OVER

OVER JAN

As a professional, Jan van der Velden has gained experience at the intersection of his work as a manager on the one hand and advising individual customers at management level with regard to logistics automation on the other. He was also active in representing the interests of the Material Handling Industry internationally.

TO SERVICES

JAN'S CAREER

Board Experience

Jan served for 20 years on the board of FEM, the European Material Handling Industry, including 4 years as President. During this time, his focus was on key areas such as Energy, Global Market Access, Intellectual Property, Technology, and attracting young talent. His work on these topics brought him to the table with European Commissions, leading industrial trade shows, industry organizations in the U.S., China, Japan, and many more. In the Netherlands, Jan was also a board member of DMH until 2020.

Strategy Development

In the 1990s, Jan successfully established the collaboration between Vanderlande and Daifuku, the then world market leader, in the field of automated storage systems. Working with Japanese partners and conducting business in Japan proved to be an extremely valuable experience. Over the past 10 years, Jan served as Market Director for both Parts and Components, and later for Food Retail. In this role, he developed the global strategy for these market segments, with the goal of securing a position in the world’s top 3.

BUSINESS PARTNER

For many retail companies, logistics is the lifeblood of their business. Logistics that can adapt to constantly changing market conditions provides a significant competitive advantage. The acquisition and implementation of logistics automation only amplifies this advantage. However, for many companies, this feels like performing surgery on the lifeblood of their organization. It’s clear that a well-structured, strategic approach is essential. The biggest challenge, however, is gaining the trust of the investing party, ensuring that your company is seen as the most suitable partner. Jan has gained extensive international experience in this area.

AREA OF EXPERTISE

The above activities took place on the world market. Dealing with all these cultures has shaped him as a person and also ensured that he can get by well in Dutch, English, French and German.


Managing multicultural and multidisciplinary teams in matrix environments is normal for him. The goal was always to create a basis of mutual trust among management teams, both internally and externally. Some more facts about Jan:

    Born on February 18, 1956. Together with Rie he has 4 children. Completed education: Gymnasium Sint Willibrord, Deurne. Master Mechanical Engineering, Technical University Eindhoven.