NEDCONNECT_Winter2021_EN

magazine

WINTER 2021

THE FINAL CHAPTER

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PROJECT SIEMENS - HENKEL NEW PHOTOS, VIDEO’S AND LAYOUT

UPDATE CAREERS WEBSITE A CHAT FROM TALENT TO TALENT(S)

KAS & LYJAIRO INTERVIEW DEVIN HAEN

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CONTENTS I PASS THE PEN TO

RENATA PINEDO

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DIGITALIZATION OF OUR

WAREHOUSES IN PARDUBICE

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COOKING WITH DAN MIDDENDORF

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

HOW ARE THINGS NOW WITH...

RENÉ TER BEEST

COLUMN BY

KASPER VRIJBLOED

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COLOPHON EDITORIAL TEAM

THE HOBBY OF HENK WELLEWEERD

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PRODUCTDEVELOPMENT: SHELVING

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THE HOBBY OF MIROSLAV DOBRÝ

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Gerard Kant Rob van Lier William Krabbenborg Kristian van Petersen Volker Müller Kasper Vrijbloed Willem Schreurs Daniela Mach Lori Goodwin Amber Hengevelt

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF SEYHAN YALCIN

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DESIGN

AND FURTHERMORE...

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF JIŘÍ RAAB 36 HAVE YOU HEARD ABOUT IT YET?

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loek & feel

PRINTING HOUSE Drukkerij Westerlaan

PREFACE

DEAR COLLEAGUES, December, the festive month, is here again: time for a new magazine! Last time I wrote that time flies by and I expressed the hope that society will be opened again in 2021. Well that has happened to some extent, however, as I write this, our Prime Minister has announced the umpteenth lock down and a new virus mutation is looming. In short; it looks like we’re going to be busy for a while yet. What that means in the longer term for our society can only be guessed of course, but as far as our company is concerned, the glass is half full and we will make the best of it! So far this has worked out quite well thanks to everyone’s efforts!

We notice that it is busy; this situation is not only ­related to project successes, but also to the ­dynamics surrounding customers, raw material prices, special situations and personnel changes. ­Managing strong and partly unexpected growth is simply not easy. It is important to continue to organize and professionalize us step by step. In addition, we have the luxury of being able to make choices about which projects we should and shouldn’t take on. Fortunately, our investments in capacity expansion are going well. In that context: see also the article about the new shelving line!

For the time being, it doesn’t seem to really stop economic growth either, and certainly not in a few market segments where NEDCON is present. ­E-commerce is booming and we are now also seeing an increase in the number of larger projects in Europe. In Europe we do have to deal with more competition and in a general sense we sometimes see projects shifting. The latter is not always a bad thing because it can give our internal organization a little more ‘’peace of mind’’ if fewer large projects are being carried out at the same time. In any case, our expectations for the turnover of the next ­business year are as good as ever.

The great thing about the coming Christmas p ­ eriod is that almost the entire world has to step aside and can thus celebrate Christmas and New Years.

A period to relax, read our beautiful magazine, put things into perspective and pay attention to family and friends.

I wish everyone a fantastic Christmas and a super happy 2022!

Yours sincerely, Hans Jacobs

PREFACE

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NATIONAL SALES MANAGER USA

RENATA PINEDO What is your favorite music / artist?

I love Spanish Rock. One of my favorite artists is Natalia Lafourcade, I recommend the song “Tu Si Sabes Quererme”.

What are your hobbies?

I love to read novels, my favorites are historical fiction. I also love puzzles, playing golf, pilates, and I am constantly traveling.

What can we wake you up for at night?

Probably nothing. I am the best sleeper!

Whom would you like to eat breakfast with once?

By Kristian van Petersen

Do you have a motto that you would like to share with your colleagues?

Where are you born?

Tijuana, Mexico.

How is your family situation?

I live with my husband, Nathaniel, in Washington DC. I also have two sisters who I am very close with, one lives in New York City and the other in Merida, MX. My father lives in Tijuana, MX. So I travel a lot to see them all as often as I can.

What is your best quality?

I am a positive thinker - Whenever things do not go as I planned, or I am in a bad situation, I always think, “at least this will be a great/interesting story later!”.

This attitude has always helped me in work and in life.

What is your worst quality?

I’m a bit of a procrastinator. For example: I am writing this the day it is due.

What is your favorite food?

Grilled Octopus or Oysters. I love seafood.

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My mom passed away in March this year. Her breakfasts were famously delicious. I would give anything to chat with her over breakfast one more time, drinking Mimosas and enjoying her amazing “Picaditas” (Mexican specialty).

WINTER 2021

“Be Kind. Work Hard. Stay Humble. Smile Often. Stay Loyal. Travel when possible. Never stop learning. Be Thankful always and Love.” I saw that on a picture once and I try not to forget it. It is how I want to live my life.

I PASS THE PEN TO…

Which dream would you most like to see come true?

I definitely would love to win the lottery! Growing up my parents had a lottery ticket business and I would always be there helping them at the shop. Now I buy lottery tickets on holidays or birthdays and it makes me think of them when we live so far away from each other. Would be amazing if I got lucky one day. Then you will find me on a catamaran somewhere in the Mediterranean!

What do you like to do in the weekend?

On Friday I usually stay at home with my husband, we will order food and watch a show or a movie and just be lazy. For Saturday and Sunday I like to be active. I will usually go for a hike somewhere outside DC, or take a long walk in the city to explore new neighborhoods. There are always fairs or art events going on in DC on the weekends so there is a lot to explore. In the evenings I will make time to meet up with friends and usually go to dinner or a bar.

What news in the past six months has most impressed you?

I think news related to COP26. I do think there is so much more we can and should be doing to slow down climate warming. It is

scary to think that some countries are not prioritizing large scale measures which could actually make an impact.

What is your favorite holiday destination or activity?

I have loved many destinations.

Some of my favorites have been Japan, Turkey, Mexico, and anywhere on the Mediterranean. My favorite activity on holiday is eating out and trying new foods and good restaurants. I will always go on holiday prepared with information on where to eat and what to try next.

You are going to move to England and continue to work for NEDCON there. Can you tell us more about it?

In England I will take on the role of Business Development Manager UK. I will have Account Manager responsibilities, working closely with Team Europe. I will be doing a market research to evaluate market opportunities specific to the UK as well as visiting new/potential customers, and devising a business plan to better approach that market.

What are you most looking forward to when living in England?

I am looking forward to traveling and exploring the UK further with

my husband. Workwise, I am excited to take on different responsibilities and challenges and have the opportunity to get to know better my colleagues in Holland.

What will you miss most about the United States?

I will miss how close the US is to Mexico and also my house in DC (but I hope I have some nice renters!)

Which employers did you work for before NEDCON and what positions did you have there?

Before NEDCON I worked with voestalpine Automotive Components Aguascalientes. I held the position of Deputy Director. I was in charge of helping to open the new automotive plant in Mexico doing everything from creating the company legal entity, creating the HR strategy for the new plant from hiring to training plans, coordinating the transfer of all machines and equipment for the new facility from Germany to Mexico, managing CAPEX and currency risk of new investments, and setting up and rolling out all the systems and guidelines that are necessary when creating a new company. It was a proud moment when the facility finally inaugurated and was successfully delivering parts.

I PASS THE PEN TO RENATA PINEDO

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The question asked by Wout Smans…

You have experience in several voestalpine companies; what would you like to introduce from other voest’ companies to NEDCON, and what from NEDCON to others?

I did like that there is a lot of information and resource exchange between other voest companies.

For example, when I was setting up a structure for a new company in Mexico I got training plan ideas from a voest company in South Africa, legal advice

How did your first working day at NEDCON look like?

I don’t remember my first working day but I do remember the day I interviewed at NEDCON. I had to take the train from Dusseldorf to Doetinchem because there were no automatic cars for rent. When I arrived at the train station there was only one taxi driver available and he refused to take me to NEDCON. He said it was too close and I should walk. Small detail: I was wearing heels and there was snow on the ground. I ended up walking all the way to NEDCON in my heels in the snow. I was a little tired and soaking wet even before the interview began! Fortunately, everything went uphill from there and I was happy to join the team!

What is your biggest challenge within NEDCON so far?

I think my greatest challenges are yet to come. I am looking forward to my new role in the UK and hope that I am able to make it a success.

What is the greatest challenge in your work nowadays?

