Blom Consultancy...Blom Consultancy Jubilee Magazine September 2007 3Retrospective by Steven Blom I...

September 2007 heuvel 11 5737 BX Lieshout (NL) +31 (0)499 427979 [email protected] www.BlomConsultancy.nl

How well do you know your

consultants?Introducing the Blom teams,

pages 7-14

It gives me particular pleasure to send you this special jubilee edi-tion of the World Class Update. In this festive number, we look back on the last 15 years, take stock of the present and look ahead to the next 15 years. When we first started, we couldn’t have predicted where we would be now, but we had a dream: a sustainable Blom in a sustainable Netherlands. The World Class Update is now read by almost 2,000 managers in the Dutch-speaking region, while an-other 500 read the English edition. Together we have ensured that we can maintain salary and profit levels in our ‘high wage countries’ - and that’s a world class perfor-mance in itself. There is still so much improvement potential that business in our part of the world still has a future, despite the pro-gress being made in the rest of the world.

In a world which is increasingly requiring players to fulfil global standards, Blom Consultancy is proud that it can support indus-try, service providers and the care sector in their efforts to achieve continuous improvement. And if we ensure that we set those standards, we will continue to operate at the upper limit of what’s possible: at World Class level. So I am challen-ging you to join us and meet this future and share our achievements with the other sectors of our so-ciety. Because the more edges we manage to give our world class, the more social champions we will be able to generate in the Low Countries. When it comes down to price/quality ratio, we are aiming to become the Lower Countries. And if we want – we could become the Lowest Countries in another 15 years.

With very festive greetings,

Ton Aerdts

Blom ConsultancyJ u b i l e e M a g a z i n e

Dear World Class readers

And further in this edition: Varia 2 Retrospective 3 Abroad 4-5 Economy 6 Teamland 7-14 Retro 10-11 Miscellaneous 15 Sports 16-17 Business relations day 18-19

Blom Consultancy is celebrating its 15th anniversary and we

want everyone to know. So this special festive logo will be

featuring on all our communications in the coming year.

Steven Blom talks about how it all started, page 3Blom Consultancy Belgium; from idea to ido, page 4Blom’s vision; round the table with the Partners team, page 12Improvement Team of the Year Award; the Hall of Fame, page 19World Class Sport Performance, pages 16-17

We felt a traditional group photo was rather passé, not to mention the difficulty of getting everyone together! So, we opted for this ‘champion cartoon’, with a nod to the next stop on our World Class journey!

2 September 2007 Blom Consultancy Jubilee Magazine

Varia

Blom ConsultancyHeuvel 115737 BX Lieshout (NL)[email protected]

Graphic design: Rudi HaryonoIllustrations: Edo DraaijerPhotography: Rob de KortEditors: Eric Joon, Eef Oom, Jeroen Neve

All rights reserved. Nothing in this edition may be reproduced, stored in an automated database or published by means of printing, photocopies, microfilm or any other means without prior written permission from Blom Consultancy. We will naturally be happy to send you extra copies.Call: +31 (0)499 42 79 79

AriesEarly Aries in particular will again manage to find a new goal and take the first steps to achieve it.

TaurusLate Taurus will be thwarted by their own stubbornness. You will have to be more flexible.

GeminiYou have a lot of positive energy and you bring this with you to work.

CancerYou manage to respond coolly, until someone starts to flirt with you during a meeting.

LeoMost Leos are now able to stand back from their onerous responsibilities at work. Let other people take the strain!

VirgoYou are in a relaxed mood. Tasks requiring creativity come off well. Other work is less successful.

LibraSomething may go wrong in the electronic communication. Telephones and e-mails go haywire when you touch them.

ScorpioYou may feel attacked by a colleague who was only trying to ‘spar’ with you.

SagittariusIt is important to seek cooperation or a conversation with a Gemini today. This will bring you luck on your career path.

CapricornYou are too fanatical in the struggle for survival. In a competitive position like sales, your pushing does not come over in a positive light.

AquariusYou really need a holiday. Travelling makes you feel great. Here you are feeling depressed due to the overdose of routine and rain.

PiscesEarly Pisces may meet someone (briefly or for a longer period) who is decisive for their future: a kind of father figure.

COLOPHON [email protected]

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Mainly fine

AbroadA period of low pressure is causing a decline in the expectations for the German economy. Analysts and institutional investors fear a dip which could approach the level of 1999. The ZEW index fell from -5.6 to -22.2 this month. Also on the other side of the ocean, figures are lower than expected. In the Uni-ted States, a cold front is cooling down economic growth. According

to the definitive figures from the Commerce Department, the gross national product rose by 0.7%, alt-hough economists had predicted a rise of 0.8%. Asia seems to be suf-fering a heat wave. In the second quarter, the Chinese economy rose by 11.9% (compared with the same period last year). This is the fifth year in succession that China has experienced a rise of over 10%.

Long-term forecastIn the long term, the forecast is good. Companies who join Blom Consultancy can look forward to steady improvement. For others, changeable conditions are expec-ted. An average rise in econo-mic growth of 3.4% is expected for 2030 - a growth of income of 2.4% per capita (with a popula-tion growth of 1%). However, this very much depends on where you are. The forecast for North America is stable, but in Europe you will be looking at a decline of 31% to 19% of the world’s GNP. This de-cline is caused by the favourable developments in north-east Asia, where a rise of 19% to 30% is ex-pected.

The economic climate in our environment is looking good. The clouds have lifted from the Dutch economy. The forecast for 2007 is a 3% growth. Wide scale sunny spells are expected. Consumer spending by families, investments by companies and exports are on the increase. One minus point: the temperature on the employment market could soar.

(Joined as consultant on 1 September 2007). Has a background as a logistic consultant in ERP/SAP implementations. After completing a degree in horticulture and a Masters in Busi-ness Administration, he worked for Gapgemini for nine years where he was involved in SAP implementations for multinationals like Akzo Nobel Base Chemicals, NXP (formerly Philips Semiconductors), Basell Polyolefines, Ahlstrom Paper Group and Astellas Pharmaceuticals. His task was to coordinate business processes and systems. With his interest in continuous impro-vement, he is keen to contribute to World Class Performance.

(Joined as consultant on 1 August 2007). Studied Mechanical Engineering, focusing on Technical Business Administration in his final year. During his graduation project, he wrote a proposal for a new production process. He was also practically involved in improving the previous process by applying Lean principles. Over the last one and a half years, he has been working in technical-commercial fields.

CLIMATE FORECAST

Anton van Lankveld

Swen van Wijngaarden

Blom Consultancy Jubilee Magazine September 2007 3Retrospective

by Steven Blom

I had dreamt of starting my own business since I was a child. At university, that dream took more and more shape; during work pla-cements I became actively involved in the technique of taking multiple snapshots in different companies. I really enjoyed this period becau-se you came into direct contact with the people on the work floor. Something I noticed was that time losses were not usually the result of people’s ignorance or unwilling-ness, but more the way in which work was organised. This was the start of my desire to help indepen-

dent companies improve their pro-ductivity. When I graduated from Delft University of Technology, my first engineering jobs introduced me to a new phenomenon in Dutch industry called MANS – Manpower and Work New Style. This provided concrete support for improvement based on Socio-Technology (task roles and star roles), the theory expounded by W. Edwards Deming (Deming Circle and Statistical Pro-cess Control) and the Toyota Pro-duction System (Small Group Acti-vity). The term SGA was not even used at that time. Then, it was called Quality Circle. What I soon realised was that Japan was the

place to be if you wanted to find the world standard in this field. So in 1984, I decided to apply for a job at Fuji Photofilm in Tilburg. Fuji had invested in three new fac-tories and was looking for a Dutch production manager. Here I could learn at first hand how best to apply these methods. Fortunately, I was given every support to do so – including a six week training in Japan when I was also able to visit Toyota. In 1992, I cele-brated my 50th birthday and felt it was time to fulfil my boyhood

dream. From 1 September, I threw my-self into production impro-vement with Blom Consultancy. I might add that my wife was not in

favour of the move and put on eight kilos worrying about the future. In her opinion, I was going through a dangerous mid-life crisis which needed sorting as soon as possible. And there I was, in my converted garage, with a telephone and my Total Productive Manufacturing, as I then called World Class Per-formance, and for the rest no idea how to approach this kind of thing. However, things soon started moving, mainly thanks to leads from my former Fuji colleagues. My first client was Soltec in Oosterhout, a company that was threatened with closure. Then came Rockwool, SCA and Nutricia, all with serious issues which de-manded a great deal of time and energy. And although my plan was to run a one-man’s company, it soon became clear that this aim was too modest. It was my for-mer Fuji assistant who put me in touch with Ton Aerdts, a newly graduated engineer who had just returned from Tanzania, where he had worked on the construction of a roof tile factory. We got on well

at once, and before we knew it, we were already working together until deep into the night. The next morning, he officially joined Blom Consultancy. That was the start of a 9 year partnership, which cul-minated in Ton taking over Blom Consultancy from me on 1 January 2002.

I am delighted about the success of Blom Consultancy today with its 40 employees and I am glad that I can still contribute now and then.

The start of Blom Consultancy

1 September 1992

Steven Blom

In her opinion, I was going through a

dangerous mid-life crisis which needed sorting as

soon as possible.

“Yes, I had just started work in Eerbeek and was naturally full of ambitions for our factory. But I needed help to achieve them. While looking for suitable sup-port, I came across Colin Williams, a former colleague of Steven Blom at Chicopee in Cuijk. He told me that Steven had just started his own business. I knew Fuji very well – they are one of our custo-mers – so it seemed a good idea to invite Steven along. It clicked at once between us. So without further ado, we got down to work. Steven’s ideas very much appealed to us, not least because of the way

in which he presented them. One of my employees said this about him: ‘If all priests in our country were able to preach as passionate-ly about their faith as Steven does about TPM, the churches would be overflowing’. In my youthful enthusiasm, I did exactly what Steven said and we started with self-managing teams. The only thing was, I didn’t like the word ‘self-managing’. I therefore changed it to ‘multifunctional’ teams. But whatever you called them, it was a form of reorgani-sation. The technical department was abolished and the engineers

moved to the production teams. I don’t know if you’ve ever witnes-sed such an operation, but it’s very hectic. And there were still no improvements in the results at all. In fact, we seemed to be going in the opposite direction. I think that both Steven and I learned a lot during this period.”

At the start of this century, SCA entered into a partnership with an American company. Together they

launched a programme aimed at creating company-wide Manufac-turing Excellence. “Based on our experience, in Eerbeek we created our own programme that we called

“More with less”. Again I worked together with Blom Consultancy, this time with Rob Brauers. First we built a good structure and care-fully planned and implemented the whole project. And this time we made steady progress with small steps. We particularly benefited from applying Small Group Activi-ties. And we also embraced Filip Vandendriessche’s idea of separa-ting ‘what’ and ‘how’ and commu-nicating in output terms instead

of input terms. At the moment we are implementing continuous im-provements at ten companies at the same time. We really benefit from the World Class tools.

