Today, Sascha Bloemhoff attended autoMEETive, the annual networking and knowledge event hosted by RAI Automotive Industry NL.
This year’s edition looked back at 2025 and ahead to 2026, with a strong focus on the future of the automotive industry in a rapidly changing world.
autoMEETive 2025 brought together leading speakers from industry and research, who shared their insights on mobility value chains, innovation and resilience in challenging times.
One of the standout contributions came from Joke Heijmans, Senior Director of Purchasing at DAF Trucks NV, offering a clear view of the developments shaping the global transport industry.
She highlighted several key trends that are reshaping global transport. These include a strong focus on uptime and total cost of ownership (TCO), increasing digitization and system integration, and the accelerating shift toward electrification within the broader energy transition. She also discussed the growing importance of servitization in business models as well as the pressing challenges created by the ongoing driver shortage.
A central message from her presentation was that speed in development and supply chain resilience are more critical than ever. She illustrated how a single missing component can halt the production of a full truck, showing just how interconnected and vulnerable supply chains have become. At the same time, the industry has become overly operational in recent years, reinforcing the need to restore long-term, strategic collaboration.
To support this evolution, DAF has established a comprehensive set of supplier programs. These programs cover supplier performance management and quality improvement, the application of Lean Six Sigma methodologies, and cost management partnerships. They also address key areas such as cybersecurity, technology-driven collaboration through global tech events, material cost excellence and supply chain sustainability. Together, these initiatives help strengthen both operational performance and long-term resilience.
Another important point from the presentation was the role of relationship management. DAF actively cultivates strong partnerships by hosting 8–10 supplier events worldwide each year, enabling global knowledge exchange and reinforcing collaboration across the entire chain.
The presentation offered valuable insights into how DAF embeds sustainability, innovation and continuous improvement into its purchasing and supply chain strategy — from emission reduction and circularity to responsible sourcing and a strong focus on people.
A warm thank you to RAI Automotive Industry NL for organizing autoMEETive 2025, and to Joke Heijmans and DAF Trucks for sharing their forward-looking vision with the community!