In the day to day work then I would say the greatest challenge is managing customer expecta-

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from a voest company in Mexico, process improvement ideas from Germany, and product sourcing advice from US. In terms of things that other voest companies can learn from NEDCON, I think NEDCON does a great job at training new employees. When I started I remember I had such an organized and elaborate training with so many colleagues, it made starting to work at NEDCON much easier!

tions regarding delivery dates or general due dates. Ensuring that even when schedules are longer than the customer wanted, that NEDCON is still in the running to win the project.

automation solution providers who are becoming strong players in the market with innovative and flexible solutions, it would be great if NEDCON found a way to be part of this new innovation.

On which achievement form yourself or NEDCON are you most proud?

What will NEDCON look like in 5 years? What is the biggest change you predict?

I’m proud to work in a company that keeps exceeding targets year on year and shows such promise for growth. It is evidence of the talented teams we have across all department who make it all possible.

In 5 years I think the biggest changes will happen in the US office. It would be great if we continued to grow the team and our capabilities there, maybe even some production? I am excited to see this growth and hopefully be a part of it.

What other position within NEDCON would you like to fulfill for a week?

I would like to be a Business Unit Manager for a week. I love to work on more strategic topics that guide the overall business and I also enjoy people management and team building.

If you were managing director of NEDCON for a day what would you do or change?

I would increase focus on establishing partnerships or collaborations with emerging automation suppliers. There are a lot of new

WINTER 2021

I pass the pen to…

Jessica Köppel.

And I want to ask her the following…

What is your favorite memory from working at NEDCON? ■

JUBILEES RECEPTION

JUBILEES RECEPTION

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PROJECT SIEMENS - HENKEL

THE FINAL CHAPTER

In the past 1,5 years we have regularly updated everyone within NEDCON via the Intranet on the Siemens-Henkel project, built in Bowling Green (KY). Now, the installation of the project is coming to an end after years of intensive team work. We go throughout NEDCON to highlight the project from all sides. From sales to engineering and from production to installation. Let’s bring you the final chapter!

By Martin Spa (Project Manager) | Photos by Lori Goodwin (Office Manager & Purchaser)

‘’This article is about the largest – unpainted - warehouse ever built

by NEDCON, with an extremely high repetition factor. With a very positive project outcome for all parties involved - not to mention our customer Siemens and end customer Henkel. If you get and have the time to really implement developments, if you work together with energetic people who all believe in each other and pursue the same project goal, then you can achieve these kinds of results,’’ according to Martin.

Knowledge is power End of Summer 2017, Siemens in Vienna informed NEDCON that we were awarded to execute their biggest project ever for a well-known high-end customer in Kentucky, USA. ‘’Since Siemens and NEDCON are long-term partners with a long history of successfully completed projects, we were excited about this opportunity,’’ Jerry Lauers (BU Manager XL) tells. ‘’During the pre-phase of the project, we started to gather the relevant project information. On the Technical part, Edwin Rauwerdink

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(Sales Engineer) started with the quotation process.’’

Edwin: ‘’Quite soon after receiving the request, Jerry and I visited Siemens in Vienna and there we also met the end user. It was immediately clear to me that technically not much had been coordinated yet, but that also offers opportunities to use our knowledge.

A very important starting point was to create as many pallet positions as possible and we were already given a target price. The next step was to visit Henkel in the USA to further discuss the plans.’’ ‘’In the beginning, no drawings were available. I made my own proposal to fill the immense building with Henkel products in the best possible way,’’ Edwin explains. ‘’We did a bit of the role as system partner ourselves for Siemens. Ultimately, this also helped us to become successful.’’

After the necessary discussions with Siemens and Siba (the shuttle/trolly supplier), the team achieved a design that fulfilled the expectations.

WINTER 2021

2 years 2 complete After the technical scope became clear the sales team, consisting of Jerry and Rick Huiskamp (previous BU Manager XL), estimated the potential impact this project might have on the organization.

It became clear that, at that time, this project could be the biggest project in NEDCON’s history!

Edwin, Jerry and Rick had various meetings with the Siemens project teams. Due to the size and specific requirements for this project, this became a real team effort.

Ultimately, the entire sales and alignment process took more than 2 years to complete. All in all, a complex process with many moments of negotiation. ­Martin: ‘’An important fact was that the customer had confidence in the solution offered and that we showed in our Test Department that it would work. In hindsight a good move, and they had not seen this with any of our competitors. In the end this was a nice cooperation between the different departments within NEDCON and suppliers of Siemens.’’

HIGHLIGHTED PROJECT

Contractual structures

in the Netherlands and USA, it became necessary to think about the contractual structure for the project’’, Jessica Köppel (Company Lawyer) explains. ‘’Jerry, Martin and I discussed these topics together with the Siemens team in Austria and the USA, and together we achieved a fair commitment for all parties involved. The contract documents were signed by our Managing Directors in November 2019.’’

Op 4 juli 2019 (de dag van het 50-jarig jubileum van NEDCON) hoorde het team eindelijk het nieuws dat Siemens NEDCON had gekozen als partner voor het ­project! Nu was het tijd om te beginnen On 4th July 2019 (the day of NEDCON’s 50th anniversary), the team finally heard the news that Siemens chose NEDCON as preferred racking partner for the project! Now, it was time to start with the “fine-tuning” within NEDCON’s different departments.

Measuring challenges

‘’Due to the involvement of Siemens Austria and USA, and NEDCON

The detailed design phase started after the pre-kick-off that took place on 17 July 2019. Wouter Wisman

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(Technical Project Manager): “During the design phase, we visited Vienna several times to discuss and prepare the entire system with all parties involved. There were also two meetings in the USA to get a good picture of everything on location.”

Because the building was filled with pallets, the column positions could not be measured in a normal way. ’’By means of a 3D measurement, we were able to correctly position the warehouse with a total of 200,000 pallet locations in the building and we were able to ensure that all pallet movements could

SIEMENS - HENKEL: THE FINAL CHAPTER

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take place without any problems,” Wouter said.

A new chapter of fatigue failure The shuttle rail used at Henkel, is a component that is prone to fatigue: A heavy shuttle drives over a thin profile over and over again.

In projects this rail can cover spans up to two meters and carry loads up to 1200kg. When a warehouse is operational for 15 years the shuttle may pass a certain point several hundred thousand times. In other words: Fatigue needs to be considered. ‘’Normally we would never sell a system in which cracks can appear during the lifetime of the warehouse,’’ Jan-Willem Frederiks (Manager Design Principles) tells. ‘’However, in 2018 NEDCON was confronted with a completely new chapter in fatigue failure. What kind of cracks are acceptable with respect to safe operation and functionality? And for how long?’’

Jan-Willem: ‘’Siemens kindly ­requested us to put a thinner rail in the quotation than we would ­normally do (from 4mm to 2,5mm).

Because the number of cycles were low, Siemens indicated they would also accept small cracks, as long as the structural stability is not compromised, and the cracks are not visible in the first ten years.

This was entirely new for us and we could not do that without knowing 100% sure that it would be safe, not only now but also 15 years later. Therefore, we started testing, mid-2018, on our unique pallet-shuttle test setup. Today, half a million cycles and a 1,5mm thinner rail further than in the quotation, the installation is almost completed, and the design approach and solution becomes part of the NEDCON standard.’’

Frightening sizes Frantisek Rysanek (Purchaser): ‘’What to remember to say about project Henkel in terms of

purchasing? At first, we were a little bit afraid for the size of the project.

Till that time, it was the biggest single project we did in NEDCON.’’ ‘’I remember two parts. The first is the specially for this project designed beam console, with a total of more than 388.000 pieces. The other one is the entry guide. The production of consoles was made by our supplier Zámečnictví Řivnáč.

The console was made from a steel coil via stamping tooling (flatten shape) and bending took place on separate bending tooling. This is the best cost-effective model for console production. The biggest challenge was sticking to the delivering schedule for feeding of our robotic welding line for console beams.’’ ‘’Another interesting part was the entry guide,’’ Frantisek tells. ‘’The flatten shape was burned on a laser and the special bending was made on project tooling for press

Some basic Shipping data by Martin Franek (Transport Coordinator) and Jiri Sitar (Manager Shipping) • Approximately 5000 tons of material were shipped from Pardubice • A total of 308 shipments took place • 302 containers were loaded • 6 airfreights took place, with a total of 7,6 tons of steel

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• As well, a number of direct deliveries from USA • 175 shipments with rails from Canada • It took a total of approximately 18 months

HIGHLIGHTED PROJECT

brake. But not only the shape of the part was so easy. The steel grade was S420MC, which is structural steel used as well for our beam connectors. The issue was that the steel grade is not so common on the steel market and that it is very rare in metal sheets (use for the laser cutting of flatten shape).

But that issue was solved by close cooperation with Martin Spa and Wouter Wisman. We did pre-info request before project release and our long-term supplier Kovop was able to reserve and order those special metal sheets for this part.’’

