Corvin van Dinther – Production Manager Koudijs premix factory

Delivering quality is only achievable with a dedicated team. Teamwork is extremely important, says Corvin van Dinther, Production Manager for Premix & Specialties. "We operate as one large team here. Everyone supports each other, and we tackle problems together," Corvin explains. This team spirit ensures that the factory runs efficiently and effectively, even when unexpected challenges arise.

Over the past years, significant investments have been made in the premix factory to facilitate our growth and support the increasing numbers of raw materials. A major improvement was the expansion to two bagging lines. Besides this, we also built a new bulk load facility two years ago and recently opened ten new storage silos of 60 cubic meters This expansion has allowed us to increase the range of macro raw materials, providing more flexibility and reliability, and enabling us to switch quickly between different premixes. Corvin has actively contributed to the expansion of the premix factory. “The thing I enjoy the most about my work is that I can think along about the changes and investments,” he says.

When asked to describe his daily work, Corvin says that every day is different for him and his team. As a Plant Manager, he works closely with three other team leaders and a team of more than 30 employees. The work varies from monitoring quality to coordinating maintenance, and safeguarding the health of factory workers also plays an important role. “We work in two shifts, so good communication is important, and also making sure that every employee has enough challenges. Therefore we ensure that people don’t have to do the same job every day,” he states. "We have a diverse team consisting of long-term employees and new hires. The right match is important, and I spend a lot of time on this when hiring new people. It might take a bit more time during the recruitment process, but it will work out in the end."

There are five areas that require close attention in premix production: purchase and intake, tracking and tracing, accuracy of dosing, cross-contamination, and homogeneity. When asked what Corvin is most proud of, he mentions the homogeneity, cross-contamination control, and traceability. Traceability starts at intake, with each ingredient being given a barcode so it can be tracked and traced at every point in the production process. Each batch of every ingredient is coded as a separate intake. Corvin: “at any time, we can trace where it was used in production and when. This 100% traceability is unique. Contamination is minimized by our container systems. The scaling and dosing system results in a very accurate nutritional premix composition, even when dosing very small quantities. I’m proud that I can say our factory is best in class when it comes to this."