Many employees at VanDijk experience a strong sense of social responsibility: they contribute to ensuring that every student receives their book package on time. HR director Janneke Steller sees a lot of passion and loyalty among her people. "What we do is unique: we deliver book packages to more than 700,000 students in a short period of time."
The story of VanDijk begins in 1937, almost 90 years ago. W.C. van Dijk starts selling his textbooks as a teenager. He proves to be a good trader. His inventory grows from a small shelf to an office, giving rise to the Overijssels Boekhuis, the predecessor of VanDijk.
Today, the company from Kampen is the largest independent educational service provider in the Netherlands. It is also a market leader in Belgium. In addition to 7 million textbooks, VanDijk provides 2.8 million digital licenses, other study materials, and services to schools and students in secondary education. In addition to 125 permanent employees, there are another 1200 temporary workers during the peak season. So, it's a busy summer, laughs Janneke Steller. "When people think of seasonal businesses, they usually think of agriculture. But the educational materials market also experiences a peak in the summer. From June to September: that's when it all happens, that's when we are on high alert."
Can you tell us about this dynamic? How does the book process work?
"In the spring, schools decide which methods and materials they want to use in the upcoming school year. By May 1st, they fill in the lists of educational materials for the next year. Based on that, we make purchases and place orders with publishers in May/June. During the same period, students can return their books to their school. We send teams across the country with temp agency Randstad to collect the used books. By the time the holidays start, we have all the used and new books. Then we have six weeks to pick and pack all the packages for all the students in our warehouse. This is done in shifts. One week before the end of the school holidays, we ensure that everything is delivered to the schools and students. Then it's time for a celebration with all our people. In September, we provide aftercare for the schools and students. After that, we evaluate the peak season and prepare for the new season."
How do you find 1200 temporary workers?
"We have been working with temp agency Randstad for several years. Besides people who pick and pack orders, we also need many team leaders. This role demands more from a temporary worker: you need to manage people and have knowledge of logistics processes. That's why we invest in training for these positions through Randstad. Additionally, the temp agency has a team to support these workers, often students. It's a win-win situation. Randstad gets development opportunities for its people, and we get good employees. Some people come back for six, seven years in a row. Our seasonal workers come from far and wide. During the peak season, we have buses arriving daily from various regions. When the buses arrive, there is always someone there to welcome the workers. Kindness is free. We value personal interaction, and it is appreciated. During the peak season, our company has employees from over fifty nationalities."
In addition to providing educational materials, do you also offer educational support? What does that look like?
“Our educational advisory team assists schools with expert and independent advice to make appropriate and sustainable choices for educational materials. We have a lot of expertise in-house. For example, we organize meetings for educational material coordinators from schools. Our goal is to be a reliable partner for schools – independent of publishers – and to support schools in the field of educational materials.”
You mention sustainability. Does that play a major role for you?
“Sustainability is in our DNA: we originated from the use of second-hand books. There was once the idea that all educational materials would become digital in the future. However, it seems that is not the direction we are heading. The combination of physical books and digital resources will continue to exist. However, we see a trend of more and more providers of educational materials. There is particular criticism of the many workbooks that students often do not need to write in, but are thrown away at the end of the year. That is the current model for larger publishers, but more and more schools find this unsustainable. This has led to the emergence of other publishers in the educational materials market and in the creation of educational content. We ensure that schools can choose from everything available on the market, from physical to digital. That is why we are open to all publishers.”
What other challenges do you face?
“The most important thing is that every student receives their books on time, every season. That is the driving force for many people working here. The feeling that you are contributing to education. This requires a lot from our staff during the summer season. While others are on vacation, it is peak season for our employees. What we do is unique: in a short period, we deliver book packages to more than 700,000 students.”
“We are currently facing a challenge in our business processes. We are preparing for the implementation of a new WMS system. The new WMS will change the way our entire logistics process works. We will be digitizing processes. Where people currently pick orders on paper, they will do so with handheld scanners. This transition is quite exciting because we cannot simply test new methods: we only have one peak season per year. For students, it is essential that the distribution of books is complete and on time.”
You are seeking reinforcement for this transformation. Who are you looking for?
“We are looking for a Supply Chain Manager; a new position. This means that someone can help shape the role themselves. This person operates at the heart of our logistics organization with the primary goal of ensuring all educational materials reach students on time. It is a role where you must derive energy from change. You lead people through a transition. You are a good listener and have persuasiveness. The Supply Chain Manager works closely with the Operations Director.”
“In addition, we are looking for a Strategic Controller. An experienced financial professional who will strengthen our team of controllers and take us to the next level. Even in Finance, you deal with the dynamics of the season: we earn our money in a few months, while we incur costs throughout the year. The Strategic Controller plays a key role in coordinating and optimizing our Finance & Business processes, together with our CFO.”
“Our core values are reliability, craftsmanship, and ownership. You can sense that in our company.”
What is the culture like at VanDijk?
“Many of our permanent staff are from the region. A diverse group of people with a lot of knowledge. We have an informal atmosphere. Communication lines are short, even across departments. We invest in the development and training of our people. Our core values are reliability, craftsmanship, and ownership. You can sense that in our company.”