Thinking back to my early years in Eerbeek with Steven, I always remember an expression, whose origin I’m afraid I can no longer remember but which I would like to share. “If you want to go from the loft to the cellar, it’s best to take the stairs. Otherwise it’s a long drop.”

Clients from the start The first step is the hardest

One of Blom Consultancy’s first clients was SCA, a card-board packaging factory in Eerbeek. Here is Fedde Spoelstra, manager of this factory since 1992 and current-ly director of 10 SCA production companies.

If all priests in our country were able to preachas passionately about their faith as Steven does about TPM, the churches would be overflowing.

Also see the Nutricia story on page 15.

For the rest, Blom Consultancy Belgium just wants to be the most in-demand specialist in World Class Performance consulting in lean manufacturing, lean office, six sigma and total productive ma-nufacturing.

In order to achieve this, Blom Consultancy Belgium has set itself a double mission:* To support companies and in-stitutions to become World Class Performers by modifying their skills and culture to enable them to offer their customers increased added value and trace and remove continuous operational losses.* To attract, develop and retain passionate and talented individu-als as consultants who are enthu-siastic about making World Class Performers.

Blom Consultancy Belgium is a joint venture between Blom Con-sultancy bv and Blom Consultancy Belgium bvba.

Two reasons for deciding on a joint venture:* To quickly build up a Belgian ac-tivity with people who know the local culture, independent of the success of its founder, with the support of 15 years of Blom Con-sultancy experience, knowledge, references, people and financing capacity.* Partnership where value can be added, e.g. in sharing sales mar-kets, available consultant time, recruitment and training capacity, knowledge and support functions.

Management teamChristof Frenay will act as general director of Blom Consultancy Bel-gium. His task is to implement the joint business plan.Christof previously worked at McKinsey and Company for four years as a project manager and consultant. He specialised in lean thinking and achieved operational transformations in the automobile, steel, retail and energy sectors.

Prior to this, he spent three years at Solideal International working as steel plant manager, among others, and three years at Case New Holland in after-sales care.Christof was born in 1971, is mar-ried and has a son. His hobbies are outdoor sports and cooking.Christof will be supported from the start by Ton Aerdts, partners and colleagues.

Marketing planBlom Consultancy Belgium belie-ves that World Class Performance will head the agendas of many companies and institutions in the coming years, and this is already

happening abroad. Step by step, the application of the working philosophy of the traditional in-dustrial production environments will spread to the whole value chain and to other sectors, in-cluding service providers, govern-ment departments and non-profit organisations.In this trend, Blom Consultancy Belgium will try to acquire a good market share and potential clients will be approached per sector.At first, attention will be focused on clients with over 100 employ-ees. Blom Consultancy Belgium believes that the most promising sectors are present in its geo-

graphical action radius: food and drink, industry, automobile, steel, energy, service companies, retail, health care and pharma.

ServicesBlom Consultancy Belgium offers various partnership options:* Complete transformations con-sisting of diagnosis, transforma-tion and roll-out phases for clients wanting to apply World Class Per-formance for the first time.* Partial support for the enforce-ment phase, usually after a trans-formation* Ad hoc services such as training, support in the practical applicati-on of techniques as well as audits, seminars, etc.

People and cultureBlom Consultancy Belgium will further expand the company cultu-re of Blom Consultants by creating a dynamic business climate where partners and employees can help promote the success and growth of the company using consensus-based decision processes and fre-quent dialogue.

For more information, please contact [email protected]


Abroad

Blom Consultancy Belgium, from idea to ido...

Blom in Hungary

There are important cultural dif-ferences between the Netherlands and Hungary. While consensus is popular in the Netherlands, this is not the case in Hungary. In the

hierarchical system, what the boss says is very important: what he wants is what we do.

During the 1990s, Hungary develo-ped into a major industrial country. For example, the automobile and electronic industries have based themselves here on a large scale. Important reasons for this were a well educated professional working population, tax advantages and re-latively low wages. In time, howe-ver, the external financial advan-tages will be lost. Neighbouring countries are developing a more favourable tax climate, and due to the great demand, wage costs are rising. More is therefore required than these factors. It is becoming increasingly important to see what you as a company can do to im-prove your performance.With our Hungarian-Dutch team, we work with a growing number of companies who want to improve their processes. An important part of our approach is working toge-ther with management to create the infrastructure within which the organisation can implement im-provements. And once the playing

field has been clearly defined, we can start work with the employees to eliminate the losses in their processes.

Besides working directly with our clients, we have also set ourselves the aim of making WCM knowledge more widely accessible. Because Hungarian is such a small langu-age area, many publishers will not publish WCM-related books. We are changing this by publishing the practical books ‘SGA’ and ‘SMED’ in Hungarian.

We wish our big sister Blom in the Netherlands many more years of success and thank you for all the enthusiastic support we receive. We are doing everything we can to communicate this enjoyable and successful approach in Central Europe too. But we know that we will only be successful if we can translate that approach properly, in terms of language, but chiefly in terms of culture!

For more information:www.BlomConsultancy.hu

When launching Blom Consultancy in Hungary two years ago, we had to answer an important question. Could we successfully introduce the Blom approach in the local culture?

We made it… on 12 July 2007, the starting shot was fired and Blom Consultancy Belgium roared out of the starting blocks. The aim of this Belgian branch of Blom Consultancy is to further improve its services to Belgian clients, inclu-ding those in Wallonia, and in the long term to put Blom Consultancy on the map down south too.

From left to right: László Kiss, Mónika Kiss, Johan Isphording

Christof Frenay

Blom Consultancy Jubilee Magazine September 2007 5Abroad

Company visitsThe company visits were naturally central to the tour. Because how often do you get the chance to look behind the scenes in compa-nies where continuous improve-ment has been applied for years? The visit to Yokohama Rubber Company in Mishima confirmed that TPM belongs to everyone. All employees in the organisation - so not just the production employees but also the managers - wore com-pany clothes. This radiates acces-sibility. It shows that they really want to embrace the work floor or Gemba (Japanese for “the real place” or the place in the organi-

sation where value is added to the product).

If we can improve, please tell usAt Adeka, the participants received a more than hearty welcome. A big team of employees had been given time off to treat the Europeans to an interesting glimpse behind the improvement kitchens of the Japanese food and chemical or-ganisation. The employees’ motto will also be long remembered by the participants: “If you find any-thing in our company that we can improve, please let us know”. The improvement cycle (PDCA) really

seems to have become an integral part of the corporate culture.

Founding fatherThe visit to the Takatana factory of automobile supplier Denso, a subsidiary of Toyota, was tremen-dously interesting. The size of this company is impressive: in the Takatana factory, situated in the Aichi prefecture, there are ‘only’ 4,300 employees (of the total 100,000). Denso has been using Total Production Maintenance (TPM) as process improvement me-thod for many years. In fact, it all began here in 1971, when Seiichi Nakajima developed the TPM phi-losophy together with the main-tenance manager.

The Japanese cultureTo broaden their experience, the participants were also submerged in Japanese culture – a revelation in itself. It would be impossible to learn about the food, architecture, as well as social manners from a book. The many photos show how well the participants appreciated the programme and how well they

JAPAN STUDY TOUR GREAT SUCCESSBetween 24 May and 2 June, twenty-five European managers visited Japan. The managers came from companies like Heinz, Daf Trucks, NDC, Farm-frites Poland, FEI Company and Mars. The aim of the Japan Study Tour was to learn how Japanese process management methods like Total Productive Manufacturing (TPM) can be successfully implemented. The participants visited, among others, Yokohama Rubber, Nippon Denso, Adeka (Foods) and Subaru (Fuji Heavy Industries). There were also opportunities to talk to managers in these companies while Japanese experts in the field of continu-ous improvement provided three guest lectures about TPM. Advertising

got on together - barely a produc-tion company to be seen!

The organisationThe Japan Study Tour was organi-sed by Blom Consultancy together with Henk Eertink (TPM director at Unilever for many years, now working for TPM Solutions Inter-national). This company maintains close contacts with JIPM Soluti-ons. A visit to Japan had already

been organised in November 2006. In response to the widespread in-terest, another trip to the land of the rising sun was organised in May. A third Tour is planned at the end of 2007 (16 to 24 November). Register on the website of Blom Consultancy (www.BlomConsultan-cy.nl) or call +31 (0)499 427979 (Claudia Beekman). A detailed iti-nerary is available on www.proces-verbeteren.nl

29 March - 5 April 2008Lean Study Tour - Seattle

Costs and practical information

The cost will be € 7500,- including economy class flights (an upgrade to business class is subject to a supplement of € 1660,-). Departure Sunday 29 March 2008.

More information or registration?

Blom ConsultancyHeuvel 11, 5737 BX Lieshout (NL)Tel. +31 (0)499 42 79 79Fax +31 (0)499 42 79 78

Website: www.zorgvanwereldklasse.nl

Centre of Excellence for Care and Curefor Care which makes people gladKnowledge and support on www.cecc.nl

Mob. (+31) 651 584 212 or (+31) 651 591 753

E-mail: [email protected]: [email protected]

The Study Tour teaches doctors/specia-lists, care managers, healthcare insurers and care suppliers a different approach. You will see how process improvement with Lean and WCP has a very positive impact on quality, safety, service, wai-ting times, productivity, costs and job satisfaction. We then join you in the challenge of applying the Lean and WCP approach to your own Dutch situation. Everyone who wants to structurally chan-ge the care service and would really like to break with traditional patterns is very welcome.

For whom is the Lean Study Tour – Seattle?

Patient safety, marketing and efficiency are top priorities for Dutch healthcare organisations. However, traditional forms of efficiency

improvement or cost reduction have very little effect. Sometimes they even create extra risks arising from declining quality, service or

higher pressure of work. And then what? We present a number of good examples which prove that things can be done differently.


Economy

Advancing insight is an extremely dangerous phenomenon. It lies in wait, apparently offering unexpected support. It’s a parasite, feeding off one of our most vulnerable characteristics – our curi-osity. Skilled in the art of seduction, it tempts us to extend our project goals ever further to achieve more results, seemingly for free. But nothing could be further from the truth. Lured along the path of expansion, our plans become completely sidetracked. And this doesn’t even seem to bother us, because there will be so many more benefits!But is that true? If these new goals weren’t considered interesting enough at the start of the project, who actually wants them? And what about the people waiting for the implementation of the origi-nal goal? They may be in for a long wait, weakening their faith in the improvement team and their relationship with the team. ‘Their’ improvement team now appears to be working for many other un-known people as well. In contrast with its impeccable support early on, the improvement team is now starting to find it increasingly difficult to find an available machine, specialist or any material. This in turn delays the project and erodes the energy level of the team members. “Who are we doing this extra work for anyway? Not just for ourselves? You should see what we’ve discovered already. And that wasn’t even the brief.”You probably all recognise this project phase where everything starts to fail; the phase when shifted deadlines are met with almost total unconcern by most team members. “At least I get some time to do some real work.”At this point, there is only one thing that can save this project from failure: the project brief. The goals described in the brief are now the only goals to be worked on. The rest can be scrapped and at best given a place among the ‘recommendations for further investigation’ during the end presentation. All energy must be focused on comple-tion, only completion and nothing but completion!

