The five nominees of Logistics Manager of the Year went into battle with each other on the first day of ICT & Logistiek. In a self-made vlog, the candidates, still somewhat unaccustomed to this relatively new form of media, explained their company and activities. This was followed by 2-minute pitches, in which the nominees had to explain why they are true game changers.
Just like last year, the theme of 'Game changers in logistics' is at the heart of this edition. Who knows how to use logistics not as a cost item but as a unique selling point? The jury consists of a different composition from the previous edition. René de Koster has taken over from Theo Heemskerk as chairman of the jury. The rest of the jury consists of Cosmas Hoefnagels (CLX Logistics Europe), Myrte Marechal (NS) and former LMvhJ winners Raymond Cools and Duco Buijze.
Mark Bär, logistics manager at Stamhuis, specialist in shop conversions. At Stamhuis, they are able to completely rebuild a shop within a week. From the central warehouse in Utrecht, Stamhuis delivers the entire shop inventory. Goods are already prepared in the warehouse and distributed to various transports. By delivering items to the location at exactly the right time, the shop can be set up within a very short time. According to Bär, at Stamhuis they do not use difficult systems. "It really is people work. I don't always choose the most logical solution, but look at what is most efficient in the whole process. When you consider that the shop was completely empty 12 hours before, you can be quite proud of yourself. After a successful project, we don't need to thank a computer system, but ourselves."
Then an old acquaintance took the stage: Arthur Böhmer, logistics manager at Xenos. Böhmer already participated in the election in 2008, but did not go home with the title then. Böhmer was nominated again this year for the completely new logistics system he set up at Xenos. This was necessary because Xenos expanded from 90 to 280 stores in 14 years. Böhmer is proud of the way the best material handling systems, such as a high-bay storage system, unpacking stations and a shuttle system, cleverly blend together.
Marc van het Bolscher has only been working as global supply chain manager at Tanatex Chemicals for a year and has since implemented a major culture change. For instance, he introduced Lean six sigma and S&OP not only in the Dutch sites, but also in Thailand and China. "Before, there was no communication between Sales and Operations. We had to train people intensively on that." According to Van het Bolscher, sales now consults with operations prior to a sale whether something is possible. "They no longer bang their fists on the table." The culture change can already be seen in Tanatex Chemicals' results. " Our service level has increased from 86 per cent in January to 97 per cent. The availability of our products at ordering is increased by 12 per cent to an average of 97 per cent."
Arie van der Tempel has been working as logistics manager at Europet Bernina International for 2.5 years. There, from a poor financial situation, he started a project to make the warehouse process more efficient. The process optimisation ensures that goods are stored, moved, picked, packed and shipped in the best possible way. During picking, products are packed and the picker already sees where the article should be placed in the box and on the pallet. This helped reduce total logistics costs by 12.5 per cent. And wages could be increased as turnover per employee increased. "What is special about this system, developed together with a WMS party and a stacking software company, is that it is applicable to everyone. Moreover, the Return On Investment is only 6 to 12 months."
Bouk Zelissen started introducing Lean as logistics manager at ThyssenKrupp Accessibility two years ago. Since then, processes have been standardised and the culture has changed from 'putting out fires' to 'solving problems'. "Before, we had a lot of stock differences every year. By analysing errors and discussing them openly with each other, we can get to the heart of problems." In two years, Zelissen increased the service level of spare parts deliveries from 90 to 97 per cent. In addition, the Costs of poor Quality of logistics fell sharply.
The Young Logistics Talents (JLT) were also given the opportunity to introduce themselves to the audience. The nominees in this category are: Ardo Groeneveld ( Nedcargo), Luc de Jong ( CEVA Logistics), Anneloes van Klaveren (Dijco Internationaal Transport), Jan Minnee ( Retourplaza.nl) and Fleur Straathof ( Vanderlande).
In both categories, only three candidates will advance to the finals. On 30 March 2017, these finalists will get to tell on stage at the Jaarbeurs why they should become Logistics Manager and Logistics Talent of the Year.
Editorial LogistiekProfs
Image: Logistic Manager of the Year
