Twenty Employeneurs at TMC Netherlands’ new business cell Supply Chain are itching to help companies to structure and digitize their supply chains, a goal that has received an additional push by the corona pandemic. Cell director Noortje van Boxtel and business manager Pepijn Rinzema tell us more.

The corona pandemic has caused losses and delays in many industry sectors, but TMC’s new business cell Supply Chain is an obvious exception. “We’ve even grown during corona,” says business manager Pepijn Rinzema. “Because of the pandemic companies started to critically reevaluate their supply chains. If orders are delayed six months because the ships from Asia aren’t sailing due to the lockdown, you have to come up with alternatives. That’s a very laborious process.”

And that’s exactly what the Employeneurs at Supply Chain specialize in. The new business cell started as a competence within Manufacturing Support, but has since matured enough to warrant a business cell of its own. The market is also ready for it, says cell director Noortje van Boxtel. “Large OEMs like Philips and ASML have already professionalized their own supply chains and they’re pushing those high standards over to their own suppliers, who will have to adapt. That’s where our Employeneurs have a role to play. They have often acquired their knowledge at these large OEMs and now they can start applying it to their suppliers.”

Working remotely

Both Noortje and Pepijn regard Digital Supply Chain as an important competence field within the new business cell. Pepijn: “Digital Supply Chain is still somewhat of a buzzword, but it’s going to grow and develop over the next twenty years. It means you no longer have to call a company to ask them how they’re doing, but instead exchange that information via a computer screen. Further developing that ecosystem is a task especially suited for Supply Chain professionals.”

“Partly because of the pandemic our clients have become more aware of the fact that digitization is here to stay,” Noortje adds. “They’ve realized the importance of working remotely to keep their processes going. That’s why they’ve made it a top priority.”

Different kitchens

Digitizing supply chains is a huge challenge, says Pepijn, since a company has to make a full transition to the new way of working. “To accomplish that you need people who look at the problem from different angles and not just from the systems or processes perspective. They have to be able to offer an integral response.”

Since TMC Employeneurs have often worked at many different companies and sectors they’re well suited for the task. Noortje: “As an Employeneurs you’ve looked into many different kitchens. So you’re able to merge the best practices of those different branches and apply them to your client’s business.”

At the moment Supply Chain has 20 Employeneurs. The founders expect the new business cell to grow to 35 to 40 Employeneurs over the next few years. Just like at TMC’s other business cells great emphasis is placed on knowledge sharing and personal development of their Employeneurs. Noortje: “We’re training people to become Supply Chain experts equipped with all the knowledge and expertise they’ll need in the field.” Pepijn: “Our ambition is to be able to offer our clients an integral approach about how to make your supply chains future proof. We want to help and advice companies to build the path to that goal together.”