Aalmans Article
Cambridge Consultant Brings High Tech Help to Deliver the Goods
After a decade of consulting in research and product development, Cambridge-based consultant Luc Aalmans, knows a good thing when he sees it. That’s why he started his own business a year and a half ago, to bring a European innovation in commercial bakery distribution systems to the United States. Aalmans, a native of the Netherlands, established AmDutch Distributions Products, LLC to install systems in U.S. bakeries which are already being used by over 75% of industrial bakeries in Belgium, The Netherlands, and Germany, and in bakeries in the United Kingdom, Scandinavia, and South America. The system, conceived by a former schoolmate of Aalmans in the Netherlands, consists of specialized software that controls a network of visual displays installed in the distribution facility. By tracking production of product and matching it to customer orders, the system allows clients to speed up the dispatching process and improve order accuracy and stock accountability.
“The advantage of this system,” says Aalmans, “is that it replaces the inefficient and complicated paper-based hand tracking of bakery orders. It offers real-time information that can be used to respond quickly to order changes or to weather emergencies.” As products come off the line, they are immediately delivered to specified locations in the warehouse that facilitate loading on trucks. The system supports the delivery of the freshest possible product because bakeries don’t have to wait for the various products on order to be finished before starting the distribution process.
As Aalmans sets out to crack the U.S. market for this globally-proven system, he also knows that running his own business requires much more than a strong product coupled with high quality service. In fact, he realized, that what he needed was a better grasp of some of the small business basics that would help him implement measures for planning and control. “I needed a better system for keeping track of expenses and income—for categorizing transactions,” explains Aalmans. “So I bought QuickBooks. But once I got it out of the box, I realized that I needed to know more about accounting before I could use it.”
That’s what brought him to the Cambridge Business Development Center (CBDC), a nonprofit organization offering a range of programs to help businesses remain competitive in a fast-changing operating environment. Aalmans has just completed CBDC’s eight-week course, Managing Your Numbers I. Taught by Suffolk University professor Jane Morton, the class focuses on fundamental accounting concepts and covers the core financial reports that define the position of any business. “It gave me exactly what I wanted,” remarks Aalmans, “It provided the foundation for me to move on and take responsibility for the operation of my business. I had been working with an accountant all along, but now I’m more aware. I can check the reports and identify problem areas.”
Jeanne Strain, executive director of CBDC, confirms Aalmans’ sound instincts in seeking help at this level. “Each time we offer the class, we see a range of business people who are good at their work, but who are also wise enough to know they need more to succeed over the long term. We stay in close contact with course participants to make sure that CBDC programs stay in sync with the developmental phases of these business people.”
“In fact, that’s why we developed Managing Your Numbers II,” explains instructor Jane Morton. “The first course enables people to appreciate the clarity of accounting practice. The next step is for them to learn to use accounting as a tool for planning and control.”
Aalmans agrees that he’s ready to delve deeper with the help of CBDC. “What I liked about her approach,” he says of Morton, “is that she listens well and explains the subject matter in different ways to accommodate everyone’s learning style.” Morton worked with each person in the class of eight, Aalmans noted, to define typical transactions within each area of specialization. He sees the parallels between Morton’s personalized application of accounting principles and his own efforts to help commercial bakeries adopt a more productive system of work.
“The most important thing I’ve learned in starting my business”, he emphasizes, is that we should use the help that’s available to us, and that we should not be afraid to ask around to find the information and services we need.”