A tool is only as good as the hands that wield it

For almost two decades now, we at ARV Group have been sharing our knowledge and expertise with companies in the process industry: (agro)food, feed, pharmaceuticals, chemicals and energy. In most cases, that has involved optimizing operations and the supply chain. In the course of projects aimed at improvement and change, we help organizations to find the path that leads to more efficient processes and improved results. But does that make us "know-it-alls"? On the contrary. I realize all too well that, here at ARV Group, we too are involved in a process of continuous improvement, just like so many of our customers.

For us, expanding our knowledge and developing new expertise is a continuous process. Precisely because the developments in the process industry never stand still. Lifelong learning and ongoing improvement? That’s daily fare for our customers, but also for our consultants, our interim managers and, yes, also for the author of this blog.

Believing in it

In everything we do, working together with customers is our major source of inspiration. Those customers make a point of sharing their knowledge and expertise with us. Along with them, we penetrate to the heart of their operational processes and to the hearts and ambitions of their people. That has strengthened us in our conviction that success is determined not by the tools themselves, but by the people who use them. Of course, we help our customers to develop a strategy, to select objectives and make plans. We assist them on the road to the results they’re looking for and provide them with the tools they need. But if managers and personnel don’t believe in the process, it won’t work. To put it simply: a tool is only as good as the hands that wield it.

Learning on the job

That’s why, in each and every project entrusted to us, we involve ourselves intensively with the people who actually have to do the job. The managers who steer the teams and processes. The personnel who, presented with new ways of thinking and working, all bear their own responsibilities on the road to greater efficiency and better results. Their ideas and experiences are highly valuable, and often lead to surprising approaches and new insights. Yes, we are experts in the process industry. But within that same process industry we ourselves are also involved in the process of learning on the job.

Inspire, stimulate and challenge us

And learning is, in fact, something we do both on and off the job. Our customers and business relations, for example, regularly join us for an inspiring workshop. During those gatherings, we share knowledge and experiences concerning timely themes and new challenges within the (food) process industry. It’s also worth noting that ARV Group has recently become a partner in the Food Pro Network, the biggest interactive portal in the Dutch foods sector. That platform also provides us with a welcome opportunity to share our expertise and experience with you. We also publish blogs, and we post news and information about our experiences and our fascinating profession. We hope, of course, that you’ll react to what we post as well. There is nothing more educational than that. Inspire, stimulate and challenge us! Because we too are only as effective as the interaction and feeling we get back from our customers.

Bartelt Blankenberg
Managing Partner ARV Group