Districon Professionals offers temporary expertise for operation-, project- or management functions. Districon is the partner when it comes to interim management, recruitment and selection and project management. Periodically we ask one of our professionals to share his or her experiences. This allows our professionals to talk about their specific challenges in the various projects. This edition, Sjef de Wit tells about his experiences at Oosterberg BV. He supports the Warehouse Manager since June 2015.

My name is Sjef de Wit. Since June this year I supports the Warehouse Manager of Oosterberg. Oosterberg on an interim basis. Oosterberg is a leading wholesaler for the electrical industry. The company is currently looking at some interesting challenges, including an entirely new WMS system and a partially mechanized pick and pack process, where Districon is also involved in an advisory role. Interesting but far-reaching changes for the organization and its employees.

These new projects will have a huge impact on goods, financial and information flows. Given the business philosophy of Oosterberg, "very high customer and supplier friendliness", the 'human factor' is very important. Characteristic of this philosophy is that customers can place orders until the early evening and Oosterberg delivers the goods the next day. These products have a very different character from very small screws and lights to ducts and cables of several meters.

The adage "the project is still running during the sale" and "sale is still running during the project" is very appropriate.

Prior to these changes, the management of Oosterberg asked Districon for advice and support. In the role of supporting the Warehouse Manager I act as a consultant in the field of the WMS implementation projects and mechanization of the pick and pack process. Besides that I am also responsible for optimizing operational processes. In the past I have been involved in many similar projects. By sharing my experiences with the Warehouse Manager and other stakeholders we ensure that the various processes will be improving.

The management of Oosterberg realizes that the Warehouse department plays a very crucial role in both projects. The warehouse must make sure that during the great changes all items will be sent correctly to the customer and on time, but also the stock should remain at the optimum level and the incoming goods must be stored at the correct storage location. It is important that the employees have the right attitude and mindset to achieve the objectives at every moment. Through a straight communication structure (with managers, team leaders and staff from the surgery) the team ensures that there is a broad support within the organization to bring these projects to a success.

At the moment it is great for me to see that every day the motivation and enthusiasm of all staff involved (both in management and in the workplace) increases. This increases the likelihood that we will complete these projects successfully, in which I have a huge faith.