This is the dangerous side of advancing insight. And it is a phe-nomenon which is impossible to banish. Imagine: your team has achieved a tremendous result and everyone knows as much about the subject as at the start. How come? It constitutes the denial of all human learning capacity. My tip? Cherish that project brief! If another tempting sideline comes along, check the project brief. If you can’t find this goal in it, send it directly to the ‘recommenda-tions for further investigation’. Then the true value of this sideline can be compared with all the other improvement goals. And that’s where advancing insight belongs. It has no right to its own life, because it feeds on re-sults which have not been planned by the whole organisation.

Advancing insight about advancing insight

Two branchesNow, almost one and a half years later, Bert can partly say he was right. One branch of govern-ment, i.e. the branch which lends itself for privatisation, like water boards, public transport and ener-gy companies, desperately want to improve. The other branch, the branch including municipalities and Social Services, has a much more ambivalent attitude towards modernity in the industrial world. According to Bert, this is because the client-supplier relationship in this branch is extremely complex. “Actually, that’s exactly why this branch attracts me most”, Bert ad-mits. “If I need a passport, with a bit of imagination I can see myself as a client of the municipality. The civil servant is then the supplier. I need to have my passport fast and efficiently. However, if I need a permit for cutting down trees in my front garden, what civilian role I am then playing? Am I the client or are my neighbours the clients? In this case, the permit is in place to protect my neighbours against my desire to cut down trees. My neighbours are the clients, not me. When fines are doled out, I am no longer a client but a subject in a

power relationship which might in-volve the courts. So civil servants from this branch of government are involved in a myriad of non-linear, ambivalent relationships; many civil servants suffer from what they call ‘role leaps’.Another aspect which differen-tiates the public sector from the business sector is the need to im-prove. Governments may not make a profit and cannot go bankrupt: ‘so why should we improve?’ The civilian cannot go to a competi-tor, can he? The goals aren’t very commercial either: the goals of the social services, for example, are ‘fewer clients’.

Social Services new styleHowever, that does not mean that in this part of the government, nothing is being improved. On the contrary, although Bert admits that this very much depends on the vision of the top people. He knows examples where visionary, motivated municipal secretaries or directors of public services have managed to accomplish major im-provements. He mentions a Social Services department whose goal is to reduce the number of its (sup-port) clients. In order to do so, it

is focusing much less on benefit applications and more on encoura-ging the client to be self-suppor-ting again. Here the government is shifting from assessing to suppor-ting, while the task content of the intermediary has changed almost 180°. Now those are interesting improvement processes! And the results have been surprising. In this case, the lead time for a bene-fit application fell from 36 working days to 5, while the lead time for special benefits fell from 15 to 2. Consequently, there is more time for intermediaries to help people get jobs or activate them socially.He also mentions an example of allocating resources, for example a Zimmer frame. “Sometimes it costs the decision-making process for allocating this equipment more Euros than the equipment itself. Because not many people want a Zimmer frame for fun, there are some municipalities which issue them at once, sometimes even the same day. In the past that could have taken weeks or even months. If necessary, the assessment takes place retrospectively.

Shared servicesAnother area where pioneering municipalities score is that of shared services. In our country, some neighbouring municipalities share an office for municipal tasks. There are naturally many advanta-ges here, even if it was just in the ratio of the number of managers to the number of employees. But in this example too, the dependence on politics plays a role; the mu-nicipal councils must agree about sharing the costs, for example.

Overall, Bert does not regret his move last year. And we obviously hope that he will have great suc-cess in the public sector because this will generate quality and fi-nancial advantages for us all. Go for it Bert. You can rely on our support.

(Bert Teeuwen works for Wagenaar-Hoes consultancy in Driebergen, www.wagenaarhoes.nl).

A world class government

In 2006, Bert Teeuwen, the creator of this cartoon, ex-tended his advisory practice from industry to government, among others. The public domain had always attracted him and after 7 years with Blom, he couldn’t resist any longer. “Those civil servants must be desperate to work more ef-fectively, supply more added value per employee and get a high ‘first time right’ score. Because they are under almost permanent pressure to do more with less”.

The picture that many people have of civil servants

Column

For information and reservation: [email protected] or www.BlomConsultancy.nl

Do you save stamps

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Lead or Suffer?“As manager, am I responsible for the changes

and results which arise from it?”

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Mid October/NovemberThe third session of Lead or Suffer completes the triptych.

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Blom Consultancy Jubilee Magazine September 2007 7Introducing the Blom teams! Teamland

OMO-scoreSUPERmarket

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5

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How satis�ed are you with the improvement programme so far?

Does the improvement programme meet your expectations?

Are you satis�ed with the current number of people involved in the improvement process?

How satis�ed are you with the contribution of your own people?

How satis�ed are you with the contribution of Blom consultants?

How client-oriented is the Blom consultant?

How satis�ed are you with the motivation of the employees involved

in the improvement process?

To what extent has there been a positive change in

your organisation?

To what extent does your organisation independently apply

the WCM/TPM/Lean methods provided?

Do you think that the results achieved will be maintained or

even improve in the future?

Customer satisfaction score

With our knowledge matrix, we record the status of training in our basic modules. A basic module consists of a fixed training programme for the consultant. If you fulfil certain training criteria, you are awarded a ‘flag’ and when someone is awarded a flag, you have to celebrate!We also share our knowledge through the project evaluation form which we use as a document during our intervision sessions. Here we share with each other our experiences with the client. We also have the Blom summer programme, when we share new knowledge during workshops and training sessions.

The supermarket team keeps a customer satisfaction score. Once a year we evaluate the results of our work with the clients. Improvements at the client can be implemented directly. During the evaluation, we use a checklist which results in a customer satis-faction score. We use the result

of the evaluation to implement improvements in the service pro-vision process within Blom.

KLANTENBON

BavariaHeinekenN.D.C. Imperial Starbucks ARP Meester Stegeman Unipro Heinz Kitt Green Heinz Elst N.D.C. Advertentieconcern Numico Fulda SCA Packaging Nederland NSD Mora Friesland Foods Domo BorculNumicoKappa Oudenbosch Kappa Triton KDR Baarn Masterfoods Veghel Campina QA Bavaria hoensbroek Rendac Son Kringloop Bedrijf Oss Lutece Campina Lutjewinkel Leerdammer Leerdammer Wageningen Kimberly Clark (CH) Ammeraal Beltech Holding Friesland Foods Cheese Leer Brand Bierbrouwerij Forbo Flooring Heije Glas Eromes bv

RBV Leaf RoosendaalSCA Packaging Benelux BVSCA Hygiene GennepSari Husada Sara Lee R&DMasterfoods Haguenau Campona KolnRPC Tedeco Gizeh

Cosun Sensus Zwolle

The supermarket team at Blom primarily focuses on companies

in the food, graphic and textile sectors. Besides improving the

quality of their services to the client, the team also explores

potential improvements in their internal processes and the in-

dividual development of the team members. Sharing knowledge

about the market, the client and WCM products is therefore a

constant theme in team meetings.

TEAM SUPERMARKET:

Save them all!!!

in the food, graphic and textile sectors. Besides improving the

quality of their services to the client, the team also explores

potential improvements in their internal processes and the in-

dividual development of the team members. Sharing knowledge

about the market, the client and WCM products is therefore a

constant theme in team meetings.

OMO-score

Why is Jeroen in the Supermarket team?I have an affinity with automated production processes and TPM. Within fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), I can really excel.

Why is Fred in the Supermarket team?I enjoy being in the Supermarket team because it allows me to develop too in an enthusiastic team with friendly people in an exciting branch.

Why is Richard in the Supermarket team?The Client Circle based on the food industry very much appeals to me. But I am also motivated by supermarket colleagues’ openness and eagerness to learn. It’s a good team!!

Why is Suzanne in the Supermarket team?Because we share our knowledge and experience and thus help others to improve. And particularly because this team is my home team.

Why is Rob in the Supermarket team?The FMCG sector is a changing market. The Supermarket team allows me to follow the market and ensure our approach is in line with developments.

Why is Judy in the Supermarket team?I’m in the supermarket team, because this team works on improving the quality of client’s services by sharing knowledge, and I enjoy that.

Why is Maarten in the Supermarket team?I enjoy improving together within BLOM Consultancy. For me, the supermarket team is the place to be, because improving client’s services and focusing on the team and personal development go hand in hand.

CUST

OMER

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1 2 3 4 5 61 V

2 V

3 V

4 V

5

15Score:

We all share knowledge in different ways:

Do you save stamps

Checklist Office team satisfactionIn order to maintain satisfaction levels internally and to limit internal losses, the SUPERMARKET team also wants to know if it is successful in this area too. For this, we use a checklist which the office team completes every month. With this input, we can generate improvement actions so that we become ideal for them too!

(Parts of) days are always submitted on time.(Parts of) days are always correctly and clearly completed.The diary is always submitted on time.Orders are always submitted correctly and on time.At the start-up of a new client, we always follow the EPL.

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Examples of improvement actions are;Repeat/improve the One Point lessons (knowing the standard)Visual aids and management resources: programming outlook and telephone to ensure that parts of the day and diary are on time.Celebrate success by spotlighting colleagues who submit their parts of the day 100% on time.Regularly ask office team what we could do better.


Teamland Introducing the Blom teams!

Team IC (Margareth Heuveling, Corrie van den Hoek,

Arno Koch and Arnout Orelio) is the ‘youngest’ Blom

Consultancy team. The team was founded in 2005 to

respond to the need of the care sector for ‘other’

improvement methods, methods which can

really help employees and managers improve

the care they provide. Furthermore, Blom

wanted to be active outside the traditional

industrial sectors. The result is a very skilled

and active team that stands out! “We are really

going to help the care sector!”, they chorus. Their

dream: a real

World Class

Hospital.

TEAM IC: For care which

makes people happy

ForFor

people happypeople happy

TREATMENT PLAN:• Apply every day in all activities• Interdisciplinary and in the chain

STATUS:

Ambitious goalsMake losses visible

Improve team orientationOrganise process orientation

Standardise and guaranteeMake people champions

Mon. Tues. Today Tomorrow

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

/

/

Mon. Tues. Today TomorrowMon. Tues. Today TomorrowMon. Tues. Today Tomorrow

SafetyQualityService

Job satisfactionCustomer satisfaction

Value chain careProductivity

IncidentsComplicationsAbsenteeism

Lead timesResources/costs


Marco Tielemans

Hubert Adriaans

Bernard Vork

Corn

ell v

d Brin

k

Eric Joon

Ron Barten

Marco vd Kuilen

Sylvia vd Heuvel

Swen van Wijngaarden

The MEKAB team members learned about improvement in various positions in companies from different sectors of industry.Historical approaches like TMP, LEAN and SIX SIGMA are now used to achieve World Class Performance among many MEKAB clients.

