Not a fear, but an opportunity!

Fred van Liere - Sales Manager Netherlands at Novy Netherlands

I find the kitchen industry a very enjoyable industry to work in. So I really enjoyed it when I was asked for The Pen in this edition of Kitchen Construction! 

A characteristic of our industry is that it is friendly and open. I also see that changes are gradual and that the industry in general is often a bit conservative. Fine in itself, but when the world around you changes, you have to keep up! Take social media: it's impossible to imagine life without it, and fortunately most kitchen entrepreneurs have picked up on it. But there are more technological developments, such as AI and ChatGPT, where I notice that not everyone is catching on. 

How so? Many entrepreneurs find that more and more is expected of them in addition to the required kitchen knowledge. As a result, they do what needs to be done, but not much else. Mainly out of fear of the unknown. On the one hand understandable, on the other hand I think: see it as an opportunity. As a tool with which you can do business more efficiently, gain insight into information and even save time. And this need not be at the expense of the goal, because that goal and the creative and personal contribution to it remain the same.

An example that many will recognize: if you were going from A to B, you used to look at the road map in advance, plot out your route, follow signs with the place names you looked up in advance, and use your street book to eventually arrive at the correct address. Nowadays, you enter your final destination in your navigation system. A tool that took some getting used to, but that we now wouldn't (or couldn't?!) want to do without.

Emotionally, then, we should not be afraid and sometimes be a little more daring. And we can do that by approaching it more rationally: what are these new technologies anyway? How can it help me? 

What (small) steps can I take in this? Who or what do I need to do this? Can we sometimes do it together? And if you know that, you can slowly integrate it into your daily activities and you will see that it can support you enormously. I am sure there are many opportunities to further utilize data such as consumer information. For example, AI can help process and analyze the data already collected. It even produces forecasts that allow you to approach your target group with much greater efficiency. Without losing sight of feeling, which is an important compass in our industry. Looking at myself, I am especially glad that I no longer have to make a plan based on my Excel list. Hugely time-consuming. It can be so much easier. I see the tools that are available as my digital assistant, which I do not rely on blindly, but which I use as a tool with predictive value. So I would like to advise everyone: don't avoid innovations, because you will miss opportunities. And a trading nation like the Netherlands can be expected to seize new opportunities. Right!