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Ruben Smits and Vetipak make an excellent team. After a successful traineeship, Ruben is staying on with our company. Soon, he’ll be taking on the role of customer support representative. But why do we go so well together? We asked Ruben himself.
Ruben, tell us: why Vetipak?
“I really love it here. Vetipak is quite a large company, but somehow it still has a family feel. You’re not a number here; you’re a person. For example, there’s the contact among colleagues. We don’t sit around emailing each other all day, we also often go over to someone else’s desk in person.”
Do you remember how it felt for you to start out at Vetipak?
“Sure. I came here for an internship in 2017. At the time, I was in the third year of my Technical Business Administration studies. I liked it so much here that I stayed on in a student job. One of the things I did then was to help improve the OpEx program, which is aimed at making smarter use of people and technology. Once I’d finished my studies, I came here to work.”
"I always had a Vetipak heart, even during my brief absence"
In the ensuing years, you also worked elsewhere for a while.
“That’s right. I worked in the metal industry for a time, until Vetipak called me to ask whether I wanted to come back. They were looking for an operator for the new facility in Ede. And well, I always had a Vetipak heart, even during my brief absence. I did have to go back to the basics as an operator, however, while I actually saw myself more as a team leader or manager.”
So why did you say yes?
“Because I had already noticed that Vetipak gives you the space to develop. Hard work is rewarded, and that gave me the courage to jump in at the deep end. And that worked out really well. After a year as an operator in Ede, both the company and I were keen for me to fulfill my potential as a team leader, and we chose a traineeship pathway.”
How does that feel?
“Great. I’ve gained a lot of experience as a team leader. Because the Ede plant was relatively small, I was already functioning as a sort of plant manager there. Quality, logistics, production – I was able to explore all of the various aspects, including when it came to taking responsibility and having the courage to make choices.”
"At first I thought: planning, that’s just doing the same thing every day, right? Well, I was totally wrong about that"
And what will the second part of your traineeship involve?
“I am currently team manager of Planning and Logistics at our Menhirweg site. It’s a great factory with dynamic work, so it suits me down to the ground! I really feel energized by working there. At first I thought: planning, that’s just doing the same thing every day, right? Well, I was totally wrong about that! Every day is different.”
What does your work as team manager entail?
“I have a number of responsibilities, including production line planning, materials management, deploying staff – all of these are part of my role. And if there’s a malfunction on one of the lines, I make sure there’s a backup line available that employees can transfer to temporarily.”
And after this, you’ll continue as a customer support representative?
“Exactly! At the end of July, I’ll be starting in my new role — and I’m really looking forward to it. I’ll be taking all the experience I’ve gained with me to our personal care location. I’m excited to continue working within the operations office, because that’s where I get the most energy. And what’s great is that one thing is certain: my future lies with Vetipak.”
