Who are the 2016 Young Logistics Talents?

Who will be the logistics promise of 2016? Daniella Beljaars, Stefan Kleijngeld and Bart Louwen are still competing for the title Young Logistics Talent of the Year. Who are they and why do they stand a chance of winning the title? A short portrait of the three finalists.

Bart Louwen, supply chain manager at VBH Netherlands
When Bart Louwen heard of the theme 'Logistics as a game changer', he knew immediately that this election would fit him like a glove. "If I hadn't been entered by someone else, I might have done it myself," confesses Louwen. That ultimately proved unnecessary, as Martin Dröge, from Logisch recruitment and selection decided that Louwen should also compete for the title. "He placed me with my current employer, VBH Netherlands. We have kept in touch ever since. Given the theme of the election, he thought it would suit me well."

So why does that theme fit Louwen so well? "We offer logistics as a service. That is special because VBH Netherlands is actually a wholesaler. We have seen in recent years that the position of the wholesaler is changing. It is no longer just shifting pallets and having knowledge of the products. That's why we recently started offering a piece of logistics, with which we want to bind customers."

Example is the project with service buses. "VBH Netherlands has a number of customers who use service buses to take care of repairs. In the old situation, at the beginning of his working day, the mechanic drives a bus to the central warehouse, where he gets the materials. Only then does he go to his first job. We have reversed that process: tell us the day before which materials you need, and we will make sure these materials are delivered to the bus."

According to Louwen, it is important to look at the relationship with the customer. All kinds of process optimisation are often already being done within the warehouse, but the customer doesn't notice. "That's why you have to present logistics to the customer. That goes beyond presenting and achieving a service level. You also have to really think along with them."

Stefan Kleijngeld, Manager Logistics at WP Haton
Already at 23, Stefan Kleijngeld was responsible for the transformation at WP Haton. Thanks in part to him, WP Haton managed to shift its focus from a supply-driven production of industrial bakery machines to a demand-driven service. Together with suppliers, the company now focuses on developing innovative 'dough solutions' for customers.

Thanks to that transformation, Kleijngeld was eventually nominated by Jong Logistiek Nederland for the title 'Young Logistics Talent'. "Jong Logistiek Nederland came to take a look at WP Haton, mainly to see how we put Lean into practice. Apparently they were impressed, because they nominated me."

A good example of logistics as a game changer are the 'packaging on wheels' introduced by WP Haton. "Earlier, all delivered parts had to be packaged separately. That not only cost money, but also a lot of time. We therefore developed custom-made trolleys with soft partitions so that the parts can be transported unpackaged. As a result, WP Haton spent less money on waste disposal and the lead time was reduced considerably."

Kleijngeld sees the nomination as a piece of honour for what he has achieved at a young age. This has been made possible in part by his employer, a company where, according to Kleijngeld, "the hierarchy is completely flattened". "We believe that if you are good at something, you should continue to develop in it. That's what we get the chance to do at WP Haton."

Daniella Beljaars, owner of logistics service provider BB Logistiek
The nomination
of Daniella Beljaars came from close to home. Without her knowledge, she was
nominated by her husband, who believed that Beljaars, with her own company BB Logistiek,
would stand a good chance of winning the Young Logistics Talent title.

Reaching the
final came as a surprise to Beljaars. “We use logistics as a service,
but for me that’s just business as usual. Apparently, I did have a
different story to tell than the logistics companies vying for the title.”

BB Logistics
is a logistics service provider specialising in small and medium-sized enterprises, a sector
that many service providers tend to overlook. “Logistics service providers
tend to focus on large companies, whilst there is actually high demand amongst SMEs for
companies that can take the logistics burden off their shoulders.”

Taking the hassle out of
for businesses, at a fair price; that is Beljaars’ mission. “We
work closely with companies and, as a result, quickly become an extension of the
organisation. SMEs don’t have the capacity to outsource their logistics processes
. We’re happy to do that for them. This allows them to focus on their core
business. Because a relationship of trust develops, this often leads to
longer-term partnerships. Whereas large companies switch
logistics provider every so often, we aim for a long-term relationship.”

Editorial LogistiekProfs