Pushing production to its limits ‘’Although the production process of parts for Henkel started in Pardubice in March 2020, the preparations started already in 2018,’’ Milan Barton (Manager Manufacturing) tells. ‘’The scale of the project brought inevitably many questions right in the very beginning and of course, some answers were hard to give. For example, we tried to simulate capacity utilization of the welding workplace and consider scenario that we won´t be able to cover all requirements. We knew that more projects with console beams may be running at the same time and that the outsourcing of this component is from quality point of view very tricky. For several reasons it was not possible to start massive pre-welding to create big safety buffer and so

very soon we got under enormous pressure demanding cooperation of many departments across NEDCON. Thanks to installation of the additional welding robot, extra shifts, operators who sacrificed their break, hand welding and even adjustments of delivery/installation plans, we managed it.’’

Until February 2021, our production facility welded approximately 96.000 beams with consoles. Jan Rysavy (Manager Production): ‘’Not everything went as expected, but considering we had to cope with 29 variants of beams and no claims on quality, we did a very good job. ‘’Sure, we had doubts about sending the material overseas uncoated, but it turned out it worked.’’

Start of installation in a new world Site Supervisor Lukasz Jaszak started the installation on the Henkel site. ‘’Siemens-Henkel is a great project with lots of challenges.

The start of the project in the new world called Covid was something new for all us. New safety measures had to be implemented, sometimes from week to week.’’ ‘’There was a huge amount of containers that had to be unloaded’’, Lukasz tells. ‘’Materials had to be moved in the beginning over great distances due to the size of the building, and also space reduced

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when we were approaching the final part of our installation. Safety rules were changing many times due to the external safety company that was never before involved in rack constructions. Even the weather in South Kentucky during summertime could be very difficult. We worked in an old and not very well isolated building. We had temperatures till 34°C with 90% humidity!’’

As the project installation gets closer to the finish line, Robert Szostak takes over as Site Supervisor: ‘’With great effort of the entire team and with help of other people involved in installation like Jeroen Snelders, Frank De Vries, Dennis Schut, Boris Veldin, Francisco Cardona and David Zaleta, and not to forget Ruben Voskamp (Installation Manager), we were able to deliver a fantastic product.’’

On to the next one!

Martin: ‘’After an extensive and exciting period, from start of the project in 2017 to finish in 2021, we are glad that we can hand over the solution to Siemens and Henkel. As a team, we succeeded to reach the client’s goal and we showed what we as NEDCON are capable of.

We are looking forward to another challenging project together with Siemens! ■

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DIGITALIZATION OF WAREHOUSES IN PARDUBICE

By Jiří Raab

Year 2019 NEDCON shipping warehouse in Pardubice. The truck is being loaded. A forklift truck driver picks up a loading list at the office and goes to search for material in the warehouse. He ticks the individual pallets step by step of the list and calculates what else should be loaded. When the truck is full, he collects material labels from each pallet and calculates it against loading list in the office.

Year 2020 Warehouse of steel coils and materials for NEDCON profiling lines in Pardubice. A stockman is just passing by the production lines and writes on a paper which material and how much of it will be needed for production during the current shift. He also tries to find out if there is any material left in a stack of coils in front of a line, which could be consumed first.

Implementing improvements!

This is how the situation at our two workplaces looked like in the near past. It wasn’t exactly the best

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image for a modern company like NEDCON. So, it was only a matter of time to do something about it.

Finally, we decided to go on with activating the WMS module in SAP, with an extension in the form of a Fiori user interface.

Shipping was the first department to launch WMS, in mid-2020s. The base logic is the division of a warehouse into individual zones, so-called BINs, and the use of storage units, where several different materials can be placed. This made searching for material in the hall much easier not just for us, but also for our colleagues on the construction site either during the delivery acceptance or during the search for specific material in the container. They are able to find material in exact storage unit based on annex of the delivery note document and identify this unit based on labels on the pallet or package itself.

Everyone who handles units on the shop floor is equipped with a powerful Zebra handheld with a long-range barcode scanner. Thanks to the use of barcodes as an identifier of units and Zebras for their scanning, we can easily move the material in all directions - from production to a warehouse, inside

OPERATIONAL the hall, but especially further to trucks during loading process.

An important milestone was development of a Fiori application for online check of the loading status. It is available not just on computer, but especially on tablets, which we had mounted on our forklifts. The forklift truck driver thus has an immediate overview of material he has already loaded and which he has left. The application also shows him warehouse location of materials that are still waiting to be loaded and calculates weight in case he managed to load something extra into the truck or container.

These features eliminate not only manual recalculation of papers with loaded materials, but also a search through the warehouse and trips to office for loading status verification. The loading error rate has significantly decreased, which resulted to fewer complaints and better customer satisfaction – all of us should appreciate it.

A year later, we set out on a similar path at our steel warehouse and supply of profiling lines.

The situation was a bit simpler because individual steel coils were used directly as storage units.

Each individual coil is assigned to a unique batch number and thus represents a unique unit for us and

for the warehouse system.

The warehouse is divided into individual zones again. In addition, each production line has assigned its own storage BIN - so we know what material and how many coils can be found there. Material is consumed from these BINs only and the system does not allow production to be confirmed if the coil is located elsewhere in the warehouse. This significantly reduces errors, provides accurate stock data and, as a side effect, simplifies inventory count.

The warehouse system itself would give us information about what and where we have, but it would be very difficult to link it to our production plan in its standard functionality. Therefore, the need for a special transaction with its mobile version in Fiori came on topic. Our newly developed app can display the current production plan on individual lines and summarize the planned material consumption for a given production sequence (a sequence is a set of production orders where identical material and line tool settings are required). This plan is compared with current stock at the line and app returns us information about the state of supply - whether line has sufficient material, if there is a risk of shortage, or if there are

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coils at the line from which we will not produce anything in the near future and we can take them away.

Both implemented solutions are a small step for the system, but a huge step forward for us, for NEDCON. It has helped us to significantly increase efficiency, eliminate manual work and reduce errors. Of course, nothing is perfect, so we continue to make minor adjustments both to the system and, above all, to our internal processes, in order to eliminate or at least reduce unnecessary work without benefits and be more flexible.

And what will be our next steps in digitalizing our inventory and warehouse management? We are preparing to expand WMS and Fiori solution to the fasteners and spare parts department in the coming months. During the next fiscal year, we would like to extend the logic of supplying profile lines to our other production technologies - welding, coating lines and frame assembly. So if all goes well, our Pardubice plant will enter 2023 with a modern, functional, but mainly efficient storage system, where everyone will find what they need, in the right amount, and know where to go with it. Keep your fingers crossed! ■

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BU MANAGER SYSTEM INTEGRATORS

HENK WELLEWEERD

By Gerard Kant

Can you briefly tell us about yourself?

My name is Henk Welleweerd and I am 56 years old. Born in Hardenberg as the youngest of 6 with 4 brothers and 1 sister. I have been married to Gerda for 29 years and we have 2 sons; Robin and Thomas who are 27 and 25 years old. Both boys now have amazing girlfriends! The common hobby we have is the annual ski holiday in Sölden (Austria). For us, this is the ultimate holiday where we enjoy the mountains all day and are sporty at the same time. Gerda and I live in the picturesque Veessen, a small village on the river IJssel. In addition to the hobby / volunteer work that we do here, we enjoy hiking and travelling. Especially in the last 5 years we have discovered the so-called road trips, more locally and abroad, with overnight stays in B&Bs. We also really enjoy our club of friends in which the men have been meeting 4 times a year within the so-called Guild for the past 35 years.

How did you end up at NEDCON at the time?

When was this exactly?

In 1991 I came into contact with NEDCON through a newspaper advertisement. At the time, NEDCON was looking for 3 “young commercial talents” From the selection procedure, I started at NEDCON on September 1, 1991, together with 2 other candidates, including Ronald Vorwerk! The third candidate left after 1 week and as you know Ronald and I are still employed and we both still have the same position! PS. Our founder Ruud

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Hollander called us his “young commercial talents” for at least another 10 years! What a fantastic man he was by the way; I learned a lot from him!

What was/were your position(s) within NEDCON? The first 5 years I was an Area Manager at what is now called Key Accounts; after that I was Account Manager at System Integrators for more than 12 years. Then I was Sales Manager within System Integrators for 1.5 years and then Sales Director of all Sales departments for almost 3 years. In 2012, the organization was transformed into a Business Unit structure where I became 1 of the 3 BU managers of System Integrators; responsible for Sales / Implementation for the first 6 years for USA and part of Europe and the last 4 years for the whole of Europe including KNAPP.