Blom clients where MEKAB team members are active include illustrious names like:• CORUS STRIP IJMUIDEN• CORUS PACKAGING PLUS• SPYKER CARS • POLIMOON• SAINT GOBAIN• DAF WESTERLOO • ELECTRABEL• UNIDEK• COCA COLA• SMURFIT KAPPA SOLID BOARD • WIENERBERGER

The link between MEKAB target groups is symbolised by the Atomium in Brussels.

The Atomium is a model of a crystalline metal molecule magnified 165 billion times and covered in stainless steel. Iron was already being used 4,000 years BC. Almost 5% of the earth’s crust consists of iron. For MEKAB,

iron illustrates the link between clients, team members and other colleagues.

MEKAB, A CAST IRON TEAM

In contrast with the

other teams which focus

on a specific sector, the

name MEKAB already

reflects its wide target

group: Metal, Electronics,

Plastics, Automotive and

Construction are the

original cornerstones of

the team name in Dutch.

And MEKAB has now

widened its field to

include Nanotechnology,

Logistics and the FMCG

sector.


Retro

Inge

Raymond

Marco vd K

Rene

RonBert

Carla Mario Marco T Rudi

Jacob

ClaudiaEricCorrieEef

Arnout

Maarten

Bonita

Jeroen

ANTON:I was at my work placement company again today – a very modern (for this day and age) pot plant company. Getting new experience in practice: Go to the gemba!

ARNO KOCH:1992 was a very turbulent year. I was director of a rapidly growing company. We bought new business premises, merged with a wholesale company and in September I found myself working on a joint venture with a Taiwanese company. A wonderfully optimistic period during which, as a novice, I made all the mistakes in the book, but failure was not an option…

ARNOUT ORILEO:In September 1992, I started at Eindhoven University of Technology studying Technology and Society and moved into a student house on Willem Klooslaan. I was also a member of the Eindhoven student volleyball club, Hajraa. After several weeks of training, the preparations started for the Indoor Championships (organised by Hajraa itself).

BERNARD VORK:Around 1992, I was coaching my son’s football team (although football isn’t really my passion!). I also got to know a large part of my family through a reunion of all the descendants of the founder who lived in around 1700. Professionally, I came into contact with “improvement” and “TPM”, laying the foundation for what I do now.

BERT SOMBROEK:That’s me with two of my sons in Artis Zoo. I had just got a new job; after completing an evening course for Welding Engineers, I was now Welding Technical Advisor. I had not yet heard of continuous improvement, although things were moving that way. Welders have to weld and not prepare, sharpen, gouge and adjust. By improving your welding position and using tools, you could earn money. Designing products differently or adjusting flow in the company – I hadn’t got that far yet.

BONITA OTTEN:1992 was the year we went on our second trip to Indonesia. I first spent a week in Singapore with Rob. In Yogjakarta we met my parents, brother and sister before travelling on together to Bali. A really special trip. Particularly because it’s my mother’s homeland and the whole family could now see it, feel it and smell it together.

Wonderful. At the time I was working as a management secretary at Philips and had no children.

CARLA LATIJNHOUWERS:I was on a work placement at Leteche Opravny Kbely, a military base in Prague where they serviced helicopters. There I learned a lot about helicopters, steering systems (e.g. the extendable nose of the Mig 21) and managed to get by with a few words of Czech. At that time, everyone in Prague wanted to learn English, so I gave English lessons to anyone who wanted them. That year I also did a work placement at Thomassen International, working on gas turbines! A busy year: moved three times!

CORRIE VD HOEK:In 1992, my children were 9, 6 and 4 years old, so for a young mother that meant thinking up a creative birthday party three times a year! At the time I was working full time as manager of De Wissel day centre, where people with a mental disability made the most fantastic products. They were assisted by a team of very creative carers. Clients or colleagues, there was always someone who came up with a great idea!

CLAUDIA BEEKMAN:In 1992, I was studying Agogic Work. I really wanted to be a teacher in special needs education. As you know, things turned out differently… Also in 1992, I went on holiday to the Spanish costas for the first time, which was fantastic!

DEBBIE VD HEIJDEN:The summer of 1992 was a long relaxing summer. After leaving school with my MAVO certificate in June, in September I

went on to study Reproduction Drawing (MRTO) at the Graphic Lyceum in Eindhoven. Before I finally registered for the Graphic Lyceum, I did briefly consider going into fashion and design. However, I ended up doing graphic design – so far a good choice!

JUDY DE GRAAFF:After passing my pre-university (VWO) school-leaving exam, in August I went to study 3D design at the art academy in Rotterdam. My first day at the academy was a vague, surrealistic experience. In the evening, over a frugal student meal, chatting to my new housemate in my newly painted student room, I began to have doubts about my chosen course of study. I learned that there was a good course in Delft which also “had something to do with designing products” and that - even given my poor grades in maths B and physics - I would probably be accepted. The next day I called to see if they would accept me and if so, could I start next week in September. And that’s how, more or less by chance, I arrived at the Delft University of Technology to study Industrial Design Engineering, enjoying it immensely (and I still do in my daily work). September 1992: an unexpected turn of events in my new career which was definitely for the good!

EEF OOM:I was working as plant manager at Brabant Alucast Products in Oss. We had just signed a mega contract with Nissan Motors United Kingdom [NMUK] to supply parts for the new Nissan Micra. As the first Dutch foundry to supply to a Japanese transplant, we had a lot to learn about what we now call Lean Production. Part of this long-term project took place in

15 years doesn’t actually seem that long ago. Until someone asks you to remember what you

were doing and what you looked like. Many people found it quite hard to recall what

was going in their personal lives in 1992. Not to mention finding photos from that time.

Or rather: digging them out. Look, read and laugh at the stories and pictures from all those years ago. And think back to what

you were doing too…

Fred Ruud Richard

Rob dK JudyTon

Rob B Anton Jeroen N Mirjam

Suzanne

Bernard

Arno Hubert

Kim Sylvia Margareth Debbie

Japan at Nissan Motors Limited [NML], through the NMUK Suppliers Mission: 41 European managers followed a Japanese style training aimed at becoming the ideal automotive supplier. In Japan it is usual for the hosts to organise a welcome party at the start, while the guests organise a farewell party at the end of their stay. That’s me in the photo with one of our hosts at the welcome party. At the time, we were both smokers. My Japanese friend had a whole stock of cigarettes on him. Muda, I thought. “In the Netherlands, we smoke Just In Time!” I told him. “Banzai!” he said. “How does that work? Would you teach me?” Obviously, there was already something of the consultant in me, so here’s me teaching a Japanese to roll his own cigarette. I wonder if they’ve ever managed to roll a perfect one yet?

ERIC JOON:Cablesa in Castelo Branco, Portugal, was mijn werkgever toen. Via procurement en later productieplanning assisteerde ik de fabriek, waar 1500 personen de electrische bedrading maakten voor o.m. de Ford Fiesta, Sierra en Scorpio.

FRED BARTELS:September 1992: seems ages ago. I was just starting on my fourth year studying Food Technology at Wageningen Agricultural University. Apart from studying, I also made time for recreation. For example, two friends and I went to visit another friend who was on a work placement in East Germany. Here we are just before we set off, standing next to the Fiat Panda in which we made the trip.

HUBERT ADRIAANS:You’re never too old to learn. August 1992, on holiday, enjoying the sun in the south of France. Still time to relax before embarking on my third year at Eindhoven University of Technology where I was studying technical business administration. I was enjoying student life to the full. Learning a lot, discovering new things, having fun, making friends and generally enjoying life. In fact, all the ingredients which I would later find at Blom. However, now I realise that getting my degree did not mean the end of learning – it was just the start. We’ve had the first 15 years of Blom, here’s to many more.

INGE VD WETERING:I can still remember pink being my favourite colour at the time – it still is. This photo was taken during a wonderful party organised for my grandfather’s 65th birthday. At the time (I was nine) my main hobby was korfball and playing with my friends.

JACOB VD WAL:September 1992: just graduated from Twente University. My graduation project had been on ‘New forms of work organisation in public sector organisations’ in the deep south of the United States. My first job was with an advisory firm PAS in Veendam – right next to current principal, the water board Hunze & Aa’s!

JEROEN LOEFFEN:Here I’m having a glass of lemonade to celebrate finishing primary school, or was it to celebrate the foundation of Blom Consultancy?

JEROEN NEVE:September 1992 was the start of a good year; the only man among 200 women. Well, what do you expect when you go to Schoevers secretary school, even if you are studying to be a management assistant? It also had the advantage that I was also number one male student. Disadvantage: the extra pair of pop socks in my bag.

KIM VD BROEK:In 1992, I had my first driving lessons, as you can see. I may only have been ten years old, and I did have stabilisers, but it was a start. That year I went into group 6 at school, so I was already quite old! And now, 15 years later, I live so near my work that I don’t need a car.

MARCO VD KUILEN:Now, what was I doing then? I had just graduated from Technical College in Hilversum and had planned a long holiday before starting at Eindhoven University of Technology. I set off with a friend to America, and travelled from Canada to Florida, a trip which involved getting wet at the Niagara Falls and gazing into a space shuttle in Florida (note the trendy shorts we wore in those days; my four year old daughter wonders why I’m wearing a skirt…). In Eindhoven I met my neighbour Sonja and never left Brabant again, and after a few diversions I finally arrived at Blom (also in Brabant).

MARCO TIELEMANS:Walking over the South Downs. Bad shoes, cheap tent, old rucksack, 14 kilos on my back and I feel as light as a feather. We are at the start of our journey.

MARIO MARCHENA:I am production manager at Calve Delft where they make peanut butter, mayonnaise and barbecue sauces. I had not yet come across TPM, but they were already introducing self-managing teams. If I knew then what I know now about TPM, many things would have been more successful.

MARGARETH HEUVELING:In September 1992, I was awarded my certificate and medal at the end of my nursing training. All the candidates from the deaconess hospital, St Jozef hospital and St Anna hospital had to attend the ceremony in their uniforms.

MAARTEN DE GROOT:15 years ago, I started my Mechanical Engineering graduation project at Fokker Special Product. Together with another student, I joined the research department to explore the possibilities of strengthening the cargo hold in an Airbus A 320. What I mainly remember from that time is the number of crazy tests we thought up and the entertaining nightlife in Groningen where we had set up home in an apartment.

