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ANNUAL REVIEWIT ALL STARTS WITH THE PEOPLE
FASTER TOWARDS GOOD SEED POTATOES
The ‘Binding & Building’ strategy obviously involves meetings. Farmer Jaap Lingbeek and three members of Avebe Young get together for a good talk around the kitchen table. ‘Innovation is an important precondition for a good performance price.’
Steam, forklift trucks driving around, hazardous substances: safety seems to be a technical issue, but Edith Romp thinks otherwise. ‘It all starts with the people. The best results are achieved if safe behaviour is in our DNA.’
Right potato varieties are of vital importance to the farmer: do they have a high return, and are they resistant to diseases? Production manager Henk Folkers of Averis Seeds explains why new potato varieties will become available more quickly from now on.
C O V E R S T O R Y
R E P O R T
2 0 1 4 / 2 0 1 5
I N T E R V I E W
WE ALL SHARE THE SAME OBJECTIVE
3
F O R E W O R D
We are guided by the theme of ‘Binding
& Building’, Avebe’s strategy since 2013.
This strategy concentrates on market
orientation, innovation, sustainability
and cost control. With this annual review
we show you at a glance how we have
performed; we present key data in figures
and images, clearly and concisely.
A number of concrete examples are given to
illustrate how we have taken another step
towards a stable and solid future for Avebe.
This is an important step that we have been
able to take thanks to the joint efforts of all of
our cooperative’s employees and members.
Thanks to you, Avebe can look back on 2015 with
satisfaction and forward to 2016 with confidence.
A STABLE AND SOLID FUTURE
With kind regards,
Bert Jansen
This is the second edition of the Avebe Annual Review. The purpose of this Annual Review is to let you know how Avebe is doing, what we have been working on during the past year and what we will be focusing on in the period to come.
‘BINDING & BUILDING’
Ed Kraaijenzank points out that there is
more to Avebe’s sustainability than achieving
energy savings and offering people a safe
workplace. ‘It’s all about how we position
ourselves in our environment, what we
want to mean to the world. The increase
in the production of food ingredients is
sustainable in itself, since we use valuable
raw materials to feed people.
In the past there was a time when Avebe
went on ‘all sorts of adventures’, as Bert
Jansen puts it, adventures that resulted in
serious losses. ‘The current strategy builds
on what we have already been doing for
some time now, on things that we are good
at’, he insists. Avebe focuses on the starch
potato, the whole potato and nothing but
the potato: ‘We see potential’.
But there is also another major change:
‘Thrift is in our DNA, and we’ve defined that
more precisely. We invest substantially in
things that add value. But there are still
company divisions that are just as thrifty
as ever. The key concept at Avebe is the
performance price, where the money that
B E R T J A N S E N , E D K R A A I J E N Z A N K
A notable aspect of Avebe’s strategy is
that the document formulates concrete
objectives in plain language. ‘’The last thing
we want is an unintelligible document that
ends up in a dusty old drawer’, explains Bert
Jansen, ‘what we do want is a concrete guide
for our day-to-day work.’ For the market,
Avebe makes an unequivocal choice for the
starch potato: ‘We extract everything to
be had from it’. And these days it contains
even more. Proteins have now become the
ingredient for many innovative products
and the focus has shifted from feed to food.
Safety, health & fitness and reducing
power consumption are key aims in the
sustainability area.
‘We’re now half-way through the ‘Binding
& Building’ period. In practice it’s often the
case that the results don’t become visible
until the end of the period. But fortunately
that’s different for us’, says Bert Jansen.
‘We’ve already made good progress, but
we’re not there yet.’ And it’s certainly true
that big steps have been taken in adding
value to protein from potatoes, reducing
power consumption and achieving
sustainability and health & fitness.
we pay the members for potatoes and the
net result come together in the bottom
line. Ed Kraaijenzank: ‘It’s our duty as a
cooperative to offer the members a degree
of income certainty; we have to help to
keep the farming sector in good shape’.
This choice appears to be bearing fruit, as
Avebe - after three years of highly varied
harvests - has been growing steadily.