THE HOBBY OF...

AND NOW ON TO YOUR HOBBY… FERRYMAN AND HARBOR MASTER! How did you come to be a ferryman in your spare time?

As soon as we came to live in the small village of Veessen (about 500 inhabitants), we noticed the fantastic solidarity that is reflected in the football club (VEVO), the music association (VIVO, you can’t make it up), the Orange committee, the annual egg market, the harbor and of course the bicycle ferry between Veessen (GLD) and Fortmond (OV). All volunteers together make it a vibrant village.

In order to contribute to this, I first chose the ferry and later on the harbor administration and harbor mastership. Gerda is on the board of the Orange Committee for the same reason.

Since when do you practice this hobby?

This year was my 4th season on the ‘’Kozakken’’ ferry.

Where is the ferry located and what kind of boat is it?

The boat is moored at its own jetty at the entrance of the Veesser passenger harbour. On the other side we moor at the former brick factory (a few hundred meters upstream, so actually a mini cruise) in the Fortmond nature reserve. The Kozakken ferry is a former fishing cutter that started its existence in Belgium, and then came up for sale in the Netherlands as UK 25. And as such the boat sails back and forth on the IJssel, albeit without the trees and winches for fishing that originally had a place on deck. The Kozakken ferry can accommodate

12 passengers, whether or not accompanied by a bicycle. The name Kozakken ferry comes from a historical event in 1813 when the a ­ llied army fought against Napoleon and a ship bridge was built over the IJssel at Veessen so that the Kozakken army could cross here.

How long did it take you to learn to sail and do you need papers for that?

That actually went pretty quickly; by sailing a lot in different circumstances you quickly get to know the boat. After a few times I got the hang of it and the captains regularly let me sail independently. Officially you do not need a boat license for this type of ship, however within the foundation we have the requirement that a skipper must have at least the small boat license 1 since we transport guests. In addition to the skipper, there is also a sailor on board. The sailor is allowed to act as skipper under the supervision of the skipper. From this situation I sail a lot and I especially enjoy the variation between being a skipper and the interaction with the guests as a

sailor. While navigating, it’s cool to deal with the different circumstances; the combination of wind, current, high and low water levels and traffic on the IJssel.

What makes this hobby so special to you?

Initially I started doing this to get to know fellow skippers from the village and through them the history / s­ tories from the village. It is a wonderful way to spend a Sunday morning enjoying nature and at the same time receiving people who are usually in a good mood.

How often do you sail and can you briefly describe your work?

On average 3 times a month I am on duty on Sunday mornings from 09:30 to 13:30. My official position is sailor but I am also skipper for about 50% of the time. As a sailor you are responsible for guiding the guests on and off board. It is a bicycle ferry, so if we have 12 cyclists with an e-bike on board, you will be very busy with this. In addition, securing and detaching the boat is the task of the sailor. As skipper you are of course responsible for the safe transfer of the guests.

THE HOBBY OF HENK WELLEWEERD

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Foto gemaakt door Annelies Bakker (anneliesbakkermedia.nl)

When does the ferry run and do you sail all year round?

The Cossack Ferry runs every day from April 1 to October 1 between 09:30 and 17:30 (in 2 services). We run entirely on the approximately 50 volunteers. 2019 was our record year with over 25,000 guests/transfers.

Unfortunately we were unable to sail at all last year due to COVID and this year we only started on May 1st for the same reason. Occasionally the high water level prevents our sailing service, but this rarely happens.

Can you tell another anecdote about what happened to you as a ferryman?

I don’t have a specific anecdote ready, but what I am constantly amazed about and actually have to laugh about is the situation when it is busy at the ferry and people have to wait their turn. Now we are usually talking about elderly people who really only have free time but show their worst side in that situation; the older the more they cut the line; quite funny when you address them about this!

I understood that you are also harbor master. From which port and what does that mean?

The Kozakken harbor; a large part of the “Room for the River” project has been completed at Veessen; this concerns a high-water channel

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that can cause the water level in the IJssel to fall by a maximum of 70 cm at high water. The realization has caused a lot of unrest in the village due to expropriations, etc. As part of the compensation, the harbor in Veessen has been completely renovated and a new foundation has been set up for management.

The new passers-by harbor called Kozakken harbor has been open for 4 years now and I have been a member of the port board for 2 years now. I also work as a harbor master.

We also do this entirely with volunteers (about 15) and we divide the harbor master services. It is usually my turn on Sunday evening, where I pay a visit to the ships (max. 35) and campers (max. 10), receive the harbor dues and update the administration. It is small-scale and picturesque, which is very popular with visitors.

What kind of ships dock in the port?

We are a passenger port, so we mainly deal with pleasure yachts of all imaginable sizes and designs.

In addition, we have a number of permanent berths for mainly smaller boats. On the motorhome pitches we also see the most diverse types and sizes of motorhomes. In recent years we have seen that the numbers of motorhomes are growing strongly where

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the numbers of boats decrease slightly.

Do you have an anecdote about this?

No specific story here either, but what also makes the work interesting here are the stories that the guests tell about their travels and life in general. Amazing how open people become when they feel comfortable. They are all very proud of the motorhome or boat and talk a lot about it. Now I like to stimulate this by asking further questions and before you know it you have a drink and a piece of cheese in your hands, which means that my port services often run out!

In Rotterdam they often suffer from drug transport. Have you got that under control?

We are not bothered by these transports in the Kozakken harbor; they are well organized with us… ■

PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

SHELVES:

WHERE INNOVATION IN PRODUCT AND PRODUCTION CONVERGE

By Willem Schreurs

Back to 2016… it all started with a number of large quotes for shelving in e-commerce warehouses.

After putting a lot of energy into the quotations, it turned out that we did not match the demand from this market segment on these large projects and a number of great projects passed us by.

On the other hand, we also had a beautiful production line, but it already produced its first shelves in 1984. So that was quite some time ago. The stories about this are that the quality of the first order for Renault - was so substandard that the shelves were delivered almost free of charge. As a start-up cost for the production line, they were taken under the guise: “We were happy that it was accepted by the customer”. In the more than 35 years that followed, however, the good old shelving line proved its worth and year in year out an average of around 300,000 speed frame shelves were produced.

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New production line

Meaningful investment?

With the move of production to Pardubice, the shelving line also left Doetinchem. While the machinery in the Czech Republic has made a big step forward in recent years in terms of efficiency, flexibility and Health & Safety, the shelving line was also examined. But to upgrade this line to the current state of the art and to have it comply with the applicable H&S guidelines, a substantial investment was required, the question was whether that was worthwhile.

And so a development project was started in 2017 with the aim of developing a new shelving system for the manual storage of small items. But where do you start such a development?

Market research as a starting point We chose the customer as the starting point and secretly we cheated a bit by peeking at the competitors, because a little cheating is allowed…

You can always learn something from it. With a truck set up as a showroom containing our shelving system, but also with systems of the 4 largest competitors, we drove past 18 resellers in the cold February of 2018 to get feedback on the systems

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and to gain insight into the wishes of customers.

To get a complete picture, about 20 existing Key Account projects were then visited to gain insight into the project-specific wishes of customers.

Willem tests shelves

of goods, it is considerably oversized for the storage of, for example, clothing, as we see in the large projects of Zalando.

Draw, calculate, test

For example, a lot was drawn, calculated and tested, resulting in a design shelf that apparently resembles the current variant with a plate height of 40 mm. Executed in 0.6mm thickness for the Medium and 0.8mm for the Heavy variant, but there is also a space-saving Light variant with a shelf height of 25mm that is made in 0.5mm thickness instead of the usual 0.6mm. An optimization that makes the board a lot lighter and therefore cheaper and where the permissible load is around the much requested 60 kg. The standard length of the shelf of 970 mm remains the same, but the standard length of 1220 mm has been adjusted to 1270 mm as a result of the market research, so that we better meet the needs of the market.

Fortunately, the previously acquired knowledge was not in vain and this allowed a simplified design for a new shelf to be made fairly quickly.

The aim was now to replace the current shelf and also to develop a variant that would be suitable for the storage of light goods. Where the old shelf can easily store 150 kg

The type of steel used has been adjusted for all variants. Where previously the shelves were made of S320 quality, this has been reduced to S250 quality. The availability of is material is better and we also use it in other products such as the miniload shelves. This allows purchasing

After having this bundled information, the necessary brainstorming sessions, elaborations, calculations, prototypes, tests and 3D prints, the first ambitious concept for a completely new speed frame shelving system was ready. But as is often the case in product development, the road is not always without bumps. Ambitious was in this case too ambitious and the plans had to be adjusted. From an entirely new system, the main focus was shifted to the shelf and the shelving production line.