MIRJAM TEN DAM:This is me in September 1992. I am standing on the balcony of my student room in Enschede, in a self-designed, self-made dress, ready to go to a gala. The gala was to celebrate the end of our exams which meant I had finished my subjects and could now start on my graduation work. But before beginning my project (the deformation behaviour of polypropene /rubber blends), I hitch-hiked to Paris.Ah, the joys of student life!

RAYMOND LOWIS:1 and 9 and 9 and 2 were the grades I sometimes got at pre-university school. 1992 guilders was about the price of the mountain bike I wanted. 1992 pff – it took four years till I got my driving licence. 1992 guilders a month was the average wage of a bicycle maker. 199.20 was the price of the “Meindels” (climbing boots) I used to wear for the image. 1992: the year of the adjective ‘lauwe’, today’s Cool. 1992: a great year to be 16!

RENE KOP: 15 years ago…. I was just finishing my studies and busy with computers, cars

and girlfriends. As a student, driving a car is expensive, so I used to do a lot of tinkering under the bonnet until, after years of driving, I took it to the scrap yard with 366,000 kilometres on the clock.

ROB BRAUERS: In September 1992, my girlfriend Joyce had just moved in with me in my student room in Delft. I was in my final year of a degree in Aviation and Space Technology. 1992 was a year in which I finished my student life and started my career as “spouse” and working man.

ROB DE KORT:That month marked the fifth anniversary of my starting work at a firm of accountants and that year I moved in with Marieke. In September, a week to Germany (Achselschwang) where we attended the horse trials. For me it was a wonderful holiday, for Marieke it was hard work. I remember that I was already thinking about asking Marieke to marry me. How time flies.

RON BARTEN:1992 – so far away and yet so near… 15 years ago I thought I would grow old with my former employer! I enjoyed my first step as a manager and wanted more!! I first came into contact with Blom as member of a SGA team. A Total Clean Out with my chefs in work clothes. Amazing that that could happen. A very young Ton Aerdts was our guiding light. Never imagined that our paths would cross again at Blom Consultancy (14 years later). In these 15 years, I’ve had to make many choices and set priorities, both at home and at work. In these 15 years, I have learned that well defined goals and challenges are part of my life. But I’ve also learned that celebrating success and making people champions is too often neglected and that this is really the key to success!

RUDI HARYONO:In 1992, I wasn’t really interested in fashion and hairstyles. As a teenager, I was still looking for my true identity. In a way, you were between two worlds. You weren’t a child, but not a man either.

RICHARD UMMELS:Had just become a father (two months) to my first daughter and I was working as a production manager at Oce van de Grinthen (photocopiers) in Venlo. Memories: ‘beschuit met muisjes’ [rusks with a sprinkle of sugar-coated aniseed to celebrate the birth of a baby), sleep deprivation, proud as a peacock.

RUUD VOS:1992 was a turbulent year with many changes. First of all, the birth of my daughter. Then we bought a house where we still live very happily, by the way. Finally, I was promoted at Honeywell from Quality Engineer to Supervisor Quality Control.

SUZANNE WEENINK:Exactly 15 years ago, I was 17, I wasn’t at school and I didn’t go to work. So where was I? At a sailing camp in Friesland with

year 5 of pre-university school. A nice start to my second last year at secondary school. We learned about sailing, had wild evenings and secretly visited the boys at night. At the end of the week, we were allowed to do a bit of sailing by ourselves. So out I went with my best friend, with everyone standing on the bank waving and cheering. When we got back, it appeared that we had narrowly escaped an accident: the best sailors on the bank were trying to warn us about a swinging jib.

SYLVIA VD HEUVEL:In September 1992, I went up to group seven of primary school. We were taught by a male teacher who had rather a negative image, but he wasn’t bad at all. I always enjoyed going to school; the only thing I didn’t like was the homework we used to get (and which I always did!). My hobbies were tennis and gymnastics. My interest in technology was also born then after doing a “technology course” for teenage girls.

TON AERDTS:September was when the plants in Tanzania were installed. Eugenie and I arrived in Dar es Salaam on 22 January 1992, the day after my graduation. On 21 January, I had given my final presentation and, exceptionally, was immediately awarded my degree certificate. In the evening I went out for a meal with family and friends to celebrate and to say goodbye! The next morning, in the heart of winter, we travelled to Amsterdam Airport and half a day later we were in the capital of Tanzania, Dar es Salaam. At the time, they were just laying the foundation of the factory hall. Then the waiting began: first for our things, including car and motorbike and then the installations, truck and earth-moving machine for the factory. Several months later, our household effects arrived from the port. As soon as we had transport, we naturally took the opportunity to go on safari. On one of our trips (end of September, beginning of October 1992) we also plucked up courage to climb Mount Kilimanjaro.

Blom Consultancy Jubilee Magazine September 2007 11Retro


Teamland Introducing the Blom teams!

“Fifteen years ago, virtually no one knew about Japanese techniques like TPM. Today, we know everything there is to know and in 15 years’ time we will all be applying them,” Arnout opens the discussion. Colleague Marco is (to his own surprise) rather more conservative: “By then, a company like Heinz will have been implementing WCM for 24 years. It will therefore be engrained in their DNA and they will have an advantage over others who think they can just copy it. But Heinz realises that continuous improvement is and remains people work, despite all the good tools available.” Ton joins in the discussion: “Every company is changing. Not just

Heinz, but even Toyota. After 50 years, they may be ready for a change. A Toyota Process System instead of the familiar Production System, or something. And who knows, perhaps Blom can help implement it in 15 years’ time.” Now Marco lets his imagination

roam. “Perhaps they won’t even be making cars then.” The other partners look interested. “Toyota listens to its customers,” Marco explains. “Perhaps they will introduce a completely new type

of ‘transport system’ that is better suited to the needs of the market.” The team’s imagination runs wild. Science Fiction-type solutions like glider cars and teleporting are offered. But 15 years is not that far away? Ton: “Well, particularly if you know what to look out for, it can pass very quickly, you know.”

PoliticsDoesn’t the delaying factor of politics tend to work against rapid changes? Arnout: “In fifteen years’ time there may be a political party whose main focus is added value. The word efficiency no longer exists for this political stream. Even now politicians and industry are discussing the possibility of creating a platform for knowledge exchange about these kinds of subjects.” Orelio thinks that the new party will have an unexpected

supporter. “By then, the trade unions will be the greatest supporters of techniques like TPM, and they will grow as a result.” At European political level, however, Arnout sees a possible obstacle.

“Within the EU, some people are supporting the original goal: a bit like when everyone looked at coal and steel. And that means that the member states will develop more individually, whereby the differences will become greater.” Ton does not totally agree. “I think that European legislation will result in a levelling out of legislation in the member states. Europe will then become increasingly open and more level and the differences between the countries will become smaller.”

Holland’s gloryThe team also foresees more opportunities than threats for Dutch industry. Good news for everyone; according to the partners, the traffic congestion problem will almost disappear over the coming 15 years. Arnout: “This

will mainly be because people will look more at the reasons for the problem and try to remove them.” “Furthermore,” adds Marco, “in 15 years’ time, we may not have to drive so far to get to work. Even today, ‘lean villages’ are being constructed - villages near the company where only employees live. Everything is available in the village, a bit like the old Philips villages, but then more modern.” Ton thinks that this ‘centralisation’ will also manifest itself in another way. “I think that we will also start making more local products, i.e. products geared to the local market.” That doesn’t mean that companies will become more local too. “As a result of takeovers by Indian or Chinese companies, industry itself will become more global in character.” “But,” says Marco, “that does not apply to

the business culture of Dutch companies. That Dutch ‘cheese head character’ is deeply engrained in our DNA. That’s not going to

change in a hurry. Look at the traditional differences between the Netherlands and Belgium; even though our relations go back such a long way, there is very little cross-pollination between the two countries.”

International prognosisSince we are looking across the borders anyway, what do the partners think the international playing field will look like in 15 years’ time? Ton doubts whether

current upcoming markets like China and India will still be the biggest growers by then. Rob, who has so far mainly listened, joins the discussion. “I see growth opportunities for Africa. There is huge potential in sales markets out there. The problem is that people just don’t have the money to buy things. However, by developing industry, you could create revenue for the local population. And that money could then be used to develop the economy in an upwards spiral. A bit like Ford did. Every employee must be able to buy a Ford.” Ton: “The question then is what we as the Netherlands, as well as Blom, will ‘export’ to these areas? Arnout has an answer: “Knowledge”.

Blom in 2022And so they return to their own business. What will Blom look like in 15 years’ time? “And where will we be?” adds Rob. “I doubt if we’ll still be in Lieshout. I think we will have more offices abroad: Germany, Scandinavia, further towards the East and maybe even North Africa.” Arnout thinks that Blom will only be focusing marginally on industry in 15 years’ time. “Other sectors like care, the service sector and government will form a greater part of our work field.” When asked how we will satisfy our clients,

Around the table with the ‘PARTNERS’ team

In this World Class Update, we look back on 15 years, consider the present and naturally look

forward to the future. And who better to do so than the skippers of our ship: the Partners team.

Since January of this year, Ton Aerdts, Rob Brauers, Arnout Orelio and Marco Tielemans form the

quartet which sets out the lines. During an animated round table discussion, they gaze into the

crystal ball. What does the world look like in 2022?

In 15 years’ time, according to the lifecycle theories, we will be an adult company. That

will also have consequences for us.

Rob Brauers

Ton Aerdts


wherever they are and whatever their sector, there’s a moment’s quiet as everyone considers the future. Arnout breaks the silence: “I don’t know exactly how, but I think that we will keep to our basic principles.” Ton has some ideas. “I think that there will be many new forms of service provision. The basis will still be the human component, but we will use other media to communicate with each other, for example.” Arnout agrees. “Just look at the development of the internet over the past 15 years. Incidentally, I do think that we will see an end to the present ‘arms race’ in the IT sector, in which one computer has even more Gigabytes than the other. In 15 years’ time, there will be a computer that can do everything, with 1 MB! At least, I hope so.”

Smarter clientsThe partners agree that in 15 years’ time, they will be faced with ‘smarter’ clients. Or actually clients who are better trained in techniques like WCP. Arnout: “Students are now given a lot of project-based education and learn a great deal abut Lean, TPM and SixSigma. So the managers of tomorrow will already know a lot about continuous improvement. Our task will be more to guide them and to train in-company trainers.” Marco sees another change which is important. “I see a development from egocentric to more process-oriented and group-oriented thinking. That means that the human part of our work will become more important. The

emphasis in our work will then be more on guiding management instead of teaching them tools.”

