At SDB Vitrinebouw, everything revolves around craftsmanship. After all, it’s the details, visible and invisible that make the difference. And that’s exactly what our people take care of. One of them is SDB Vitrinebouw production planner Ted van den Berg, who has been working at SDB for 25 years.
Twenty-five years, wow!
“Yes and that from someone who once said, ‘I won’t stay with one employer for more than five years.’ But I’ve had many different roles, so it doesn’t feel like 25 years of doing the same job. I started as a fitter and then worked in almost every department.”
And for the past five years, you’ve been working as a production planner at SDB Vitrinebouw. Do you enjoy it?
“Absolutely! I have a very varied role. As a production planner, I make sure that the ordered display cabinets are produced and delivered on time. That’s great fun and sometimes quite challenging. Because no matter how well you plan things, there is always something that happens that forces you to change the schedule. A delayed delivery of materials, colleagues calling in sick, a change to an order… Then it’s time for me to start puzzling.”
“Sometimes we have to pull off near-impossible feats to deliver on time”
What does a typical working day (usually) look like for you?
“Every morning I check whether everyone knows what needs to be done. Do we have enough materials and are we still on schedule? I check this several times a day. Is something not right somewhere? Then I deal with it immediately. I chase suppliers to ask where our order is and reshuffle staff so everyone can keep working. I also regularly consult with our work preparer, Emiel, about the technical details of an order.”
What does it take to be a good production planner?
“First of all, you need to know what you’re talking about, so technical insight is essential. In addition, you need to be able to keep an overview, be persistent, and think creatively when coming up with solutions. Sometimes we have to pull off near-impossible feats to deliver on time. Working through the night? That does happen occasionally.”
Do you always stay calm under pressure?
“Oh no, not always. Of course, I don’t want to disappoint our customers. Every time, I do everything I can to deliver on time. That can be stressful at times. But when it all works out, I can relax with a great sense of pride.”