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PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT Current SF Shelf

NEW SF Shelf

standard dimensions

standard dimensions

Length: 970 - 1220 - (1470)

970 - 1220 1270 - (1470)

Depth: 300 - 400 - 600 - 800

300 - 400 - 600 - 800

Shelf thickness: 40 mm

25 mm & 40 mm

Steel: S320 GD Z140 t= 0,6 mm & 0,8 mm

Steel: S250 GD Z140 t= 0,5 mm & 0,8 mm*

Benefits NEW shelf (technical) • 0,6 mm -> 05 mm = 83,3% (16% steel reduction • 40 mm shelf -> 25 mm shelf

Reduction of 4 x 15 = 60 mm strip over the full shelf lenght

400 mm deep shelf -> 91% (9% steel reduction)

600 mm deep shelf -> 93% (7% steel reduction) • S320 steel -> S250 steel

Delivery time form 11 weeks to 3 - 4 weeks

Price is Equal (-/-2%) 400 40

*0,5 mm up to 0,8 mm possible in production line.

to combine the volumes used, which in turn provides an advantage in uniformity and availability.

From product to production After the design of the shelf had been more or less fixed, production engineering was involved in the development process to investigate which production technique would best match this design and the desired production strategy. An investigation by various known and unknown machine builders followed, and various production techniques such as roll forming and punch-bending were compared. Ultimately, 3 different suppliers submitted an offer for a production line. Important factors in this process were output (how many pieces we can make), flexibility/efficiency (can we switch quickly between different products), and of course the investment involved in the production line.

During this process, one supplier dropped out, the other two were evenly matched in terms of applied technology. However, there was a significant difference in the investment. Such research with machine builders is challenging, a small adjustment in the design can have major consequences for

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10 40

400 10 40

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40

25

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666 mm

the production possibilities. Which design requirements are hard, which are soft or somewhat tweakable in order to arrive at a workable total solution. Each production step has been discussed in detail and optimized where possible in order to find a good balance between product, production, output, flexibility and investment.

Green light Finally the time had come to decide which supplier would build the new line, but then Covid-19 took hold of the world and it was decided to take a short stand to estimate the consequences of this. But it soon became clear that e-commerce was anything but affected by the pandemic and the demand for warehouses was only increasing. The light went green and the construction of the new shelf line could really start. WEMO, a machine builder from ‘s-Hertogenbosch, set to work with it. A process of more than a year in which the flexible punch-bending line was elaborated and built up in detail. At the time of writing this article, the factory acceptance test has already been carried out in which 5 different products have been trial-produced.

The entire line will be transported in separate stations and built in Par-

10 25

10 25

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606 mm

dubice. Where the handover takes place the moment this magazine falls on the doormat.

Techies hearts beat faster However, the development of the new shelf does not stand alone, many SF shelving related components and accessories have also been adapted or standardized so that they all match the changes made so that they can be applied in the new 3D configurator CSA. This new powerful software tool will be available at the same time as the new shelving line to be able to quickly work out projects based on the standard available parts. Here, resellers can quickly and easily develop low SF1 shelving units and in the short term there will also be the option whereby the SF3 shelving units can be “configured” with one or even two mezzanine floors. This was one of the big wishes of resellers that emerged during the market research.

The new line will be put into production at the beginning of 2022, a piece of technology that will make the heart of most techies beat faster.

Accurate, fast and flexible so that we can move forward in the coming years with a shelf with which we can meet the needs of our customers! ■

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HAPPY THANKSGIVING FROM NEDCON USA!

The American Thanksgiving is a national holiday in the USA and is always the forth Thursday in November. Thanksgiving is a holiday to celebrate the fall harvest and other blessings of the past year. The day is about getting together with family and having a traditional meal including turkey, bread stuffing, potatoes, and cranberries. Followed with desserts of apple and pumpkin pies.

By Dan Middendorf

My memories of Thanksgiving are of Grandma spending hours in the kitchen roasting a whole turkey in the oven. Typical recipes call for cooking the turkey at approximately 325oF (163o C) for +13 minute per 1 lb. Oven roasting a large 18lb turkey will take over

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4 hours of cooking time. There are also many steps during the cooking process, like basting the turkey and tenting with foil to make sure of the perfect cook.

A lot of work for Grandma. We never told Grandma, but to be honest even the perfectly oven

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roasted turkey can still be dull and bland tasting. It is turkey! The breast meat can be dry and is not a very flavorful meat. You can gauge the success of the turkey dinner by how much gravy was used by your guest. When your guest ask if you have more gravy,

COOKING WITH COLLEAGUES they are really saying that your turkey is dry.

Oven roasted turkey is not my favorite. If you do not like the way someone else is doing it, then you can do it yourself! A popular alternative to make the Thanksgiving turkey is to deep-fry the whole turkey. I have now been deep-frying a Thanksgiving turkey for the last 20 years. It is not without risk and it does require specialized outdoor cooking equipment.

I was happy to make a turkey for some European colleagues here for their first Thanksgiving. My most requested fried turkey is a Cajun spice recipe. Before frying, I inject the meat with liquid mixture of Cajun butter and then rub the outside completely in dry Cajun spice.

The finished product is a flavorful and juicy meat with a nice crispy skin.

outside. I have had the good fortune of nice weather recently.

The results and smiling faces as proof of a tasty Thanksgiving turkey!

The oil is pre-heated to 350oF (178o C). Since the turkey is submerged in the oil, the turkey will only take 3 min per pound to cook. I can deep fry Grandma’s 18lb turkey in less than 1 hour!

The downside is that I am cooking

Happy Thanksgiving from NEDCON USA! ■

The key points are: Never fry a frozen turkey and turn off the gas burner when putting the turkey in the oil. You can find many videos on the internet of people doing it the wrong way.

Oh, how delicious this smells!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING FROM NEDCON USA!

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HOW ARE THINGS NOW WITH...

RENÉ TER BEEST

By Rob van Lier & William Krabbenborg

Fifth in the history of mechanics, René ter Beest joined NEDCON in 1978. From assembly, to production and after sales. René has seen many sides of NEDCON. He has now been retired for 4 years and we visited him and his wife Annet in our “own” Doetinchem to see how he is doing now.

Rob - How did you find it to be approached for the magazine?

Great! I would even like to receive the magazines that have been and are being made (has been provided for all vutters - ed. ;-)). I like to hear and read about how NEDCON is doing.

Kees Tilburgs. I find that nice and enjoyable. Also because I live here in Doetinchem I regularly bump into people I knew from my time at NEDCON.

William - Over to you. Who are you and how old are you?

I am still myself and recently turned 67.

Rob - Do you still feel involved with NEDCON and in what way?

That goes automatically. I have contact with a number of people who still work or have worked at NEDCON, such as Claudia Bruijs, Helmut Scholten, Ben Boomkamp, Louis Wopereis, Jan Kupper and

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Rob - That first one is the most important, of course. Where were you born René?

IAlso here in Doetinchem, near soccer club VIOD (for those who are familiar with Doetinchem) and that is also near where I live now.

HOW ARE THINGS NOW WITH… William - And in the meantime you have also become a grandfather I heard?

Yes, that’s right. We have a ­daughter and a son, and now three ­grandchildren - looks at Annet - in the ages of 7, 4 and 3 years old.

Annet: Absolutely right!

René: And that is so great. Because of my work I was away a lot, I didn’t get to see my own children grow up as much as I see it now with my grandchildren, and now I am more aware of it.. Next Friday one of them is coming to stay with us. I enjoy that!

William - Can you tell us a little bit more about your life history?

So I was born and raised in Doetinchem and at one point we moved to Ulft, which is about 15 kilometers from Doetinchem. I was in service for 7 years, then I worked for a while at bakery Wiltink in Doetinchem and at Philips. Then I applied at NEDCON for a job in assembly. At first, Ton Willems told me it was not going to happen because they were looking for a mts student and I had completed the lts. On the day that I was actually discussing my new job at another company, I received a telegram from NEDCON. It said whether I wanted to come back for an interview. That interview was with Hans Stegweg (founder - ed.).

Then I was immediately hired!

We got married on December 30 and I started at the beginning of January at NEDCON. I then learned the entire trade from Ben Boomkamp. In my first year, I spent a lot of time with him and

we did a lot of projects together.

Rob - What were those first years like as a mechanic?

After a year of working with Ben I started to do projects myself, but after 14 years I actually had enough. I wanted to do something else and I told Ton Sinnebrink about it. I was actually always away from home. Subsequently, I had an interview with Stegweg and I was offered a job as production manager.