Smarter employeesThe partners agree that Blom will be perfectly capable to respond to future changes. According to Rob, this is certainly because the employees at Blom are becoming smarter and smarter. “The knowledge level of the intake is higher, but we also have our own breeding ground where people in production companies can acquire practical knowledge.” Ton totally agrees. “It is the people which make us special. I also think that we will start to see developments in the field of knowledge exchange itself.” Opinions differ about how big this club will be in 15 years’ time. Ton predicts growth, whatever else happens. “There are

still so many areas and markets which can be opened. And it will become increasingly easy for us to translate knowledge and experience acquired in one market to another.” Also the role and compilation of

the Partners team will expand. “In 15 years’ time, according to the lifecycle theories, we will be an adult company. That will also have consequences for us. I think that there will be more partners and that we will have different roles. And I can’t imagine that if so much has happened over the last 15 years, that won’t continue over the next 15 years,” says Ton. Arnout: “I think that the people around us will soon be better than we are. Now we tend to be the experts in a field, but soon we will just be guiding and facilitating the experts.”Marco wonders whether Blom’s clients might not also be regularly considering the future. “We have become what we are now thanks to our clients. And we want to keep up with their development. We want to progress together. In fact, I would like to call on us all to think about the future together. I am convinced that we would all benefit from this.” He would also like to take the opportunity to thank not only the clients, but also all the employees at Blom for the past 15 years. The other partners reiterate these sentiments.

Bringing the team back to the present, they are asked to look back from 2022 to now. The partners are clearly trying to imagine how they will look by then, and that may be giving them cause to smile already. But what statement will make you laugh most? Rob: “I am thinking about the possibility of Toyota not building cars any more.” Arnout agrees. Marco: “I should think we’ll laugh at how in the dark we felt we were and wonder why we saw so few opportunities.” Looking back from the future, Ton laughs at how clumsily we approached things now. But it’s the team members’ view of themselves in 15 years’ time that causes the most laughs (slightly rounder tummy, less hair). In 15 years’ time, we will see what became of them.

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Arnout Orelio

Marco Tielemans

Register on www.BlomConsultancy.nl

Register now for the workshop on 11 October or 13 December (costs: 195 Euros p.p.)Location: Blom office in Lieshout. Time: 9.30 a.m. – 4.30 p.m. incl. lunch.

Programme: morning: introduction and theory, afternoon: learning in practice

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Teamland Introducing the Blom teams!14 September 2007 Blom Consultancy Jubilee Magazine

THE KA TEAM MONITORS THE HOME FRONT

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Claudia Beekman (position: what can’t she do?):Is responsible for the administration, secretariat and personnel and supports consultants and other teams in a range of other areas. You’ve probably already had contact with her in some capacity. So we don’t need to tell you that she is the personification of the concept ‘client friendly’.

Rene Kop(position: application control):Rene is responsible for everything which contains a chip and communicates in binary numbers. You could call him our technical department or our IT department. And he is certainly our help desk (Rene, it doesn’t work) but without a call centre.

Jeroen Neve (position: market dealer)A true marketing and communication man, Jeroen always thinks in terms of target groups. What’s more, he even thinks along with our clients about their communication. In principle, everything you see from Blom passes through his hands (and/or his computer).

Debbie van der Heijden (position: creative brain)Where did you get that idea? She doesn’t know either, but she’s got it. Designing, creating and making is second nature for this new mum.

Rob de Kort(position: number addict)If it’s about money, then Rob’s your man. But this motorbike enthusiast does more than just the bookkeeping. When he’s in invoice mode, most people give his desk a wide berth, but otherwise his workplace is a very sociable place.

Inge van de Wetering(position: top model)Takes care of games, course materials, audio and visual equipment, as well as lunch for in-house training sessions, personnel trips - not forgetting her hair and nails. Because in her spare time, she’s also a top model.

Bonita Otten(position: the organiser):Arranges everything. Together with Inge, she is responsible for support in terms of course materials and resources and – very important – the games. “My kids want to work for Blom too one day. Mummy spends all her time playing games!”

Rudi Haryono(position: make-up king)This experienced DTP man can do wonders with (almost) nothing. The proof: this page?! Rudi, here are some photos and texts. Can you do something with them? No problem.

No, not the A team, the KA team: the office team! (any other association is up to you).A versatile, multi-disciplinary group of people who staff the Blom office in Lieshout. Their job: to provide all kinds of support services to consultants and management. From administration to application and from facilitation to communication. Their goal: a World Class Office! We are delighted to introduce the members of this (mainly Ford Ka owning) team.

Kim van den Broek(position: 5S specialist)

As our interior specialist, nothing is too much for Kim. Partitioning, arranging,

cleaning – it’s all part of her daily routine.

Blom Consultancy Jubilee Magazine September 2007 15Miscellaneous

Besides the World Class Update which appears four times a year, we have another phenomenon related to WCP: the World Class Update Live!

In the process of becoming World Class and acquiring knowledge about it, we come across many theories! But how do you put theory into daily practice? And how do other companies do it?

To find out, we launched the World Class Update:A network meeting organised by Blom Consultancy four times a year for managers and operators who are on their way to becoming the best in their sector! During these meetings, practice experiences are exchanged and the latest developments in the field of WCP are discussed.

The meetings are held at one of the participating companies, so that the members can immediately see the subject at hand in practice.

Blom Consultancy designs the

programme of a meeting in consultation with the host company and participants. The programme lasts around three quarters of a day and generally follows this format:

The host company briefly presents the route to World Class Performance in general and then discusses the

theme of this meeting. This is preferably combined with a tour so that everyone can see the results in practice!After the tour, the focus shifts to the chosen theme. This is discussed in a workshop style session during which participants can also share their experiences.

Around twenty companies from Sabic to Friesland Foods and from Bavaria to DMV are currently participating in the World Class Update Live and this number is still growing.

Subjects which have recently been addressed include:- Policy Deployment- Roll-out of WCP over several plants- EEM- WCP in the office- Addressing colleagues

What is striking is the openness with which participants talk about their successes and problems on the way to becoming World Class. And besides accumulating knowledge, there is the sense that the resistance and problems encountered on the way are not unique. So, a sense of recognition!

Want to know more?Contact Ron Barten:[email protected]

World Class Update LiveLearning from each others’ experiences!

Eddy Verhoeven is the team leader of one of the five production teams in Nutricia’s Powder Production department in Cuijk. 15 years ago, he was also around when Steven Blom and the former company manager started implementing World Class Manufacturing. “It was a huge operation which employees remember as ‘The leap into the unknown’”, says Eddy. The operation owes its name to the fact that a huge number of changes were introduced in a very short space of time, although the need was unclear. And that lack of clarity was due to the necessity to demonstrate - in a limited space of time - that working with World Class Performance was the right way forward for Nutricia Cuijk in the Netherlands.

“Because results had to be achieved so fast, it was decided to

drastically level the organisation. At higher and middle management level in particular, almost all the positions disappeared to be replaced with one layer: that of team leader. At the time, I was a member of the Works Council and the plans had far-reaching consequences, although no forced redundancies were involved. Of the nine Works Council members, seven saw their original positions

disappear and found themselves in new jobs. This was not something we could agree to at once. Special review days were planned and all the Works Council members were given the book ‘Semco stijl’ [Semco style] by Ricardo Sember. We were gradually converted and soon afterwards agreed to the changes.”The new organisation was implemented and that’s when

the changes really began. “We all learned magic words with secret code names. TPM, 5S, SGA and SMED. And then the sorcerer’s apprentices from Blom arrived to help us shorten the adjustment time of our drying towers and packaging lines. Adjustment on a dry tower is actually a wet clean. We now only plan eight hours for this, while it still takes the rest of the world around 20 hours. And there is still potential for improvement. For our achievements, Blom awarded us then an SMEdal.”

An interesting part of such a comprehensive, radical and intensive improvement programme is the number of later spin offs. “In 2002 and 2003, a number of operators initiated a second round of SMED. Having acquired so much advancing insight, they were able to make some very profitable improvement proposals. Subsequent hygiene tests showed that the microbiological contamination had declined to almost immeasurable values. This meant a reduction in the cleaning time by two hours, saving a truck load of chemicals every year. The

fact that the drying capacity of the towers has also increased in recent years doesn’t surprise me at all”.

He proudly shows us the hard figures of the last 15 years. And we are looking for any sign of that SMEdal.

The leap into the unknown

Discover the hidden machineOEE for the production team

Your machine park might be twice as big as you think. Next to every machine, there is often a similar ‘hidden’ machine. The art is to make this hidden capacity visible and use it. ‘Het mysterie van de verborgen machine’ [The mystery of the hidden machine] offers you the key to this secret: Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE). This measuring instrument originating from Japan provides insight into production losses, so that they can be resolved using improvement strategies such as TPM, Lean Manufacturing or Six Sigma.

The book is suitable for both in-depth study and for a quick scan of the key points of OEE. A handy guide for operators, maintenance engineers and team leaders as well as management and staff services.

Author Arno Koch works for Blom Consultancy. He combines in-depth theoretical knowledge of OEE with extensive practical experience in its implementation.

Over the last 15 years, many books have been published on the subject. Sister company and publishers FullFact has an extensive web shop where you can find and order interesting literature.Books which are very popular include:- ‘Doen’ by Ben Tiggelaar;- ‘Hoe krijg je ze mee?’ by Annemarie Mars;- ‘Vier Dagen’ by Dr. Deming;- ‘The Toyota Way Fieldbook’ by J. Like;- ‘Autonomous Maintenance for Operators’ by the Japan Institute;- ‘Leidinggeven zonder bevelen’ by Filip Vandendriessche.

Blom Consultancy also writes and produces books. The following books have already been published: ‘Procesteams’, ‘SGA’ (in both Dutch and English), ‘SMED’, ‘Industry Standard’ (also in Dutch and English) and ‘Het Relatiegeschenk’. Another important publication is due soon: ‘OEE voor het productieteam, ontdek de verborgen machine’. The book will be available this autumn from the web shop (http://webshop.fullfact.com).

BOOKS TIPS

[email protected]

Impressio of the WCUL-meeting at Sara Lee

(Coffee Company Utrecht)

Here it is!

ELWCMCMC

Hroedoedoe


Sports

“We really will do it! We’re going to implement World Class Performance at Holland Jachtbouw.”Listen to Paul Dielemans, once a Blom man but now director of this top sailing and motorised yacht constructor in the Zaan district. Paul has been sailing the world’s oceans all his life and in recent years was the captain of Steven Blom’s competition yacht, the Satori. “As a

competition sailor, I started to wonder why in a field of around 10 boats, only 4 would have a chance of winning, even taking

into account the fact that this sport uses handicaps to ensure a fair race.” Paul’s answer is as simple as it is sobering. “It’s all

about preparation and training. You win a competition with the team, if every team member optimally fulfils his tasks. And he can only do that if he knows that his team mates will do the same and if he knows what the consequences of failing to optimally fulfil his tasks will be for the rest of the crew. Because then he can warn these team members that something unexpected could

happen because something has gone wrong in his area. If you hear nothing, then you know that everything’s going well. And that means that all the operations on board are going exactly to the trained and learned standards. Thus the whole crew has the maximum amount of time and attention to focus on the unexpected. Manage what is manageable so that you can devote time and attention to the unmanageable. That’s our motto”.

