Hendor's employees play a crucial role in the service quality we deliver. As an employer, we are incredibly proud of that and do everything we can to nurture it. Over 75 years, many people have not only contributed, but more importantly have become part of our Hendor legacy. Patrik, with almost 30 years of service, is one of them.

From sales to production and assembly

Patrik first joined Hendor in 1993. "As a conscript soldier, I had just come out of the army and was looking for a permanent job. Through an employment agency, I ended up at Hendor. They were looking for a buyer and a salesperson. I applied for the buyer role, but that position was already taken. The then sales director, Rinie Voets, asked if I might still be interested in sales. I agreed to that and started as a sales representative for the English-speaking areas."

Patrik spent four years in the sales department. Then he decided to work for another company. However, that was short-lived as his department was discontinued and the new designated position did not quite suit him either. "I always kept good contact with my colleague Karin, among others. When I mentioned that I wasn't enjoying my new job so much, she told management at Hendor. Not much later, I was approached by Hendor to come and talk. They had a new job for me. Not in the sales department, but as assistant manager of production and assembly. That was totally my thing."

After a year, Patrik returned to Hendor in 1998. "I ended up in manufacturing logistics, in organizing. That was where I could put my money where my mouth was. In this department, I mastered the whole pump business by assembling pumps myself and walking along in the warehouse." Ten years later, a new opportunity came his way: the position of buyer became available again - the position Patrik had his eye on in the very beginning. "I indicated that I liked that position as a side job. I like variety. Since then, I do purchasing, work preparation and I am team leader of the assembly and dispatch department."

Plenty of challenges within logistics and production

Besides the changes in his own career, Patrik has also seen Hendor change. "In the beginning, we still had to book every part of the pump separately. Then it was like sitting behind the cash register. You tapped in the number of the part and made sure it was reserved. A parts list could well consist of 50 parts, so you were performing the same operation 50 times. All parts are now in a digital system, so I just have to click on them and enter the required number.
Another example: when making a custom pump or filter system, we used to have a sheet with the specifications of the pump and roughly explain to the mechanic what the pump should look like. Nowadays, they get a comprehensive drawing so that the mechanic really sees what he has to do. There has been a lot of investment in that over the last 20 years."

And let change be precisely what Patrik derives great pleasure from. "I get the most satisfaction from making things better. It's often in the little things. Especially how to put things together logistically, how to put the right people in the right positions, how to keep people motivated. If I see people struggling, I try to solve that with them. I think that is super important. For me personally, my optimum improvement point is finding a way to use our ERP system optimally.

And to help everyone within Hendor with that. If someone indicates that a component takes a lot of time, we put our heads together to see how it can be done differently or better. Within 15 minutes we can then often move on."

"I think all the changes are possible because the management is open to everything. The lines are all so short here. That also makes it all a lot easier. You can change something here at a minute's notice, so to speak. Everyone's opinion and story counts. You notice that you are important to Hendor, just like a real family. So it is not surprising that there is a loyal following of people here who have been working here for an incredibly long time and radiate that they also like working here."

How Patrik sees the future at Hendor after 30 years? "I'm always asked that during performance reviews. My answer is that in terms of function, it won't be much different from today. But our product never stands still. Logistics never stands still, there are plenty of challenges in that. Challenges expressed by the management, they still want to grow. There is a plan behind that, to which I am happy to continue contributing."

A memory that will always stay with Patrik

"A real highlight for me was the 60th anniversary. We went to The Hague for a weekend with the whole company. From the moment we got on the bus on Friday until Sunday back home, it was great. We still talk about it sometimes here in the office."