Joany van de Griendt – Continuous Improvement Specialist
“Improving is not something you do alone, my colleagues are the most important key to make my job a success. I find it very nice to see how my colleagues receive this new direction within Marcelissen, I notice interest, enthusiasm and openness for improvement”, says Joany, employed as Continuous Improvement Specialist since July 12th.
Who is Joany?
“At a young age, I was already very inventive and open-minded about how to achieve things faster and/or in a different way. I knew early on that my passion for farming, animals, nature and my interest in how processes work would be a great combination for my future”. As a child, Joany loved being on the farm and spending hours among horses. Her dream is to one day be able to train a horse from being a foal onwards. At the moment, she is having a lot of fun educating and training her 2-year-old dog called Cantos, a long-haired Weimaraner.
From interest to future
The interest in processes and process improvement already showed at a young age. “During one afternoon at McDonalds, my sister and I watched the activities carried out behind the counter. We started to discuss the ‘why’ and how we thought things could be done differently.” Studying Business Administration and Agri-food Business at the HAS University of Applied Sciences in Venlo, Joany had the chance to combine personal passion with her interest in processes. “I was allowed to organise the last two years of the study myself; I took this time to fully specialise in process improvement. During this period, I also obtained my Green-belt certificate”.
No stranger to Marcelissen
During earlier internships Joany gained a lot of experience on processes and process improvement in production environments. At Marcelissen, Joany got the chance to look at processes in an office environment, the sales department. “In office processes you have to deal much more with information flows and influences of individuals. These flows are often less tangible and visible than production processes”. Joany saw this internship assignment at Marcelissen as a fun but certainly challenging opportunity to further develop herself in her field of interest. “What I take with me from this internship is that I can have confidence in myself and can make my own decisions. ”
From intern to Continuous Improvement Specialist
After the internship period, Joany continued to support two half-days a week in making and delivering sales analyses. “Since July 12th, I have been entitled to call myself a Continuous Improvement Specialist. After a conversation with Jos about my ambitions, my vision for the future and my ideas about Marcelissen, I got the chance to do what I really like and to develop myself further in process improvement together with Marcelissen. I am inspired by the LEAN philosophy, focusing on customer value and minimising wastage. Of course, I am not doing this alone, my colleagues are the most important key to make my job a success.” Within the entire Marcelissen organisation, Joany is the supporting factor in mapping processes. Furthermore, in identifying problems and developing and implementing improvements to reduce process complexity and increase job satisfaction.
Trigger to stay
“From day one I felt welcome at Marcelissen. Short lines of communication with employees and the accessibility to ask questions ensure that you move forward smoothly”. Joany sees the atmosphere as a plus: “Working hard but occasionally also laughing with your colleagues.” “I find it very nice to see how my colleagues receive this new direction within Marcelissen. I notice interest, enthusiasm and openness for improvement.” Joany is currently in the start-up phase and is very curious about the route she will take with Marcelissen.
