'Listening better to the team makes my job even more fun'
Becoming a father while doing a master's degree and being a team leader in the supermarket for 30 hours a week. Perseverance is something Bart Zweerman knows. But he did not yet know what stress does to you. During his NextGen adventure he got his Green Belt and learned to deal with his talents and pitfalls. At Trivium Packaging, under the guidance of Frank Kraaijenzank, he puts this self-knowledge into practice. And with success. Because soon he will enter permanent employment: 'Time flies by here. I'm really enjoying it.'
After studying Tech Management and Supply Chain in Groningen, Bart was approached by our recruiter on LinkedIn. Whether he was interested in the position of Interim Improvement Consultant. 'I actually didn't even know if I wanted to pursue supply chain. But different positions, looking around at companies, a personal development plan and getting your Green Belt, that seemed like something I wanted. After working as an Interim Supply Chain Planner through NextGen for a few months, I already knew for sure - that role is not for me. Too much laptop, too little shop floor. And then Trivium came my way.
An analytical and social role
Frank is Finance & Transformation manager at packaging manufacturer Trivium and also temporarily responsible for Bart's department. He remembers seeing Bart's CV: "We were looking for smart, analytical people. I found Bart's CV interesting because of his practical experience - it told me that he must be good with people in the workplace. So come on in for an interview!
And so it happened, and Bart became Interim Process Engineer on the production line for lids: less planning behind the computer, more process optimization on the shop floor and talking to the operators on the production line. Frank: 'We can analyze everything in the office, but the people on the line know how things really go. In a role like Bart, the continuous link with people on the line is your strength. You have to be social, approach people and start the conversation; how are things going here?'
From interim to permanent employment
In any case, Bart is doing very well at Trivium: "I have many opportunities for growth, the confidence they exude is nice, and then it is also a 10-minute bike ride around the corner for me. I learn a lot here every day. Every week flies by, I really enjoy it.' For Frank, it was always important to be able to hire Bart quickly: 'I want to have the option to move on and we were able to take over Bart after 1.5 years - and that's about to happen. If I could hire a second Bart, I would! By the way, there are already 3 good candidates running around here through NextGen at different positions.'
From 2.36% to 1.37% wastage
With Bart's Green Belt experience from the NextGen track, he is now setting up other projects: "My Green Belt project was about scum. These are lids that the camera on the line recognizes as 'no good' and they get shot off the belt. Discarded, in other words. How can we reduce scum? Is the inspection equipment adjusted too strictly? Is something else going wrong? Through research and optimization, I was able to work with the team to reduce scum from one line from 2.36% to 1.37%. This is a significant savings, yielding more than the cost to Bart in this six-month period. And that's just one line!
Frank: 'One of the nicest things Bart and I have done over the past six months is to make people on the shop floor aware of the value of such a percent: how many euros is 0.1% on the line where you stand every day? It is very valuable to start those conversations and to find that operators now know by heart what less waste in their part of the process means for our company on an annual basis.'
From interim to permanent employment
In any case, Bart is doing very well at Trivium: "I have many opportunities for growth, the confidence they exude is nice, and then it is also a 10-minute bike ride around the corner for me. I learn a lot here every day. Every week flies by, I really enjoy it.' For Frank, it was always important to be able to hire Bart quickly: 'I want to have the option to move on and we were able to take over Bart after 1.5 years - and that's about to happen. If I could hire a second Bart, I would! By the way, there are already 3 good candidates running around here through NextGen at different positions.'
From 2.36% to 1.37% wastage
With Bart's Green Belt experience from the NextGen track, he is now setting up other projects: "My Green Belt project was about scum. These are lids that the camera on the line recognizes as 'no good' and they get shot off the belt. Discarded, in other words. How can we reduce scum? Is the inspection equipment adjusted too strictly? Is something else going wrong? Through research and optimization, I was able to work with the team to reduce scum from one line from 2.36% to 1.37%. This is a significant savings, yielding more than the cost to Bart in this six-month period. And that's just one line!
Frank: 'One of the nicest things Bart and I have done over the past six months is to make people on the shop floor aware of the value of such a percent: how many euros is 0.1% on the line where you stand every day? It is very valuable to start those conversations and to find that operators now know by heart what less waste in their part of the process means for our company on an annual basis.'