And in sailing, quite a lot is unmanageable. Wind, current, rain, rivals, storm. The list of

Manage what is manageable!

Since the spring of 2005, Blom Consultancy has had a real motorbike club with 20 members called ELWCMCMC Hroedoedoe. ELWCMCMC stands for the First Lieshout World Class Manufacturing Colleagues Motor Club. It is a touring club, which means that the members mainly go on tours. The club consists of both Blom employees and people from their network. So if you would like to join Hroedoedoe, send a mail to founder [email protected], better known as Tomtom Eeff. The club boasts five BMWs, four Yamahas, four Hondas, two Kawasakis, a Cagiva, a Ducati and a Suzuki. Our mascot is Ramses, a very relaxed motor rabbit who loves nothing better than to flap his ears in the wind.Why is a rabbit the mascot of a motorbike club, I hear you ask. Well, that’s because of our name, Hroedoedoe, from the Dutch translation of Watership Down by Richard Adams (1972). Watership Down is a story about rabbits which set off to

look for a better place to live. There is also an animated film featuring the song Bright Eyes by Art Garfunkel (you know, from Simon & Garfunkel) as the soundtrack. Hroedoedoe is an onomatopoeia (sound association) of a running cylinder engine, still found in motorised bicycles (and old tractors). Our club has a few whiz kids, members who love the Eiffel and a bit of a circuit racing now and then. However, most of them just enjoy touring our own beautiful countryside, enjoying the scenery away from the asphalt.

In order to mark the Blom jubilee, on 2 September we organised a tour through the Green Heart of Holland and the river Vecht district. On several occasions, we have also ventured through the Rhine delta with our 4ri4+trips along (Maas and) Waal, IJssel, Linge and Lower Rhine rivers. You know, where wide rivers meander slowly through the endless landscape lined by rows of unspeakably high poplars rising like tall feathers on the horizon. Our maiden ride was along the Kempen route, more or less the stamping grounds of Blom Consultancy. And as you can see from the pictures, we don’t spend all our time between the wheels. A bit of refreshment never goes amiss on a Hroedoedoe ride.

The link between horses and Blom Consultancy is our former colleague Joriene Beks. Joriene is still a regular visitor to Lieshout for World Class projects. However, her main work is related to her passion for horses. At her stables in Etten-Leur, everything revolves around showjumping, dressage and breeding even better sport horses. “Some breeding companies, and I don’t just mean horse breeders, are only concerned with reproduction. There is a market for animals and we provide those animals. But that is not my motivation, because my stable serves the market for top sport horses. What that market wants are potential winners and that means constant improvement for the breeder! And that’s what I like about horse breeding, because you can apply all your own insights and preferences”. At Beks’ stable, the mare is the main focus, in contrast with stud farms. “Of course, stallions are extremely important for sport horses,” says Joriene,

“but there are only a few top stallions. The mare ultimately makes the difference!” An important part of breeding (with mares) is naturally the choice of stallion. Here too, Joriene has a unique approach. Many breeders apply what Joriene calls compensation choice. You look for a stallion which scores high on the points on which your mare is weak. “I don’t do that. I always look for stallions which have the same strong points as my mare. Then I see which stallion is strongest in her weak points and he then becomes the father of the planned foal.”

All this means that Joriene has a very structured approach to her foals. The circle of life of her mares is like this. The foal is born in the spring and at this point a selection already takes place. “I assess whether the foal has a good chance of success, whether as a sport horse or for breeding. If not, I look for a buyer and the foal is sold as soon as it can

leave its mother. Foals with good potential live as part of a group at Joriene’s stable. In September of their second year, an X-ray is taken of the mare to support the final decision as to whether it will be a sport horse or a breeding mare. Joriene proceeds with the breeding mares; these mares are good for both sport and breeding. At this stage, they only live in the stables. In February, the breaking in and training process starts, an intensive, time-consuming period during which Joriene is gratefully assisted by many helpers. As soon as they are ready to take part in competitions, Joriene climbs into the saddle herself.In May of its third year, the mare is mated. In the summer, the KWPN (Royal Warmblood Studbook of the Netherlands) inspects the mare for its exterior qualities. A really successful mare is awarded an OHE (Overall Horsebook Effectiveness) of 75% or more. “The higher the scores and the better the sports performance of my horses, the higher the quality of my stable is valued. That is my measuring method.” The circle of life in the stable ends once the mare has had her second foal. She is then usually in her fifth year at which point the mare becomes 100% involved in sports. A buyer is sought and if a good bid is made, the mare leaves the stables. Joriene’s jumper Trinity is now at this stage and looks forward to attracting the interest of top Dutch horse riders. So remember the name Trinity!

Motor sportsELWCMCMC

Hroedoedoe

Breeding horses is improvement

Sports

“My boyfriend Ron and I have travelled all over the world looking for our dream jobs. One of these trips took us to Thailand where we signed up for a diving course. Following extensive theoretical training, we started on our underwater breathing exercises. Wearing compressed air bottles on your back, diving goggles on, mouthpiece in, up to our waists in the water, we had to sit down and breathe. At that moment, I fell in love with diving. And I wasn’t alone. Of course there were my classmates, but there were also the most beautifully

coloured fish, prawns, slugs, sea urchins and other sea creatures. In contrast to being on dry land, the ‘game’ comes up to you to investigate what kind of amazing creature has now appeared.

From one minute to the next, I was in a totally different world. It was like being on a moon walk. This was the job I wanted. In Auckland, New Zealand, I struck lucky. In ‘The poor knights’ marine reserve, I followed a ‘dive master’ training. This consisted of exploring under water, improving your swimming fitness, lifesaving skills and guiding. Fortunately I was able to work in diving, because it’s an expensive sport. I eventually found a job on the

Australian Great Barrier Reef. Very touristy and extremely environmentally unfriendly. I began to feel that I was losing diving as a hobby.

However, what I always enjoyed about this work was guiding

people in a new environment. It energised me. There was great potential for improvement in that diving world, but the Australian diving business was not ready for it. In the summer, I got my last diving certificate and reviewed my diving career so far. My conclusion: “I must do something with training and coaching! Then I’ll be doing something I enjoy and diving will become my hobby again.” I knew Arnout Orelio from Blom

Consultancy and I contacted him. One thing led to another and on 1 October I started work at Blom.

Ron and I still love travelling and diving. In Egypt, round the corner at the Dungense Gat, or in the Groene Heuvels near Wijchen. And of course in the province of Zeeland, the Dutch diving Mecca. If you pass a sign saying “Caution, divers crossing”, don’t laugh. It really is serious, so please be careful. For it’s not easy moving on land in a full diving suit. And we do need to cross the road to get from one estuary to another.”

ChallengeA friend of mine cycled up the Alp in two hours and 15 minutes. “You’ll never manage that,” he told me. “That’s what you think!” I answered. “I’ll do it – and I won’t need those five rests you had either. I’ll climb it in one go!” The challenge had been accepted and off I went to France. After arriving at the camp site at the foot of the climb, I explored the Alp by car. I felt glad and worried. Glad that I had a car with powerful turbo; worried by the thought that I would be pedalling up the mountain the next day.

The AlpOf course there’s only one Dutch mountain in the world

and that’s the Alpe d’Huez. The finishing line is at 1830 metres and the camp site is 1103 metres below. The climb is 13 km long, while the average gradient is around 8%. The 21 hairpin bends are named after fabled winners of stages in the Tour de France. Zoetemelk, Kuiper, Winnen, Rooks and Theunissen are immortalised among the cycling fraternity.

The village at the foot of the Alp, Bourg d’Oissons, breathes cycling and every visitor has a mission: to conquer the Alpe d’Huez. This creates a sort of brotherly rivalry among those present, for whom this experience will be a highlight of their lives.

The climbIt is impossible to describe

the climb. Fortunately I had cycled up a mountain before and knew that it was important to climb at your own pace. If you cycle faster than you can, you will burn out and you will never reach the top. For me, that meant watching numerous cyclists fly past me. But even then, you can appreciate the unique atmosphere of the Alp as some of these whiz kids give you an encouraging pat on the back or glance. “Keep going! Don’t give up, you’ll get there.” And luckily I had my own supporters on the slope. Wife and children were driving up in the car and encouraging me at every hairpin. So I arrived at the top after 1 hour and 25 minutes without getting off once. As you pass the finishing line, you are applauded by all those who have overtaken you. And there is even a winner’s platform where you can have your photo taken, as if you had won a real race. And in a way you have, once you have conquered the Alpe d’Huez. You then belong to the special group of sportsmen and women who love being part of manifestations like the Four Days Marches and the

Elfstedentocht. The link to our daily work is the huge lesson you learn that, if you have a clear goal and prepare well, you can be successful. The boost this gives you is indescribable.

2008I fell in love with the Alp and I plan to do it again at least once more. And not on my own, but with a big group of WCP experts in a sponsored ride for charity. Together with above-mentioned friend, Henri Albersen, who works for Het Huis voor de Sport Limburg, and my colleague Eef Oom, we are organising a sponsored climb on the last Saturday of May. On Friday 30 May, we will all drive to Bourg d’Oissons, cycle up the Alp on Saturday and return on Sunday. If you would like to join us as a climber, sponsor, carer, supporter or in any other way, contact Eef Oom, +31 (0)16 53 84 06 49, or Ron Barten +31 (0)16 13 15 51 77. Good preparations will be made to ensure that we are all ready for the task.

You will be hearing from us.

No mountain too highRecently, Blom Consultant Ron Barten climbed the Alpe d’Huez for the first time. By bicycle, of course. He described his experience.

Diving brought Judy de Graaff to Blom.

possible disruptive factors is endless, particularly when you look at the details. “In such an ocean of unmanageable factors, something will always go wrong. And this can affect whether you win or lose. The team that resolves its errors fastest will win. That automatically means that you must do as much as possible to standardise, practise and train. Then I don’t have to wait until the foredeck crewman is ready, because I know when he will be ready. Unless something threatens to go wrong, but then I’ll hear that at the earliest possible opportunity. So the

crew sails the ship like a well oiled operating system.”

A second crucial factor between winning and losing is the unconditional surrender to that goal. In practice, that means that there are only two standards for deciding whether something belongs to the equipment or not.1. Does it contribute to safety?2. Does it contribute to our chance of winning?“For example, we don’t take any buffers with us because we don’t need them between start and finish. And when we get to the

harbour, we’ll resolve the lack of buffers then. And if something unexpected happens during the race, the same applies. You won’t hear us getting into long discussions on board. We know our roles, responsibilities and tasks. However, we always have a meeting before and after the race. Before the race, we talk about possible problems and the strategy to be followed. After the competition, we evaluate the race.” What you notice about the Satori crew is that this evaluation takes just as long after a race they’ve won as when they’ve come fourth or fifth. “There’s a good reason for

that,” Paul continues. “You can assume that almost as many unmanageable things will have happened during a race you win as in any other race. But when you win, you have apparently resolved them faster. But you can learn just as much from a good solution as from a wrong one. So on this sailing boat we have a constant improvement team and what we do is not very different from what a production team or service providing team does. We have 5S, visual management, SGAs, work consultation, SMED, best practices, training and discipline. And we are

very successful with them. Which is why I can say with full conviction: “We really will implement World Class Performance at Holland Jachtbouw.”

