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‘Hello Bartelt. How’s everything at ARV Group?” That’s a question that my business contacts and my friends are always asking me. It occurred to me not long ago that I never replied with numbers, success stories, or by reporting on the number of jobs we were taking on. Because at ARV Group we are occupied day after day with those activities that we do with so much pleasure: contributing to the success of dynamic companies and cooperating with the inspiring people who work there. The services we provide expand organically in response to the needs of “our” market – the process industry. That is true as well for i4o, our new service offering: interim management for operations. It’s a logical step for us as I consider both recent market trends and developments and think about what we can expect in the future.
As a business or production unit operating in an extremely competitive market, you really need to consider all aspects of your organization and processes if you want to continually improve your performance. Commercial excellence alone is not enough. Notable opportunities present themselves in operations management and continuous improvement. Our clients call on us to undertake essential, structural initiatives. Because we’ve often seen that further improvements in operational performance are only possible if the supply chain and the supporting work processes are in good shape, we’ve slowly but surely expanded our team with experts in this specific field.
Whether it’s about operations or the supply chain, no two firms or problems are the same. Every situation is unique and off-the-shelf solutions do not exist. That’s why we work together with management to thoroughly assess the organization and the processes, and then step back from the day-to-day hustle and bustle to carry out a focused analysis. What is our current situation? Where would we like to be? What do we need to change or improve to get there? We then develop a plan – in many cases a multi-year plan – for operations. What must occur? In what order and at what pace?
Ultimately, success depends on the people who implement the desired changes and improvements. Without them, after all, the plans and the ambitions will never be realized. That is why some years ago we entered into a structural partnership with Ontwikkelingspartners. A logical addition to the range of consultancy services we offer, giving our clients access to specific expertise for skills development for management, team leaders, and colleagues.
Careful implementation of change and improvement initiatives at an acceptable pace requires specific management skills that are not necessarily available within every business. Accordingly, the demand has steadily grown over the years for us to provide interim management assistance. So it made sense for us to develop a network of experienced interim managers. Because we’ve seen more and more requests for these services, we will from now on offer them under the name i4o: Interim for Operations. Once again a logical step in the expansion of our service offer for clients who are intent on achieving their objectives.
Bartelt Blankenberg
Managing Partner @ARV Group