As logistics manager at Hollister Inc.'s European distribution centre, Job Sonke (49) constantly has to balance between the American performance culture and the Dutch consultation culture. And that goes quite well for him. "Despite all the competition from low-wage countries, the US headquarters still gives us the confidence by staying in the Netherlands."
Sonke was commissioned in 2007 by Hollister, a US medical device manufacturer, to concentrate the company's European distribution in West Brabant. "At the time, those operations were still fragmented across Europe. I started shaping that central distribution centre. I still lead that today."
'The added value is mainly in the staff. People have logistics sense'
In 2016, Hollister had to look for a bigger location for its European operations. In doing so, it again chose the Netherlands. Within a year, all employees, equipment and products moved to new 30,000-square-metre premises in Oud Gastel. "That went in a very ambitious time frame. In December 2017, the premises were completed and within three months we moved all products, without our customers noticing anything."
"This is largely because we gave a lot of attention to change management within the organisation. We included everyone in every step. In the end, all the staff moved with us to the new location. We are quite proud of that."
Sonke is also proud of the fact that Hollister chose the Netherlands as its European location again after ten years. "That is a great compliment. They could also have chosen a country in Eastern Europe when relocating, for example. Apparently, what we have put in place here works well for Hollister. Of course, the Netherlands has a strategic location, close to ports. But the added value is mainly in the staff. People here have a feeling for logistics. This is how we create efficient logistics chains. We don't go for the cheapest staff and short employment contracts. We want committed people who fit the culture of the company."
Why engaged staff is so important to Hollister? Because the company manufactures medical devices. "Hollister's mission is to make the lives of people who need our products more valuable and dignified. In that, you don't want to do a half-assed job. That has big implications. We constantly try to include that in the steps we take. Surely a quality controller or order picker has to know what they are doing it for in order to remain accurate."
Still, for Sonke, translating European and Dutch culture to an American company is occasionally a challenge. "For example, we work here with an OR. That is an unknown concept in the US. It's up to me to make that clear and to anticipate in time when the OR has concerns about a company choice."
The logistics manager calls Hollister a "fascinating company to work for". For now, he sees plenty of challenges for himself there. "In 2007, my mission was to centralise customer logistics. Now I am focusing on centralising factory-related processes in the logistics process. We are going to bring certain value added services to the Netherlands. For example, labelling products for a specific market. For the French market, a product needs a French label. In future, this will not be done in the US factory, but in the Netherlands. This will allow us to change orders until the last minute, throw up our delivery reliability and reduce safety stocks."
Sonke sees his participation in Logistic Manager of the Year mainly as a crowning achievement for his team. "I am extremely proud of my nomination, but I really see any win as a compliment to my entire team. I am the showcase in that."
Logistics Manager of the Year
On 28 March, the three finalists will climb onto the stage to convince the professional jury and the public one last time. Logistic Manager of the Year takes place on 28 March in Media Plaza, Jaarbeurs Utrecht. More information about the programme and registrationfind here. Registration is free!
