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Vetipak Veghel recently moved to a brand new production plant just three hundred meters away. Despite the proximity, it is a completely different world for plant manager Nadine van Helvoort and her team. It’s larger, more modern and much more pleasant. “This is Vetico’s new flagship,” says Nadine.
So tell us why we can be so proud of this.
“The new plant illustrates that we have progressed in every way. Just take the production facilities, for example: they have high ceilings and ample light, which makes it nice to work here. And we use the best technologies in our work. The mechanics are already saying that our two new centerpiece lines are the Rolls Royce of our machines.”
Why is that?
“These high-quality lines provide improved stability and greater volume. For example, we used to fill 45 boxes per minute with 11 employees on the old lines. On the new one, we can now fill 80 boxes with only three colleagues. And that’s just one example of all the improvements to our production. Another is a grid that we have also installed at height, providing compressed air and electricity. This makes it easy for us to shift our 17 lines around, vastly increasing our flexibility.”
What else is special about the plant?
“The entire production process takes place on the same floor rather than also on a mezzanine level, for example. This ensures efficient logistics, and we will be able to further automate this in the future with automated guided vehicles (AGVs). We also have a lot of docks by Vetico standards, which means it’s easier for us to send out full trucks for the major markets in Europe. That includes Germany, England and France.”
Has similar progress been made in the cafeteria and the office?
“Definitely! The cafeteria is modern, bright and equipped with new furniture, and the office also has a fresh look and ergonomic sit-stand desks. In other words, it’s a healthy work environment. The employees of our client, a well-known chocolate manufacturer in the same town, have even said that they would like to work here themselves, and for good reason. There is also a special area for our packaging technologists, where they can plot, draw and work on the latest developments in packaging.”
A satisfied customer, then?
“Yes, and that’s easy to see in every aspect. For example, we celebrate great moments together, such as when we got the first line running again, and the very first packaging was produced in the new plant. They’re also very pleased with the move – they were perhaps even more nervous about it than we were! They’d actually never previously experienced such a flawless transition with a co-packer.”
The thorough preparation
paid off very well
paid off very well
What was your experience of the move?
“I expected the move would be much more hectic, but the thorough preparation paid off very well. At Vetico, we’re always looking out for improvements we can make, but none were necessary. We only encountered a few final details to attend to once the lines started running again.”
All that in just four months…
“I’m proud of what we’ve achieved: we’ve transformed this from an immense, empty hall into a beautiful production plant. And I’m also very happy about how we accomplished this as a team. Everything really went extremely well. Of course, there were occasional discussions, but they never became heated. Everyone can reflect on the process with satisfaction.”
The next “celebratory moment” is Family Day. What do you have planned?
“On that day, we will be opening the doors to all of our colleagues plus their parents, children, siblings, and grandparents. Everyone will be able to see a production facility that suits today’s Vetico: professional, innovative and flexible. The new plant symbolizes the growth we are experiencing. And I’m sure this is just a taste of the great things to come!”