Blom Consultancy Jubilee Magazine September 2007 17

Diving for work

Business relations day

To mark Blom Consultancy’s tenth anniversary in 2002, we wanted to give something back to our clients. We thought about organising an event and thus the concept for the business relations day was born. The aim of the day: for guests to leave feeling it was a truly unique and special experience. The structure of the day was concise and focused, incorporating a programme within a theme. Meetings, exchanges and entertainment within the theme: better, faster, cheaper and … more fun. The location: the Fata Morgana palace at the Efteling theme park.

2002: is WCM fun too?In keeping with the theme and location, under the motto ‘from illusion to reality’, the 110 guests were invited to consider questions like: What

is reality, what is illusion? Can illusion become reality and if so, from which perspective should you approach illusion? And when illusion has become reality, what’s the future? Such fantasising naturally had an aim: Every Blom Consultancy client knows that WCM produces

better, faster and cheaper production, but can it be fun too? Yes, but then you must be creative, discover other angles and dimensions and turn illusions into reality. In other words: look further than the end of your nose and view work as a voyage of discovery.

Inspiring mysteryDay chairman Ad Bastiaanse taught the guests that the journey can be much more important than arriving somewhere. Once a dream becomes reality, you create another dream: ‘dream hopping’. Illusionist George Parker used his conjuring tricks to express a very useful message: it isn’t what you see, it’s what you see in it. During the closing buffet, a few people expected that the secret of George Parker’s last trick would be revealed.

It wasn’t, so guests went home with a sense of mystery and inspiration. And that was exactly what the day aimed to do.

2004: World Class Performance in practiceIn 2004, around a hundred

guests assembled in the Huis van de Toekomst [House of the Future] in Rosmalen. A futuristic location because continuous improvement also means looking to the future. The theme of World Class Performance in Practice was expressed by three speakers. The fact that WCM can work brilliantly but that an organisation must be ready for it was demonstrated by Fedde Spoelstra from SCA-Packaging in Eerbeek. Mario Marchena

(now at Blom Consultancy, but then still working for Unilever) described how TPM had been implemented at Unilever Foods in Europe. The third guest speaker, Marc van ‘t Westeinde from Outokumpu, described his positive experiences with TPM too. For the first time, the World Class Team of the year was also elected on this day. Three teams were nominated (from Heinz, DAF Trucks and the final winner Nutricia). The presentation was packaged in an Idols setting – very ‘hot’ at the time, and anyone who is World Class is naturally an idol to others.

2005: is participating more important than winning?The 2005 Blom Business Relations Day was certainly a sporting highlight. Location: the Olympic Stadium in Amsterdam. And the theme was no less ambitious: is participating more important than winning? Everyone wants to be the best. Humberto Tan, once voted ‘best dressed sports presenter’ and here today as day chairman, swapped his shirt for an orange Blom sweater. Guest speaker Dany Jacobs, Professor

of strategic management at Groningen University, defended the thesis: ‘We love innovation like we love an illegal immigrant’ Guest speaker Joop Knulst, Demand & Supply manager at Heineken, proposed: “creativity, i.e. innovation, is available in the west. You must use it. But discipline – that’s something our people still need to learn.” Jaap Wilbers, director of Heinz Europe, explained how their managers had acquired a more

coaching role. “People now say: will there ever be an end to this competition?” I reply: “No, it’s a competition without an end. We will continue to improve.”

In contrast to the other guest speakers, Nathan Dijkstra, production manager of De Meeuw from Oirschot, appears in a tracksuit. “Everyone takes part to win. So that’s what it’s about. To win!” he exclaims. Before the audience could respond, former basketball international Henk Pietersen runs in. “Not true”, he shouts. “Participating, that’s what it’s all about! And I’ll prove it to you.” The 150 guests were then given a basketball master class in the catacombs of the Olympic Stadium. At the end of the class, a lot more people felt that participating was more important.

2006 LIVE YOUR DREAMThe Dolphinarium in Hardewijk was the venue for last year’s annual business relations day organised by Blom Consultancy. This time, there were 250 guests for an entertaining and educational day focusing on Ben Tiggelaar’s theme ‘dreaming,

daring, doing’. The link between theme and location: in business we criticise when mistakes are made but say nothing when a colleague does something well. The dolphinarium coaches have a better approach. The dolphin show is a wonderful example of how you can deal with people. When they demonstrate undesired behaviour, the coach responds neutrally whereas good behaviour is rewarded. Almost every manager does the opposite. Trust, clarity and rewards are the main themes of the show, but also of the presentations of the speakers and the teams participation in the final of the World Class Team 2006.

‘Beastly’ good speakersDay chairman, Ben Tiggelaar, opened with the thesis: ‘My colleagues are like dolphins, but perhaps with a little more hair.’ Jan Kloosterman, vice president at Sara Lee, continued the comparison between animals and business with a funny parable in which cats appear as symbols for the research and development department. ‘Can you change a cat into a herd animal?’ he asks. Filip Vandendriessche created an uproar with his thesis: ‘You pay for vision with your blood’. The author of the book ‘Leidinggeven zonder bevelen’ [Management without commands] described how you can be authoritarian without causing conflicts. ‘You need a crisis to achieve real improvements and changes’, Jan Willem Peppink, director of production at Grolsch, proposed. He finally adjusted his opening: ‘New walls alone are not enough. The real changes come from a new working method.’

2007:?Don’t worry, you’ll hear more about this very soon.

Blom Business Relations Day prepares for first quinquennial anniversary


Anyone who has ever attended one will know that the Blom Business Relations Day is a major event on the calendar. A combination of entertainment and substance, of introductions and knowledge sharing. And since 2004, it has also included the final of the Improvement Team of the Year Election. So far we have always managed to combine an interesting programme with a great atmosphere. A ‘feel good’ event. So unsurprisingly, this unique concept is planned again this year. While Blom Consultancy is celebrating its third quinquennial anniversary, the Blom Business Relations Day is celebrating its first. In this article, we review the last four editions. But… we’re saying nothing about the fifth. Oh, all right then, we’ll tell you the date: 29 November 2007. So put that in your diary now!

The aim of the day: for guests to leave feeling it was a truly unique and special

experience.

Business relations day

The battle, because that’s what it often is, starts with a pre-selection, goes on to a semi-final and reaches an exciting final which is combined with the Blom Business Relations Day. The audience at the business relations day ultimately chooses the winner from the three finalists. In this ‘hall of fame’, we are only presenting the winners of the last three elections. By doing so, we don’t mean any injustice to the other nominees, but a summary would take up a whole edition. The fourth election is due to be held soon. On the back page of this edition, you will find details about how you or your team can register. More information is available on the website also: www.BlomConsultancy.nl.

Improvement team of the year 2004:Nutricia ZoetermeerAt Nutricia in Zoetermeer, machinery has to be extra well cleaned when changing products because they make special food for hospitals. Measurements revealed that this cleaning resulted

in an 8% loss in production. The team discovered a series of causes which were tackled in order of importance. The plating of the machine, which took a lot of time to clean, was replaced with a fixed stainless steel beam. The software for the automatic cleaning cycle (CIP) was modified, and the cycle was shortened from 42 to 30 minutes.

The daily maintenance was significantly reduced by using alternating sets. Together with the purchase of various tools, these modifications produced a cleaning cycle of 55 minutes, more than an hour’s extra production.

Improvement team of the year 2005:Van Houtum Papier BVTeam ‘De Doplifters’ from Van Houtum Papier BV in Swalmen was voted World Class Team 2005 by the audience at the business relations day. In the space of six months, the team managed to achieve its objective: ‘To reduce stagnation at the input lift of the box filler’. ‘The Doplifters thus made a major contribution to the ultimate goal of halving the manning at the box filler’. The team had a lot of fun together and learned a great deal, but above all they achieved a tremendous result. Per shift, the machine has 52 minutes less down time than previously. Besides the result, the quality has also improved immensely.

Improvement team of the year 2006:OmronTeam Omron from Den Bosch managed a huge reduction in the adjustment time of a machine. The original goal was to reduce the adjustment time from thirty to six minutes. All the line personnel were filmed, without them knowing when the camera was switched on. Importantly, all the people at Omron were given - and took - plenty of opportunity to suggest possible process improvements. From a wall full of yellow notes, seven ideas were selected and tackled in an improvement project. Finally, the adjustment time was minimised to half a minute! A result which the Japanese parent company can so far only dream of.

Hall of FameA homage to the improvement teams of the year

The election for improvement team of the year has been a fixture on the Blom Consultancy calendar since

2004. The election reflects Blom’s basic principles, and particularly principle 5: make people champions. The

improvement teams are invited to present their team performance to an expert jury. The teams may come from

clients of Blom, but other teams are also welcome to compete with their colleagues. In this ‘hall of fame’, we

put the winners of the last three elections in the spotlight once again.

Blom Consultancy Jubilee Magazine September 2007 19

The election reflects Blom’s basic principles, and particularly

principle 5: make people champions.

Who is willing to accept the challenge and compete for the coveted title

“World Class Team 2007”

Did your improvement team complete

a successful improvement programme between

September 2006 and September 2007?

Then complete the reg

istration form and send it to

Blom Consultancy to compete

in the World Class Tea

m election.

Mail your final presen

tation of your improvement programme before 28 September 2007

to [email protected] or sen

d a CD to Blom Consultancy in

Lieshout,

attention Relati

edag.

Who knows, your improvement tea

m might be in the final of the World Clas

s Team elec

tion

on 29 November!

Blom Consultancy

Heuvel 11, 5737 BX Lies

hout (NL)

www.BlomConsultancy.nl

Tel. +31 (0)499 427 979 - Fa

x +31 (0)499 427 978

Who is willing to accept the challenge and compete for the coveted title

“World Class Team 2007”

Did your improvement team complete

a successful improvement programme between

September 2006 and September 2007?

Then complete the reg

istration form and send it to

Blom Consultancy to compete

in the World Class Tea

m election.

Mail your final presen

tation of your improvement programme before 28 September 2007

to [email protected] or sen

d a CD to Blom Consultancy in

Lieshout,

attention Relati

edag.

Who knows, your improvement tea

m might be in the final of the World Clas

s Team elec

tion

on 29 November!

Blom Consultancy

Heuvel 11, 5737 BX Lies

hout (NL)

www.BlomConsultancy.nl

Tel. +31 (0)499 427 979 - Fa

x +31 (0)499 427 978

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