William - Were you working in shifts back then?

That system was just being introduced at that time. We were one of the first companies to work 3 times 6 hours. Stegweg had expressed confidence in me that I would be able to manage production well and he gave me a free hand. That felt good.

Then, a while later, Leen-Pieter de Jong joined us as director and we reorganized the whole production. Again some time later the story came up to move part of the production to the Czech Republic. I felt it was time for me, after 6 years, to leave production, I had no papers and that didn’t feel right. So then the after sales came up.

stopped me in that respect. I did my job well, you know, and own initiative was also appreciated.

Rob - And that’s still the case...

I used to drop in on Michiel Nijhout (former director - ed.) on Mondays to wish him a nice weekend, but of course I was working outside the office on all other days. I loved a joke!

William - And what is your best quality, René?

You really have to ask someone else that, but all I can say is that I think I have always been pretty collegial. I always felt very involved with others.

Annet: I can only agree with that.

Rob - How do you fill your days now? Do you have any hobbies that involve a lot of time?

I have been really enjoying painting lately. Annet and I discovered that recently. We followed a workshop on the application of different techniques and that was really fun. I also do a lot of odd jobs.

William - We switch to your bad and good qualities. What can you tell us about those and how they were expressed, for example, at NEDCON? Bad qualities, I wouldn’t know about that. I’ve always been one of the sweetest guys at NEDCON. Also very quiet and neat... ;-).

People who know me know that I don’t care so much about things.

But within NEDCON nobody

HOW ARE THINGS NOW WITH RENÉ TER BEEST

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the Dixons project. Especially the gratitude of the customer when we left was incredible.

William - And what was the best development you yourself went through within NEDCON?

William - What do you do?

If I relate this question to NEDCON, it was obviously the death of Ilse, Eva and Jos. I had a lot of contact with Eva, who had a lot to do with the assembly. Her passing has taken its toll.

Annet: That meant that there were two captains on the ship again. That took some getting used to. For years I did a lot of things on my own. Even taking out the trash was a point of discussion at the time.

René: But I won!

Annet: When René was home more (with more regularity in his work) I took a re-entry course after having been home for the children for 10 years. I don’t think that still exists. But his new regularity gave me the opportunity to take up working again as well.

René: And to tell you some more about my highlights at NEDCON, the parties that were organized were always amazing.

Truly extraordinary. If I compare NEDCON in general with other companies, I don’t know many that are so good to the people.

William - The same goes for me, such sad deaths do a lot to you. If you could describe a highlight, what would it be?

Rob - The parties were and are indeed very good. What is your fondest memory of your time at NEDCON?

That was when I left.... No, I have always liked everything at NEDCON! But it was nice that after I went back from assembly to work at NEDCON in the production facility, I could be home more.

One of them was the Immenstadt job. That building was in the mountains, which made it a really beautiful project. But actually all completed projects are great memories. The most beautiful, which comes to mind now, was

Among other things I help with the renovation of a friend of mine. For example, last week I sanded the stairs. I also take care of the maintenance of an apartment building near here.

I do that one day a week, from March to October. And in addition I measure kitchens for Ready Kitchens here in Doetinchem.

This keeps me busy and I like that very much. Of course the grandchildren also visit me regularly.

Rob - So a busy existence, great! What have been your highs and lows so far?

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When Leen-Pieter came there was a lot of development in production, he had a very far-sighted view in that regard. I myself was also closely involved in all those developments through my role and it was nice to be part of it.

Rob - Over to some more personal stuff. Do you have a particular style of music you like to listen to?

I like the blues. Led Zeppelin, Golden Earring, Norah Jones.

I can also enjoy a little Rock!

William - And what about vacations, do you still prefer Spain?

I haven’t been there for a while.

My favorite remains Aruba, I have been there twice now and it’s really lovely.

Rob - That’s not a punishment either of course... the word stress doesn’t come up as often there as it does here either.

Certainly not, indeed.

Annet: The first year we went to Aruba, a local showed us all unique spots, where you normally wouldn’t come. Then you also get to know the local people, which is really great!

René: But driving there was a challenge. They don’t know the rules of the road. Speaking of which, when I went to Saudi Arabia for NEDCON (Arcoma project) we weren’t even allowed to drive there. We were picked up by a Suzuki van and once Ben and

HOW ARE THINGS NOW WITH… I were in the back, the bench seat snapped off. How we laughed! In all, we spent six weeks there. That was also a great experience.

William - We have a few more questions in closing. How are you in life?

Wonderful, I’m enjoying myself, and fortunately in reasonably good health. After problems with my heart, which I was operated on just before the first lockdown was declared, I’m doing better now.

Your health is the most important thing of all.

Rob - Do you have any future plans or dreams you want to pursue?

One day I would like to make a painting that will be auctioned for ten million... No, I’m very satisfied with the way things are now.

Of course you have dreams, but I mainly want to enjoy what I have now. And where we live now is also perfect. That’s a ­choice we made a few years ago and Annet was not so happy with it in the beginning. Actually I ­pushed it through a bit.

Annet: Like you do with ­everything... ;-) René: In retrospect it was a very good move!

William - Would you like to say something to your colleagues?

I hope that everyone continues to do well, that nice orders are scored and that the atmosphere remains as good as I remember it! ■

One or the other?

Camping or all the luxury of a hotel?

Just in between actually. Camping is not my strong point, but I don’t feel like staying in a luxury hotel either. Too many ‘’rules’’.

Sun, sea & beach or an activity?

Rather an activity. Drinking and eating for example. In Spain, for example, I also went cycling every other day, I always loved that!

Cooking yourself or eating out?

I really like to cook by myself. And I don’t care what I cook and I do it for larger groups.

Beer or wine?

That depends on the occasion. I can’t choose now!

Book or a good movie?

Book.

Ajax or Feyenoord (William: and now you have to give the right answer...)?

Ajax, but actually playing soccer is starting to disgust me a bit.

Those sissies on the field! I do enjoy ladies soccer for example.

They don’t put up with so much.

Car or bike?

Bicycle. I only use the car once a week.

TV or Netflix?

TV. Netflix is on when the grandkids are around.

HOW ARE THINGS NOW WITH RENÉ TER BEEST

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COLUMN

By Kasper Vrijbloed and complete the job satisfactorily.

Even though this method was not quite what I had in mind, this chaotic way of working and the ad hoc devising of solutions also gave a sense of satisfaction and appreciation.

Pioneers Friday Not so long ago, during an introductory meeting with a new colleague, in which things such as common ground and points for improvement were discussed, I heard myself give the tip not to forget to sometimes make a mistake consciously! Funny, but where did this strange tip suddenly come from?

In the starting phase of my working life, I was employed for a short period by a greenhouse builder in the Westland. A company that in many ways resembled NEDCON. Only the owner found it difficult to hand over the reins and had not yet got around to lifting the organization out of the pioneering phase. Working days were rarely dull, rather chaotic. What stayed with me most was the special way of communicating. In many conversations, the first 5 seconds consisted of name-calling and the next 5 seconds of swearing. As a good listener you could translate the name-calling as, ‘I have a serious and urgent problem’ and the swearing as ‘Can you solve it for me now’. After the air had cleared, the ‘good day’ could simply be exchanged and the problem discussed. In the end, we always managed to come up with a solution

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23 years ago already, I started working for NEDCON. Compared to the greenhouse builder, NEDCON was clearly a lot further from an organizational point of view. But this did not prevent the course of a working day from being regularly determined by the importance of the urgent need. We are now 23 years later. Although NEDCON has always remained quite loyal to its pioneers, it seems that the specific pioneering skills need to be brought out less and less often. In my experience, I have seen NEDCON change in those years from a company that was very good at improvising, to a company that has become increasingly better at organizing.

And we may even be a bit past that. We previously knew departments, colleagues, positions and tasks. Now we are talking about units, customers, roles and processes. And the processes, as they happen in the real-world, increasingly resemble those described on paper. But isn’t there a design flaw somewhere in realizing all those optimization steps?

And it’s just an assumption, of course, but does the foundation of trust and felt appreciation get

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narrower the smoother and more efficient work is? To the extent that there is less need to fall back on improvisational talents and ad hoc help from colleagues? Isn’t this precisely why we lose sight of the efforts of our colleagues? Do I know what the others do and do the others know what I do? And if that fear becomes too great, you might start giving strange tips to new colleagues to consciously throw some sand in the radar every now and then? And do you do that just after you have told how a good company NEDCON is and discussed how it can be done even better? We can do better than that.

