July 3, 2026
As of this month, Willem Mulderij (55) has hung up his hat as a freelancer to embark on a new adventure: becoming a co-owner of the UC Group. Specifically, he will be leading a small team of driven professionals who carry out consultancy projects as logistics engineers.
This new role came about through a combination of circumstances. Mulderij explains: “I’ve had a good relationship with the UC Group founders, Pascal van Beek and Wilbert Stoutjesdijk, for a long time. Over the past ten years, they’ve built this company into what it is today: a partnership of fifty independent freelancers. A few years ago, they added UC Engineering, which consists of six young logistics professionals. They carry out projects independently, but they also support the fifty ‘partners’ who are part of the collective and jointly own the UC Group as a whole. What do they do? Primarily warehouse design, as well as greenfield and brownfield developments. They also have a fantastic tool for performing Activity Based Costing (ABC) for logistics service providers who want to get a grip on outsourcing contracts. I’m going to be leading that team.”
Mulderij has already had a taste of his new role over the past few months. He quickly noticed that the people on his team are cut from the same cloth as he is. “They aren’t just report writers. They are true professionals who focus on results and show real initiative. I also really appreciate the group’s youthful energy. These are professionals who are passionate about this field and love tangible work. They are people who know how to get things done together—they aren’t second-year students walking into a warehouse in awe anymore. Some have already gained experience elsewhere. They work partly with self-developed tools. They can model—much better than I can—and develop designs. That’s an attractive aspect of this new job for me, especially now that I’m a bit older myself. A team keeps you sharp. In the past, I’ve definitely missed having a good sparring partner.”
A major advantage for Mulderij is that this setup brings larger-scale projects within reach. Many projects revolve around digitalization, such as the application of AI. Mulderij realizes that it is difficult to keep up with every development. This is partly why he is now joining the UC Group as a partner—though not as one of the partners in the collective. He is becoming a co-owner of the UC Engineering division, alongside the two founders.
According to Mulderij, what is unique about this profession is the interplay between the technical side—executing a logistics improvement project—and the commercial side. “That is a truly unique process in our field. Sometimes you talk to someone and can start the very next week; other times, you follow a company for years until the question finally comes and you get to work out a proposal. That’s what I like about logistics. You can make the first part very concrete and calculate it, but the commercial aspects are just as decisive for the successful completion of a project.”
Since 2009, Mulderij has worked independently in logistics under the name Som4. Before that, he was also active as a sole trader in the sector. After his studies, Mulderij served in the Royal Marechaussee for fourteen years before moving to Lekkerland, where he handled various projects in both warehousing and distribution. He then moved to logistics service provider Kees Becker Logistiek, which was later acquired by Bakker Logistiek in Zeewolde—the company that was recently taken over by the French Stef Group.
In addition, Mulderij has been actively involved with the HEAO in Arnhem for years, where he occasionally steps in as a substitute teacher on a zero-hours contract. He wants to maintain his connection to education and the training of young people, which also fits well with his new position. “But besides that, I just find it way too much fun.”
There are certainly ambitions to grow UC Engineering further. Mulderij estimates that a tripling in size should be possible in the long term. The goal for now is to add one new engineer every quarter. He believes the convergence of both networks offers enormous opportunities.
“Companies are increasingly realizing that the supply chain is crucial to their growth. As a result, budgets are being freed up for things like digitalization projects. There is a lot of interest in taking control of the supply chain, alongside making processes more sustainable. But implementation often proves very difficult. There is some hesitation in the market right now, but on the other hand, we are still receiving new inquiries. I don’t think we’ve reached the ceiling; as I see it, there isn’t a new crisis coming for supply chain projects. But even then, the unique thing about logistics is that whether it’s a pandemic or a credit crunch, it always brings new challenges in other areas.”
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