The word ‘Binding’ in the strategy refers
to a property of starch, which works well
in soups and sauces, for instance. But
‘Binding’ in the strategy is interpreted more
broadly. ‘There used to be a bigger distance
between the members and Avebe’s
personnel. But these days Avebe is once
again becoming more and more a true
cooperative.
We haven’t taken any special measures to
achieve that - it’s about perfectly simple
things like being clear and consistent,
holding open days, having people visit
the plants, showing them all the products
we make. That results in a lot more
enthusiasm: and that’s what we mean
by Binding & Building.
Avebe has been following its strategy entitled ‘Binding & Building’ since the summer of 2013. The time has now come for an update, to review where Avebe is now. The strategy focuses on commercial choices: the choices of markets, products and investments in innovations. Another important element of the strategy is sustainability: what is Avebe’s position in the world, what does the cooperative do for its environment? Bert Jansen (CEO) and Ed Kraaijenzank (CFO) share their views on these issues.
The strategy builds on what we’re good at We are increasingly
becoming a true cooperative
5
is a guide for our day-to-day work
We invest substantially in things that add
value
A POSITIVE CRITICAL APPROACH
A N N U A L R E V I E W
The original idea of setting up a sales cooperative is still alive and kicking at Avebe. Combining forces as farmers makes it possible to create added value and strengthen our market position.
Translated into Avebe this means:
- Completely focusing on the potato
- A rewarding performance price
- A solid foundation for the
future, continuity
The strategic plan ‘Binding & Building’
makes a conscious choice for this approach
in all respects. Without descending into
complex financial details a choice has been
made to make the anticipated results visible
in the performance price. This is being
combined with the ongoing construction of
a healthy, fit and innovative company. The
Supervisory Board, which plays an important
role in approving the strategy, is in full
agreement with the direction and content of
the plan ‘Binding & Building’.
We are closely monitoring the
implementation in our supervisory
role. We focus on aspects including risk
management, cost control, the quality
of the organisation, the effectiveness of
innovations, continuous improvement of
day-to-day performance and of course
the financial side of things.
We believe that it is vital to ensure that
the company has an open culture towards
our customers, in which the interests of
member-shareholders and employees are
firmly anchored. A businesslike feeling of
community is appropriate to Avebe in the
spirit of the times.
The fact that Avebe is a healthy company
makes it possible to effectively pursue the
strategic plan. This offers good chances of
success but also calls for a positive critical
approach on the part of all stakeholders.
Complacency after all is a dangerous pitfall.
Together we get the best out of Avebe.
On behalf of the Supervisory
Board of Avebe,
Hans Hoekman, chairman.
Together we get the best out
of Avebe
S U P E R V I S O R Y B O A R D
7
AINSUSTABILITYSustainability occupies a central position in Avebe’s Binding & Building strategy. This is translated into concrete objectives regarding aspects such as safety, energy savings and reduced CO2 emissions and water consumption.
precondition for the future
But there’s more to sustainability than
these objectives alone, says member
of the board Johan Russchen. “Working
more sustainably is a precondition for
our future, it is a central element of
our strategy. Not just because we think
it’s important, but also because our
customers have become more likely to ask
about our sustainability performance. For
that reason we made a start in 2014/2015
with collecting sustainability data from the
cultivation records, for example.’
People, planet and profit form the core
of our sustainability strategy. This means
that Avebe sets out to take a responsible
approach to the environment (planet), to
treat its employees with due care (people),
but also that working more sustainably has
to contribute to the cooperative’s financial
result (profit).
Avebe has agreed on concrete sustainability
objectives in order to pursue this strategy.
“Measurable progress has been made
in areas such as safety, health & fitness
in 2014/2015. A lot of hard work is also
being done on the other objectives, such
as increasing the yield per hectare and
reducing water consumption.
OPTING FOR SUSTAINABLE ENERGY
Avebe is setting out to reduce its CO2 emission by 25% in 2018. That is good for the environment and for Avebe.
