Dutch Treat

Please enjoy the thoughts and musings of our friend, supporter, and long-time contributor Art van Bodegraven Jr., who passed away on June 18, 2017. Art was a prolific writer and had amassed a collection of unpublished blog posts he had planned to run well into the future. To honor his memory, we will continue to post these remaining blogs as he had intended. If you’ve been a fan of The Art of Art blog, check out our tribute.

 

Many thanks to DC Velocity's David Maloney for providing an excuse to recognize the special qualities of the Dutch in the Supply Chain constellation of stars arrayed in the heavens. David has done a stellar job of documenting the special role and accomplishments of the Dutch in logistics and distribution.

The Dutch, in general, are industrious and clever, creative out of necessity and hard-working out of a Calvinist sense of duty. They have set standards for thrift and dogged effort for centuries; the consequence being that the remainder of Europe looks like a gang of slackers.

In the historical context, the Dutch have been masters of international commerce for some 400+ years, as well as enlightened colonial leaders. Adding this rich history, full of spices and Indonesian cuisine, to a fortuitous geography that constitutes a diverse set of entry points to the nation and to Europe, and you have a formula for riches.

Not only were the Dutch masters of the oceans, and superb ship's captains, the local infrastructure, once goods arrived on reclaimed land in North and South Holland, was arguably the most advanced in all of Europe. Today, highways are in smashingly good repair—and full of truck cargo. The world-recognized canals are small beer compared with the water transport network that moves goods on large canals and substantial rivers throughout Europe.

But, it is the points of entry that make a huge difference. Schiphol was a pioneer in air cargo, along with retail operations. Reluctant to over-invest, some 80% of cargo capacity travels in the bellies of passenger aircraft. Schiphol and the port of Rotterdam move 1/3 of goods into Eirope, Rotterdam being the largest seaport in Europe, and the 9th-largest in the world.

Automation applications abound in the ports; even the Dutch have limits on who works how much.  But, the real creativity comes in a couple of forms. One lies in over-the-road transport, with tractor trains that require only one power unit for a string of trailers. The other is in last-mile delivery, that gtakes full advantage of bicycles, purpose-built vehicles and carts, and mini-canals that criss-cross the country like a demented version of Venice.

We, once again, see that the northern peoples are the engines of industry that make entire nations, and regions, economically viable. The Dutch, and all of The Continent. Flanders, basically the Dutch, that makes Wallonia possible, allowing little work but lots of musels and frites. Northern Italy, the industrial region that enourages Neapolitans to experiment with variations on the theme of pizza while taking the sun. (Northern Italy is, essentially, Bavarian in temperament, with virtues assigned to working hard and producing much.)

I'll refrain from slandering other regions and countries, but the Dutch model is what makes Europe work.  We, including Donald Trump, could take lessons