A little less perseverance is allowed
The end of Bart's trajectory at NextGen may be in sight - but he hasn't finished learning. Together with Talent Coach Renske he has drawn up personal goals for the coming months: 'I may learn to let go of my focus now and then. I'm a go-getter who can hold on tight, but that's not always healthy and also causes stress. Being aware of that is actually already a big step. I'm doing well at work and at home with my girlfriend and daughter. So why am I still so busy? Renske really helped me with that.'
Another important lesson Bart takes away is about empathy versus persuasion: "I'm very good at convincing people and giving them direction, but in doing so I can also come across as too directive. Whereas - sometimes you have to stand in someone's footsteps and listen first. That actually makes the work even more fun and educational. Because the people I care about work on the line every day. They know best. I need their feedback to make good decisions about process.'
'Listening better to the team makes my job even more fun'
Becoming a father while doing a master's degree and being a team leader in the supermarket for 30 hours a week. Perseverance is something Bart Zweerman knows. But he did not yet know what stress does to you. During his NextGen adventure he got his Green Belt and learned to deal with his talents and pitfalls. At Trivium Packaging, under the guidance of Frank Kraaijenzank, he puts this self-knowledge into practice. And with success. Because soon he will enter permanent employment: 'Time flies by here. I'm really enjoying it.'
After studying Tech Management and Supply Chain in Groningen, Bart was approached by our recruiter on LinkedIn. Whether he was interested in the position of Interim Improvement Consultant. 'I actually didn't even know if I wanted to pursue supply chain. But different positions, looking around at companies, a personal development plan and getting your Green Belt, that seemed like something I wanted. After working as an Interim Supply Chain Planner through NextGen for a few months, I already knew for sure - that role is not for me. Too much laptop, too little shop floor. And then Trivium came my way.
An analytical and social role
Frank is Finance & Transformation manager at packaging manufacturer Trivium and also temporarily responsible for Bart's department. He remembers seeing Bart's CV: "We were looking for smart, analytical people. I found Bart's CV interesting because of his practical experience - it told me that he must be good with people in the workplace. So come on in for an interview!
And so it happened, and Bart became Interim Process Engineer on the production line for lids: less planning behind the computer, more process optimization on the shop floor and talking to the operators on the production line. Frank: 'We can analyze everything in the office, but the people on the line know how things really go. In a role like Bart, the continuous link with people on the line is your strength. You have to be social, approach people and start the conversation; how are things going here?'
From interim to permanent employment
In any case, Bart is doing very well at Trivium: "I have many opportunities for growth, the confidence they exude is nice, and then it is also a 10-minute bike ride around the corner for me. I learn a lot here every day. Every week flies by, I really enjoy it.' For Frank, it was always important to be able to hire Bart quickly: 'I want to have the option to move on and we were able to take over Bart after 1.5 years - and that's about to happen. If I could hire a second Bart, I would! By the way, there are already 3 good candidates running around here through NextGen at different positions.'
From 2.36% to 1.37% wastage
With Bart's Green Belt experience from the NextGen track, he is now setting up other projects: "My Green Belt project was about scum. These are lids that the camera on the line recognizes as 'no good' and they get shot off the belt. Discarded, in other words. How can we reduce scum? Is the inspection equipment adjusted too strictly? Is something else going wrong? Through research and optimization, I was able to work with the team to reduce scum from one line from 2.36% to 1.37%. This is a significant savings, yielding more than the cost to Bart in this six-month period. And that's just one line!
Frank: 'One of the nicest things Bart and I have done over the past six months is to make people on the shop floor aware of the value of such a percent: how many euros is 0.1% on the line where you stand every day? It is very valuable to start those conversations and to find that operators now know by heart what less waste in their part of the process means for our company on an annual basis.'
From 2.36% to 1.37% wastage
A little less perseverance is allowed
The end of Bart's trajectory at NextGen may be in sight - but he hasn't finished learning. Together with Talent Coach Renske he has drawn up personal goals for the coming months: 'I may learn to let go of my focus now and then. I'm a go-getter who can hold on tight, but that's not always healthy and also causes stress. Being aware of that is actually already a big step. I'm doing well at work and at home with my girlfriend and daughter. So why am I still so busy? Renske really helped me with that.'
Another important lesson Bart takes away is about empathy versus persuasion: "I'm very good at convincing people and giving them direction, but in doing so I can also come across as too directive. Whereas - sometimes you have to stand in someone's footsteps and listen first. That actually makes the work even more fun and educational. Because the people I care about work on the line every day. They know best. I need their feedback to make good decisions about process.'
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