42 DC VELOCITY JULY 2017
www.dcvelocity.com
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Although he calls himself a relative newcomer to the field, Art van Bodegraven is
something of a legend in the supply chain
profession. After spending the first part of
his management consulting career specializing in manufacturing, information systems, and organizational performance, he
switched his focus to supply chain/logistics
some 25 years ago and never looked back.
During his 55-year consulting career, he
has worked with more than 150 clients in
a dozen industry verticals, earning a name for himself
as the “go-to guy” for projects requiring complex solutions to multifaceted management challenges. Following
stints at Coopers & Lybrand Consulting (now IBM), The
Progress Group, and S4 Consulting, van Bodegraven
opened his own practice in 2009. Today, he is managing
principal of the van Bodegraven Associates consultancy
and founding principal of Discovery Executive Services,
which develops and delivers supply chain educational
programs. His continuing passion remains talent and
skills development in the supply chain profession.
Throughout his career, van Bodegraven has been
actively involved in professional organizations, serving
as a speaker, track chair, and topic chair for conferences
organized by the Council of Supply Chain Management
Professionals (CSCMP) and the Warehousing Education
and Research Council (WERC), among other groups. He
has also developed programs and courses for a number
of universities, private corporations, and government/
public-sector entities.
In addition to being a consultant, teacher, and leader,
van Bodegraven is a writer and blogger, applying his
trenchant observations and keen wit to supply chain
topics of every stripe. His writing has included industry-leading columns (DCV’s Basic Training column), the
book Fundamentals of Supply Chain Management, and
blogs (“The Art of Art” blog at www.dcvelocity.com).
Through his blog posts, he continues to explore topics
like new technology—the IoT (Internet of Things),
robotics, and automation—and leadership.
QWhat is your proudest professional achievement?
AMy proudest moments have come from being told how much I’ve changed peoples’ lives and careers,
and their perspectives. Running a close second is the
satisfaction of helping clients overcome challenges so
complex they required precise sequences and interde-pendencies of solutions—both people and processes.
QYou are in the late innings of your career. With the benefit of historical insight, what advice would you
give someone just starting out in the supply chain man-
agement profession?
AFor those starting out—or those who are gathering steam for a mid-career
reset—here’s what I’d suggest: Master the
core elements of supply chain management (SCM), dig into drivers of enterprise performance, gain experience with
SCM functionality, develop people and
communications skills, understand global strategies and operations, and, most
important, decide and define what you
want to be—and dedicate everything you do to that end.
QOf all the things that have changed during the 55 years you’ve been in the business, is there one that
stands out? What hasn’t changed?
AWhen it comes to supply chain management, a few things stand out as far as change. One is the
extent and pace of growth of SCM. Another is the role of
logistics within the greater world of SCM. A third is the
sophisticated application of technology (automation, IT,
artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things) to planning
and operations.
As for what hasn’t changed, I still see organizations
clinging to last-century operations and management
paradigms, and refusing to abandon a siloed operations
mentality and adopt an integrated, synchronized world
view.
QHow did you become interested in supply chain management, and what keeps you interested in the
profession?
AThe lures into the profession (how I got hooked) included the opportunity to develop and implement
top-down SCM solutions for major corporations as well
as to implement logistics functions to solve immediate
problems.
What keeps me in the game are the challenges arising
from the field’s continuing growth and broadening span
of responsibility; the application of technology to opera-
tions and planning (some of which works, some of which
doesn’t); and the need for effective leadership. Then
there are the challenges and opportunities brought by
globalization and the need for creative sourcing as well
as providing education and professional development
opportunities for elevated performance.
Editor’s note: Long-time DCV contributor, supporter,
and friend Art van Bodegraven died on June 18, shortly
after this profile was prepared. But his voice has not been
stilled. He left behind many months’ worth of unpublished
blog posts, which DC VELOCITY will continue to run.
You can read them at http://blogs.dcvelocity.com/the_art_
of_art/.
Art van Bodegraven