Perhaps we can learn something from the commercial and financial world. They know the ‘Casual Friday’ there. On the last day of the week, the tight suit and tie can be left at home, in order to create an informal working atmosphere. Isn’t it an idea to introduce a ‘Pioneers Friday’ once a month? On that day it is permissible to create a problem. Affected customers may then, with a lot of noise, come and get a redress from the causer of the problem. And if the solution is found just before the weekend, it’s time for a drink. Then the serious consequences can be discussed, which fortunately have been prevented thanks to the accurate intervention.

Unfortunately, I am not present on Fridays as a part-timer. ■

SWIM TO FIGHT CANCER

SWIM TO FIGHT CANCER

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LEADER OF FORKLIFT TRUCKS FLEET

MIROSLAV DOBRÝ

By Daniela Mach

My name is Miroslav Dobrý and I have been working at NEDCON since 2006. I started as a profiling line operator, gained experience as a stockman, a forklift truck driver and a frame assembly worker.

Through Team Leader in shipping department, I finally anchored as a Leader of the NEDCON forklift trucks fleet. Thanks to all my job positions, I know the company from different angles, which is always an advantage.

Discovered by chance Now about my hobby. I am an active member of the Pardubice Military History Club. The club is one of the oldest in the Czech Republic, founded in 1994. Originally, it only wanted to deal with the Czechoslovak Permanent Fortress from 1936-38. But, due to the legislation, it abandoned this intention, and in 2003 began focusing on military uniforms and historical technology. I got to this hobby by chance in 2015 when a friend of mine, a member of the club, gave me an incomplete military uniform he could missed. It hung at home for a while, but then I became interested in its history and bought other parts belonging to it. Finally, I applied to the club. The entry is not just about a registration, but also about knowledge. I was properly tested

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from military history and my knowledge was good enough to become an active member of the club.

How to become member What does such a membership mean? Many people think that the club will equip each member with a uniform and everything that goes with it. However, this is not how it works. If you want to become a member, pure knowledge is not enough. You also have to have your own equipment: uniform, its accessories and weapon. I’ve got already six types of uniforms. Weapons are, of course, registered and they are ONLY D category weapons without possibility of being charged with sharp, but only blind ammunition - this is always strictly checked before each event.

THE HOBBY OF...

The club currently has about 30 members, with about half being under the age of 50 and the other half from 50 to 60. So far, the average age is only rising. The members of the club are mostly current or former police officers, but also teachers, professors, and other professions. We do not have many young newcomers. After learning that they have to buy all the equipment themselves, they lose their interest in joining the club. The club owns several military cars, but some members also have their own historical jeeps.

Movie stars And what our activities are? We participate public and private historical combat demonstrations, present ourselves during cultural and reverential events, and occasionally also appear as extras in movies. We participate in the organization of events Tank Power Show Přelouč or Aviation Fair in Pardubice. Another of our activity is a reconstruction and maintenance of historical technology.

Military history clubs cooperate at various events. They always agree

which club will supply which equipment and which military unit they will “fight” for. Our participation in such events leads to invitations from various film crews. One of them was the film Ležáky in 2010. I participated in the recently shot movie The Painted Bird (2019). Movie director Mr. Marhoul was impressed by our performance and equipment. Thanks to that, we got a chance to shoot great scenes from which I have many beautiful experiences. The latest opportunity we have got is in the shooting of a new version of the film Ležáky. It will be at cinemas in the summer of 2022.

Back to school Another interesting activity I tried was a class on military topics at school. I brought uniform and approved D-type weapons, which are percussion weapons that make only sound and cannot be fired. Kids enjoyed it a lot as it was a diversification of the classical teaching. That’s why I would like to continue this activity.

What to say in conclusion? I wish your hobbies bring you as much fun and joy as mine brings to me! ■

THE HOBBY OF MIROSLAV DOBRÝ

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EMPLOYEE CANTEEN / HOUSEHOLD

SEYHAN YALCIN

I have been part of the NEDCON canteen team for 10 years now. Together with José, Sharon and our newest colleague Ismeta, we ensure every day that all employees lack nothing in the field of food, drinks, a cozy atmosphere and hygiene. Over the past year, due to corona, we had to carry out our work in a different way for a long time. Fortunately, our renewed canteen has been open again since the end of September, which we as a team are very happy with. I would like to take you on ‘’a day in my life’’!

6:00 AM - A NEW DAY BEGINS My alarm goes off early in the morning. My working days are Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, and these always start at 7 am for us at NEDCON! I live in Doetinchem and always drive to the Nijverheidsweg a little before 7 am to start the new working day.

7:15 AM - COFFEE, COFFEE AND MORE COFFEE From half past seven the first colleagues come in and the first thing they do as soon as they are inside is grab a cup of coffee.

We therefore start our working day with making the first pots so that the coffee is ready on time. Do you know how many we make on an average day? About 30!

08:30 AM - LUNCH PREPARATIONS Early in the morning we start preparing lunch. The soups must be prepared, we bake the sandwiches in the course of the morning, we prepare the salads, etc. Provide lunch for an average of about 70 colleagues (normally, to say before corona, even more) takes quite some time. That’s why we start on time!

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A DAY IN THE LIFE OF… 10:00 AM - COFFEE MOMENT Around ten we take care of ourselves. We grab a cup of coffee (or tea, cappuccino…) and discuss how the day (or week) is going until then. In fact, everything will pass. Women together, right!

11:00 AM - CHECK, CHECK, DOUBLE CHECK Every week we have a list with all kinds of activities that need to be done, which we then tick off. This way we know for sure that everything is and remains as clean as possible! We usually do this after all lunch preparations are done. Today I have on my schedule, among other things, cleaning the refrigerators and checking the temperatures of the refrigerators.

12:00 PM - SHOWTIME! At 12 o’clock the biggest hectic starts, then everyone slowly comes in for lunch. In principle, everything is always well prepared and we have it under control. We also divide our roles during lunchtime. For example, I am in the back (kitchen) today, which means that I take care of replenishing the food and drinks, and I already start with the cleaning.

2:30 PM - THAT LOOKS SHINY AGAIN! Once lunch is finally over at 1:30 pm, the big cleanup can start. This still takes quite a bit of work. Fortunately, we have good equipment at our disposal and within an hour everything is usually spotless again and everything is back in place. At 2:30 pm my working day is usually over and it is time to go home.

7:00 PM - A WALK AROUND THE BLOCK After I have relaxed at home for a while, it is time for a little walk. I often walk through the center of Doetinchem with my niece. Now that the center is beautifully lit during the winter, it is a pleasure to be outside. As long as it doesn’t rain… I can tolerate a bit of cold! When I get home I like to watch a Turkish series like “Kurulus Osman”.

Then it’s time to go to sleep again.

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF SEYHAN YALCIN

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UPDATE CAREERS

WEBSITE NOW LIVE! To give potential colleagues an even better impression of our beautiful company and great work culture, the careers website has been updated. You will now find even more pictures of our team, the departments, events we participate in and other actions. These have also been given a more prominent place: in the vacancy itself. In addition, 6 colleagues have given more information about the function and how they experience working at NEDCON in a video.

A number of colleagues have also been portrayed on two projects. At Kramp for the automatic systems, and at Rabelink for our manual solutions. This way, new colleagues get a better idea of the products we market.

Click on the QR code to view the website

A SMALL IMPRESSION OF THE NEW PHOTOS!

Click on the QR code and watch the videos of May and Michael

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SINTERKLAAS

SINTERKLAAS AT NEDCON

SINTERKLAAS

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WHAT CAN DE GRAAFSCHAP PLAYER DEVIN HAEN (17), TELL KAS & LYJAIRO ABOUT THE ROAD TO SUCCESS?

A CHAT FROM TALENT TO TALENT(S)

Just before the football training sessions on Thursday afternoon, Kas & Lyjairo managed to get Devin Haen – fellow De Graafschap talent - for an interview in our NEDCON Lounge. Devin now plays in the first team of the club, after having followed the talent trajectory of De Graafschap since he was 8 years old. And of course they want to know… how do you end up in the first team?

Kas - Devin, What kind of player are you?

Kas - Which stadium would you like to play in one day?

Kas - What would you ultimately like to achieve?

I think I am mainly a deep player, who can be found in front of the goal a lot. I can also play in the ball but I prefer to be behind it. I’m a real striker, I like to score!

Somewhere in England I think, like Old Trafford, Manchester United’s stadium. The English playing style appeals to me, just like the German. Playing for Bayern Munich also seems very cool to me.

That would be: either play in the Champions League or participate with the Dutch national team in a European Championship or World Cup. That is of course a dream! And we are on our way,

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INTERVIEW PLAYER DE GRAAFSCHAP

I now play with the Dutch national team under 18. This group was only created a few years ago and unfortunately no European ­Championships or World Cups are being organized for it yet.

