Jaap van Ravenstein
Assistant Materials Manager
"My drive is continuous improvement."
In addition to the development, assembly and sale of trucks, the European head office of PACCAR Parts is located at the DAF site in Eindhoven. Together with four other distribution centers in Europe, more than 400,000 different truck parts are sent to European dealers every year. During his internship, Jaap van Ravenstein was impressed by the company. When he finished his studies, he contacted his former internship supervisor to ask if there were job opportunities. And after several positions within PACCAR, Jaap now works as Assistant Materials Manager. In this role he is responsible for the Managed Dealer Inventory (MDI) department. MDI supports dealers in maintaining their inventory management.
"After studying Logistics and Economics, I knew I wanted to work at a larger company with sufficient growth opportunities," Jaap says. "I had a very good feeling about my internship and wanted to be part of PACCAR Parts."
The ultimate goal for Jaap and his team is to achieve the highest possible parts availability at the lowest possible stock levels. Data plays an important role in this. Jaap continues: "Every night we receive data related to the stocks and sales of our dealers. We use specialized forecasting software to predict future consumption. This forecast is translated into an order suggestion, which is sent to the dealer the same night. All to ensure that the end customer has the right parts at his / her disposal."
Abroad experience
Jaap indicates that he already has seen and a lot of the company in a fairly short amount of time. Setting up a new distribution center in Renton (USA) is one of the highlights in his career. "I was involved with the new PACCAR Distribution Center (PDC) in Eindhoven. That is why I was able to support the whole process in Renton as well. I was an amazing experience! You get the opportunity to work and live in a different environment with a different culture. I have learned a lot and I can use this knowledge in the rest of my career and life."
Continuous improvement
"We may not be the most trendy company in terms of appearance. But we invest a lot in new technologies and software. And if you have a good idea, it will be implemented. That is great to see. My drive is really to keep improving. Every day has to be a little better. Continuous improvement is also highly valued within the company," says Jaap enthusiast. "In my previous positions I worked a lot in the warehouse, where I saw changes directly on the work floor. Now I see progress in the reports on my screen. It shows that improvement is always possible and in every environment."