Avebe has switched to green electricity
for the locations where electricity is
purchased. These are the locations that
are not self-sufficient with their own
combined heat and power plants. In
2014 the production location Stadex
in Malmö, Sweden, switched to green
electricity, followed in 2015 by the
production locations in Luchow and
Dallmin in Germany and Foxhol in the
Netherlands. The head office of the Van
Linge laboratory in Veendam, cultivation
company Averis Seeds in Valthermond
and various silos also make use of
sustainable energy. The electricity
consumption is also made sustainable
by purchasing ‘Guarantees of Origin’,
based on European solar energy
certificates. The choice for solar energy
was made consciously: “Of all the
available options this one is the closest
in keeping with Avebe’s CSR objectives”,
says Erik Koops, Energy programme
manager. “With these measures we
better for the environmentand better for Avebe
A CONSIDERABLE ENERGY SAVING WITH SMART MEASURES
are reducing the annual CO2 emission by
approximately 45,000 tons. This is
about 12% of Avebe’s total CO2 emission.”
Steam and electricity are produced
using gas at the Ter Apelkanaal and
Gasselternijveen locations, which have
combined heat and power plants.
This combined production of electricity
and steam has a higher energy output
than producing them separately. This
considerably reduces the CO2 emission
Better for the environment, better
for Avebe.
Power consumption has been greatly reduced in Foxhol. The saving was achieved by making use of the heat generated at the location and organising the process more smartly.
A 25% power saving has been achieved in
Foxhol by using the pumps in the waste
water treatment system differently. This
modification was made without any extra
investment being required. Even more
power savings are being achieved by
investing in heat extraction.
A heat extraction system in the chimney
of the steam boiler in Foxhol has now
been taken into use. The boiler produces
steam for heating the production
processes at several factories at
the location.
The steam produced in the boiler is
now used elsewhere in the production
process. The heat extracted via a hot
water pipe is used to heat the air in the
drying equipment. This saves over
1 million cubic metres of gas a year.
A N N U A L R E V I E W
9
7%Achieved 2015
3%Achieved 2014
Agriculture18%Achieved 2015
2%Achieved 2014
Marketing trends17%Achieved 2015
7%Achieved 2014
Water
16%Achieved 2015
10%Achieved 2014
Systems52%Achieved 2015
40%Achieved 2014
Energy26%Achieved 2015
26%Achieved 2014
Safety
89%Achieved 2015
41,6%Achieved 2014
Health & fitness80%Achieved 2015
53%Achieved 2014
Social75%Achieved 2015
71%Achieved 2014
Logistics
Objective 2018: 15 tons of starch per hectare to be achieved in 25% of the acreage.
Objective 2018: Avebe is certified for relevant ISO standards.
Objective 2018: 25% less CO2 emission per ton of starch.
Objective 2018: An accident frequency index of less than 0.5.
Objective 2018: Sickness absence of less than 5%.
Objective 2018: Avebe is connected with its direct and indirect surroundings. Communication plans are in good order.
Objective 2018: The number of transport kilometres has been reduced by one million.
Objective 2018: All products to be given ecological profiles (carbon footprint).
Objective 2018: Reduced water intake for starch derivatives.
SUSTAINABILITYIN FIGURESR E S U L T
Avebe has translated its sustainability strategy into concrete objectives. This dashboard shows what progress has been made.
1 1
THE KITCHEN TABLE Farmers, operators, logistics workers and financial controllers: people make Avebe. Various people with various roles in the cooperative Avebe. Since the motto of our strategy is ‘Binding & Building’ we also explain the connection between the various stakeholders at Avebe. A farmer and three members of Avebe Young sat down together to talk about their work, their ambitions, their experiences and ideas.
The meeting was hosted by Jaap Lingbeek,
starch potato grower in Nieuwe Pekela and
member of Avebe. He has put out coffee, tea
and cake on the kitchen table. As is often
the case with our farmers, he took over the
farm from his parents. This was traditionally
a combined farm with stockbreeding
and arable farming, but his grandfather
decided to concentrate on arable farming.
Jaap Lingbeek now grows starch potatoes,
sugar beets, grain and Amsterdam onions.
He appreciates the membership of the
cooperative for the stability and certainty
it provides: ‘Avebe is guaranteed the raw
product, we’re guaranteed our income:
we need each other.”
