{"id":5670,"date":"2026-07-10T12:47:38","date_gmt":"2026-07-10T10:47:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/venturngroup.com\/?p=5670"},"modified":"2026-07-10T12:47:38","modified_gmt":"2026-07-10T10:47:38","slug":"why-leadership-at-apm-terminals-starts-with-trust","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/venturngroup.com\/en\/why-leadership-at-apm-terminals-starts-with-trust\/","title":{"rendered":"Why leadership at APM Terminals starts with trust"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The distinctive blue cranes\u00a0<\/span>of<\/span>\u00a0APM Terminals Maasvlakte II tower like landmarks above the hundreds of colourful containers on the quay and the container ships. Hub Transformation Lead<\/span>er<\/span>\u00a0Wouter Boogaart\u00a0<\/span>only<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>has t<\/span>o<\/span>\u00a0look<\/span>\u00a0out of his window to see the impact of his work. Wouter (36) first<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>came into contact wit<\/span>h<\/span>\u00a0Venturn as a recent<\/span>ly graduated professional<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>Today, h<\/span>e now works\u00a0<\/span>together\u00a0<\/span>with Venturn in the\u00a0<\/span>fields<\/span>\u00a0of Leadership Development and Advisory, and there is always a\u00a0<\/span>Venturn Young Professional<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>on site<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>This<\/span>\u00a0is his story about the interaction and collaboration with Venturn.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n

APM Terminals Maasvlakte II is, as Wouter aptly puts it, an essential link in global trade. Thousands of containers pass through Rotterdam every day, on their way in or out of Europe. The terminal is highly automated and sustainable. \u201cEverything that moves is powered by electricity, and all the electricity comes from green energy,\u201d explains the Hub Transformation Leader. Crane operators no longer sit up in the crane but control the systems remotely from their office. Automated Guided Vehicles operate in a secure area and change their batteries autonomously. And importantly: people and machines are strictly separated. This contributes to an efficient and safe working environment. <\/p>\n\n

\u201cSafety is the most important thing. Everything we do is aimed at ensuring that people can do their jobs safely.\u201d <\/p>\n\n

Focus and rhythm <\/h3>\n\n

His role as Hub Transformation Leader consists of three interconnected areas. He translates the local strategy into concrete, achievable goals across all levels of the organisation. He helps the organisation to work according to the Lean way of working. And he maintains an overview of all ongoing initiatives: where are the priorities, where should the focus lie, and how does the organisation stay on track? This is particularly important, given that APM Terminals is set to double its capacity within a considerable timeframe through the expansion of the deep-water quay. <\/p>\n\n

In a world that is so technical and automated, improvement for him starts with people. \u201cWhat I like about lean is that it really focuses on the role of the person in the terminal’s process. You have people, process and technology. Lean really starts with the people.\u201d <\/p>\n\n

According to him, knowledge is not found in a meeting room, but on the shop floor, amongst the people who deal with processes, machines and customers on a daily basis. \u201cGo to the shopfloor. Listen to them. And give the people who actually know the job the responsibility, the trust and the space to improve their work.\u201d <\/p>\n\n

That\u2019s also where the leadership issue comes in, an area in which he has been working with Venturn for some time as part of their Leadership Development programme. Because providing direction is essential. An organisation needs a clear ambition. \u201cYou want to set that out from the top down. This is our strategy. This is where we want to grow. This is what\u2019s needed to get there.\u201d But you don\u2019t want to map out the path to that goal in stone. \u201cInstead, you want to draw on the strength, knowledge and experience that exist within the company to shape how this is achieved.\u201d <\/p>\n

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