Plukon and Colubris continue to challenge each other
What once started with the purchase of one decanter has grown into a close cooperation between Plukon and Colubris, in which striving for the best is central. Marcel van den Heuvel, Maintenance Manager at Plukon, talks about it passionately: ‘This way, we grow together to an ever higher level.’
'I have been working at Plukon for 28 years, where I hold the position of Maintenance Manager. As Maintenance Manager, I am responsible for all our 30 sites, spread over six countries in Europe. The technical department is therefore a large department and consists of over 500 technicians, consisting of project managers, engineers and technical specialists. We are pretty much self-sufficient.'
'Within Plukon, we constantly focus on improving our technical expertise. We do this, for example, by cooperating intensively with companies such as Colubris. Our cooperation started about 10 years ago with the purchase of a decanter, but it now encompasses much more than just the purchase of equipment. We develop, build and live together towards the realisation of new projects, always striving for the best. We have to, because purifying and reusing water is a hot topic at slaughterhouses and vegetable washing plants. We cannot pump, purify and discharge water indefinitely. We have to keep using water smartly.'
‘We have to keep dealing with water smartly.’
Marcel van den Heuvel | Plukon
'Sustainability is therefore one of the pillars at Plukon. When we invest in a new project, it has to be well thought through and future-proof. It is now a matter of course that we involve Colubris. The people are experienced, easy to approach and enormously customer-oriented. And not only do I think that way, so do my colleagues.'
'In addition, Colubris simply ensures continuity 24/7 at our sites. We have certain values we have to meet. We, but also the Colubris employees, are on top of that. We can't afford the situation where, for instance, vegetables can't be washed because the purification process isn't working. Then you need a party that is always available and ready to assist us. Moreover, we also dare to ask each other critical questions, both to become wiser, but also to challenge each other and thus grow together to an ever higher level.'
‘We also dare to ask and challenge each other critical questions.’
Marcel van den Heuvel | Plukon
'Besides sustainability, we at Plukon pay a lot of attention to attracting and retaining motivated staff. It is crucial to keep young employees within our company and promote knowledge transfer from the experienced generation to the new. At the same time, younger employees bring with them new (digital) knowledge and technologies, which keeps our company innovating. This is also where Colubris comes in again, as they provide the space to test new solutions and set up pilot projects. It's just great to work for companies like ours.'
About Plukon
Plukon Food Group supplies poultry, meals, meal components and alternative proteins in Europe. The company employs 9,000 people across 30 sites in six European countries. In 2022, the company achieved sales of around €2.8 billion.
Plukon Food Group's mission is to provide responsible food with sustainably produced ingredients and with a focus on the long-term needs of animals, the environment and people.