Kemira´s Site Manager Jeroen van Woerden from Botlek, Netherlands, was elected Plant Manager of the Year 2016 on June 16, 2016. The election is organized annually since 2008 and is an initiative of the Petrochem Platform and the Dutch Chemical Industry (VNCI), in collaboration with Deltalinqs, the Port of Rotterdam and Votob.
The jury commented that: Jeroen works extensively to reach the objectives. The communication structure to the staff is visibly present in the organization and it promotes transparency and sincerity.
The election aims to demostrate a positive image of the Dutch process industry through the efforts and performance of plant managers. The focus is on safety, health, environment, productivity, efficiency and sustainability. A professional jury judges the candidates on their community involvement, leadership and communication skills and distributes 60 percent of the points. The rest of the points come over the internet votes (20 percent) and votes of visitors to the congress Deltavisie (20 percent).
Jeroen and his team have started a process of making the site safer and assuring a pleasant working environment that drives efficiency. In addition, management has sought new partners to develop the site and there will be a new plant for bio-based production process and the current plant will be updated as well.
“I think that this award is a sign of recognition for Kemira for investing in Botlek. Our team here strives for continous improvement and their hard work has also been noted by the company,” Jeroen comments and continues: “We have executed a LEAN program for the chemical industry so effectively that the jury described it as being beyond all measures and is truly visible in real life on the shop floor. They stated that we have excellent communication within the site and clear direction for our activities.”
“The open process for selecting the Plant Manager of the year award and the decision of the jury, leading to Jeroen successfully clinching the title from the other two prospective challengers shows how personal commitment and a dedication to lean Manufacturing and Continuous Improvement can be rewarding in so many ways. This is a great accolade personally for Jeroen and also for the site who have delivered the changes as a team that ultimately have given confidence to the Company to drive the new investment programmes” said Andy Barker, Manufacturing Director O&M EMEA, Kemira.
More information:
Jeroen van Woerden, Site manager, Oil & Mining, Kemira EMEA
jeroen.van.woerden@kemira.com