Lyjairo - How did it feel to play your first game in the first team?

We have already gone through a preparation time for the first real big game. My first official match was therefore against amateur club Silvolde. After that we played a number of matches against other amateur clubs. And then came the match against Roda JC (national, professional soccer club). That was a special moment! I scored the next home game.

Lyjairo - How old were you when you started playing soccer at De Graafschap?

I believe I was 8. Once I came home from school and there was a letter from De Graafschap that I had been selected. I started in E2 and there I did an internship, that’s what they called it at the time. At first I only trained on Mondays and I also played at my own club. At a certain point, smaller and smaller groups were formed from the internship groups until you were allowed to train at De Graafschap itself. And that’s how I got there.

Lyjairo – What did you find most difficult in the years that you were in the talent trajectory at De Graafschap?

I went through a period when I didn’t score as a striker. That didn’t feel right. Luckily things

stayed on the field for half an hour longer, and that helped!

went in the right direction after one month. I trained a bit more with a friend, for example we

QUESTIONS BY THE ‘’BACKING’’ OF NEDCON People see you as a very talented soccer player, does that give you confidence or pressure?

That gives me confidence, because then I know that they think I’m a good soccer player. And then all that’s left to do is show it! If it goes wrong, it will go wrong, that’s possible, but then we’ll do it better next time.

How do you ensure that tension or pressure does not hinder you, for example when taking a penalty?

I choose a corner in advance, and I don’t think about it too much.

In this case also applies, if it goes wrong, it goes wrong. In your head you basically just have to assume that the ball will go in. I want to start with an open mind, because that way I can keep myself calm at such moments.

The eternal debate about which soccer player is better… Messi or Ronaldo. This is actually a ­discussion between talent ­(Messi) and hard work (Ronaldo).

Who do you admire the most?

Then I go for Ronaldo. If you see how he still treats his body at 36, I think that’s great. I also notice in myself that you can have a lot of talent, but you have to work very hard for it and commit yourself fully to achieve something. I admire that in him too.

And did you have to leave a lot for it?

Yes, sure. From school you always had to go straight to the training sessions and you’re back late in the evening. That took some time getting used to in the beginning, but if you want to, you’ll be fine. Going out with my friends is not an option for me. I am so involved with soccer and I also get to know a lot of guys through the club. So I don’t have that much trouble with it! ■

INTERVIEW BY KAS EN LYJAIRO

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SAP PROCESS SPECIALIST

JIŘÍ RAAB

6.30 AM - JUST ANOTHER MORNING IN PARADISE Half past six in the morning… Quickly getting out of bed, waking up my children, preparing breakfast for them, preparing myself… Since I live in a beautiful town at the confluence of the Elbe and Orlice rivers, it is a nice 25 km to work. I usually drive a car and take my older son to kindergarten on the way.

However, during summer (when I already prepared this), I enjoy a trip by bike at least once a week. After an hour’s journey, I come to work perfectly awake and I can start working right away instead of squinting at the monitor.

8.30 AM - ALL YOU NEED IS COFFEE Since I arrived by bike, I don’t want to bother my colleagues in our open space and take a quick shower. I grab a big coffee in my small pot, I put some fresh water into my Nicknack, and I am ready to go. Most colleagues have been already at work for a while, so I check my emails quickly and a few reports to make sure that everything (at least in SAP) works as it should. Let’s have a look at the calendar for scheduled meetings and go to specify (something what is needed), fix (something what went wrong) and test (something what needs to be proofed). SAP never sleeps.

12.00 PM - PÉTANQUE TIME The second bright spot of the day after the morning ride. I head to the canteen for lunch and go out to our nice terrace. I have to compliment our factory kitchen for food we can order. It’s not a gastro porn, of course. But to be honest – nobody expects Michelin experience and perhaps everyone can choose from the menu. Let’s spend a few minutes to prove colleagues from shipping department that their yearround training in pétanque still does not bring any results and we can return in front of monitors.

2.00 PM - ONE (MORE) STEP AHEAD I have just received a confirmation from my Group-IT colleagues that a modification of our confirmation monitor is ready. This is quite a crucial transaction for our production and we have already convinced ourselves several times that it is better to test everything not twice, but better three times before releasing it to the production system. I also received new hand-held scanners from Zebra - we are going to test them in the production hall, perhaps this will be the optimal solution for our Plant Maintenance project. I hope colleagues are able to solve most things with it, without computer, and have all the basic information at hand wherever they need it.

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A DAY IN THE LIFE OF…

4.00 PM - ON MY WAY HOME AGAIN Change to sportswear, earphones on and head north. How the morning ride wakes me up, cycling back home is by far the best way to clean my mind. I am not in hurry, can enjoy views and listen to music or silence. It has another unbeatable advantage as well – there are several small stalls or forest bars in the forests around Hradec Králové, where you can reward yourself for the all-day effort and sports performance.

Fortunately, I have not met any friend here today, so I grab just a beer to quench my current thirst…

5.30 PM - DADDY-TIME Children are already playing with the neighbors on a sandpit in front of our house, when I arrive home. I would like to write how beautiful it is when they welcome me with a “daaaddyyyy” scream.

Well, they usually don’t even bother and continue to build castles, roads, ramps, underpasses, canyons… I run to the shower quickly and when I thereafter manage to catch them, we can go to a playground in neighborhood. These are very strategically located and you hardly miss some of local “refreshments” along the way.

As I am still thirsty from the ride home, I have to take advantage of that. I am prepared - I have my Nicknack at hand - the best Czech invention for Czech fathers.

7.00 PM - BUSY EVENING SCHEDULE The small beasts are walked, daddy is not thirsty anymore, and hopefully mom has prepared something for dinner. Younger ones have priority, so I need to wait for “ham ham nono” from a table, wipe their mouths and hands and let TV bedtime story go. Time to prepare dinner comes right now – I do not cook every day, of course, but I don’t forgive myself fast Pad-Thai, Tom Yum or baked nachos at least once a week. And what remains? Choose and read the right fairy tale, give the children a goodnight kiss, choose some great Moravian wine and take a strategically advantageous position on a couch after the busy day.

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF JIŘÍ RAAB

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After having postponed our wedding twice, the timing was perfect this time! On October 1, 2021, a week after the one and a half meters was abolished and live music was allowed again, I married Maike and we had a fantastic party with 50 guests at ‘t Centrum in Babberich!

Peter ter Voert

PROUD of my daughter Natascha who started her own beauty salon Skin-Line at the start of the pandemic. After 18 months, she has built up her customer base by persevering, being flexible and delivering craftsmanship.

Amber Vos

On November 19, my husband Wim and I were married for 40 years. Unfortunately, our planned party couldn’t go on because we were in quarantine with corona. Such a shame, but we hope to celebrate it another time (in a small way)!

José van de Pavert

Last summer I went on a hiking holiday to South Tyrol. Not only in my free time I like the challenge of reaching the top of the mountain. Thus, for instance, I also received my first .

IPMA certificate this year.

Michael Schmitz

After a number of postponements due to Covid and bad weather, the time had come: on Monday August 30, René van ‘t Hof, Sven Pfeiffer and I got on the motorcycle for a trip through the Dolomites! It was a wonderful week with beautiful weather where we drove more than 2500 kilometers.

Bas Hoogakker

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HAVE YOU HEARD ABOUT IT YET? Last summer our sweet doodle Josje gave birth to 7 beautiful puppies. We kept 1 of these. Her name is Molly and just like her mother she is super easygoing, sweet and very smart.

Sanja van Pijlen

IIn December 2020, my girlfriend and I bought a house in the ­beautiful fortified town of Groenlo. After a renovation of about five months (a curfew doesn’t really help), we were finally able to move in last May. Jeffrey Kolkman

My girlfriend from Indonesia and I have been together for 4 years but this summer was the first time she came to the Netherlands.

In the 3 months that she was here we made a road trip through Germany and Austria.

Febri Schram

On June 4, I married Wessel, in the month that we have been together for 10 years. Extra special on this day was the fact that my stepfather Ernst married us. It was an unforgettable day!

Maxime Smits

On August 25, my girlfriend Esther and I became proud parents of our son Julian. After a difficult start, we are now fully enjoying this strong, cheerful little man!

Jarno Hummelink

Last year, besides work, I was very busy completing a Sales course and we bought a fixer upper. Many dust bites, a power surge here and there and late evenings were necessary to modernize the house.

Edwin van den Beld

HAVE YOU HEARD ABOUT IT YET?

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