At Light4U we love to make ambitions come true. For our customers, but also for ourselves. One of our youngest lightbuilders is Mark (22). Just graduated, now a supply chain engineer and an expert in looking ahead.
“In a company where operational excellence is the ultimate goal every day, it’s important to anticipate well. We want to make a difference in the market by being able to deliver faster than others. That’s possible, but only when we can purchase smart. And only when we’re extremely efficient with our stock and production capacity. If we do this well, we’ll create a head start for ourselves in the market. That’s when we’ll be in pole position. Simply because we have the right products inhouse, at the right time.” Mark is a former trainee at Light4U, where he graduated from his study technical business administration with research into process improvement in product development. Since September, he has focused full-time on our supply chain: “Essentially, my job is all about having control. What do we have in stock and where is it? From there it’s constantly anticipating and improving.”
Is it possible to maintain control in a sector where project-based construction is the norm? It’s indeed quite a challenge, Mark agrees: “The demand differs quite a bit because our customers often have large lighting projects. Many items are often needed at once. And often in a very short period of time. Such things are difficult to predict, but we can manage them well. How? By keeping a close eye on incoming goods. Through intensive consultation with sales, so that we know what is going on with customers. By estimating future consumption based on historical data. But also, by looking for and recognizing trends. These are all things that together answer the question: what should we order and when should it arrive?”
“What do I like about my job? The freedom to really build. I learn a lot from that. Together with all departments, we can still take steps every day. Because no matter how small, everything can always be even smarter. Or faster. That versatility really appeals to me.” In some aspects, Mark doesn’t have the control he might want. For example: the global supply chain, where everyone has to deal with much longer delivery times. In some cases, they have even doubled. Mark: “Whether customers understand this? Most of the time. Yet it is not a done deal for us. We also try to be smart about this. For example, by building up small safety stocks. So that we can often deliver quickly anyways. Important, because we know that speed is an important reason to buy from us. And we would like to keep it that way, of course!”
