. This article explains when you want which model.
Rhenus in brief
Rhenus serves organisations that, for legal or operational reasons, hold large archives and want to outsource that storage. You hand over your archive, Rhenus stores it in a secure data centre or archive depot, keeps a register, and destroys at the end of the retention period. In addition Rhenus offers digitisation, scanning, workflow solutions and various forms of archive destruction (mobile and offsite).
Strong points: international presence, strict compliance procedures suited to regulated sectors (financial supervision, DNB, AFM), advanced tracking system per box or file, years of experience with long retention periods.
DeSnipperaar in brief
We do not store anything. We only destroy, and only mobile, within 20 km of Amsterdam-Noord. No archive management, no digitisation, no scanning. A shredder truck at your door, DIN 66399 P-5 paper, H-4/E-4 data carriers, certificate handed over immediately.
Comparison table
| Aspect | Rhenus Office Systems | DeSnipperaar |
|---|---|---|
| Service package | Archive storage, scanning, destruction | Mobile destruction only |
| Coverage | International | 20 km around Amsterdam-Noord |
| Target audience | Banks, insurers, large corporates | SME, professional services |
| Contract | Ongoing, management over years | Per job, no contract |
| Digitisation | Yes | No |
| Per-document traceability | Yes, tracking system | Certificate per job |
| Destruction model | Mobile or offsite | Mobile only |
| Minimum job size | Usually a corporate contract | No minimum |
Different audience, different model
Rhenus is built for clients who see archive management as a core risk. A bank that has to retain mortgage files for ten years, including audit facilities for DNB, needs a level of logistics and compliance that we simply do not deliver. We do not want to deliver that either: we are not the right fit for ongoing archive retention.
We are built for the final step: the moment the archive no longer has to be kept. Or for organisations that archive perfectly well themselves and only need professional destruction.
What does a difference in model cost?
Rhenus clients typically pay per metre of archive shelf per month, plus destruction costs on execution. That only pays off with a structural storage need over multiple years.
Our costs are simpler: a call-out fee and a price per kilo, per job. For a one-off clear-out or a half-yearly round that is much more efficient.
Retention period expired?
Whether the archive was with Rhenus or in your own cabinet: we destroy mobile at your door. No contract.
Request a quoteWhen do you choose Rhenus?
- You have to archive large quantities of paper over long retention periods.
- You work in a heavily regulated sector (financial, pharma, government).
- You want archive retention and destruction with one party using one tracking system.
- You need scanning or digitisation services.
- You operate internationally and want uniform processes across multiple countries.
When do you choose DeSnipperaar?
- You archive yourself and only want to hire in professional destruction.
- You have an incidental or periodic job without a storage need.
- You are within 20 km of Amsterdam-Noord.
- You want to watch and receive the certificate directly.
- You do not want the overhead of an ongoing contract.
- You have professional secrecy and want to see the file actually shredded.
Possible combination
Some Rhenus clients ask us in between for jobs where mobile is relevant, for example a branch move or a one-off clear-out of a department that does not run through the central archive. That works fine as long as both chains are well documented. In that case arrange a separate processor agreement with us.
Honest advice
For a bank or large insurer with archive retention requirements Rhenus (or a comparable party) is simply the right choice. We are not a replacement for that. For SME, professional services and incidental corporate jobs within our region we are a fast, contract-free option. You choose on the basis of your own situation, not on the basis of who shouts loudest.
See also mobile versus offsite shredding for the underlying model choice.
Unsure what fits? Call us. We are transparent if Rhenus or another party fits you better. Also compare with Shred-it or Archiefvernietiging.nl.