The visitors are members of Avebe Young,
in which employees up to the age of
thirty-five have united. The aim: to learn
and develop together. ‘It’s sometimes the
case that employees have little knowledge
of what happens in other departments
and at other locations. Just consider for
example the activities of Averis Seeds in
Valthermond, where the new varieties
come from. That’s why we regularly
organise ‘looks behind the scenes’ to make
the young employees aware of the chain
as a whole and gain an insight into each
other’s professional fields - that’s what
Binding & Building is all about’, according
to the Avebe Young delegation.
The following Avebe Young representatives
are at the table: Birthe Balster, commercial
controller, who has worked at Avebe for
two years; Thomas Koetje, AMF operator
in Ter Apelkanaal, and at Avebe for three
years; Mark Leenheer, Logistics manager
in Gasselternijveen, and at Avebe for
five years.
Whatever you do, whoever you are at
Avebe, you work directly or indirectly on
achieving the best possible performance
price for the growers. The aim is to achieve
a performance price of ninety euros a
ton of potatoes. What is Avebe doing to
achieve this ambition? Operator Thomas
Koetje kicks off: ‘I think that Solanic’s a
good example: a protein that can be used
in human food. That yields a lot more and
I N T E R V I E W
‘We all share the same objective: the best possible performance price’
Different people, different roles
also savings energy.’ Birthe Balster adds:
‘Innovation’s an important factor, with new
products we as Avebe create more value.
We’re also aiming to reduce complaints
throughout the organisation: looking for
ways of reducing the number of products
that fail to meet expectations.’ Mark
Leenheer points out the importance of
efficient processes at the plants. He
regards this as ‘a technical challenge
with a human factor’.
Now that the members of Avebe Young
have explained how they regard their
contribution to the performance price,
Birthe Balster would like to know what
the growers are doing to save costs.
Jaap Lingbeek is quick to respond with
a number of points. ‘We’re carrying out
plot-based research into crop protection:
we’ve taken an advice system into use that
answers the question: ‘Do I have to spray
against phytophthora now or can I wait a
few days? We’re also setting out to produce
as much starch as possible per hectare by
carefully selecting varieties and optimally
fertilising potatoes. Nature remains the
least certain factor, that’s beyond our
control.’
Jaap Lingbeek welcomes Avebe’s current
strategy. ‘Previously the situation was
always changing, but the course is now
clear. That’s a good basis for confidence.
We have every right to be proud of a
cooperative like Avebe.’ He believes that
Avebe has more potential when it comes
to adding value to potato protein on the
market for human food. That gives certainty
for his crop growing plan and his income
position. This has become even more
important to him now that he has reason
to believe that his son of twelve will want to
take over the farm when the time comes.
‘During the harvest season he even leaves
school early because he feels that he needs
to help dad to dig up the potatoes’, laughs
Lingbeek.
Put simply, Avebe is on the right track. Jaap
Lingbeek: ‘The course is clear, the lines of
communication to the grower are short,
you know where you stand, and that gives
confidence for the future.
Farmer Jaap Lingbeek in conversation with three members of Avebe Young
With new products we create
added value
Everyone works on an optimum
performance price
A N N U A L R E V I E W
1 3
performance price over 5 years
potato money
subsequent payment and return
total paid
unallocated result
PERFORMANCE PRICE
performance price for 19% starch
71.27
1.77
73.04
2.45
75.07
72.54
2.26
74.80
2.56
77.36
63.91
5.44
69.35
7.59
76.94
57.76
4.45
62.21
5.11
67.32
2013/14 2012/13 2011/12 2010/11
73.32
1.88
75.20
3.21
78.41
2014/15
remains4%Sickness absence
solvencygroupcapital
borrowedcapital
solvency
totalcapital
2012/132013/14
195 192.3
200.3 244.0
49.3% 44.1%
395.3 436.3
2014/15
199.6
230.6
46.4%
430.2including provisions
number of employees
2010/11 1361 14.2 % 85.8 %
2011/12 1352 14.7 % 85.3 %
2012/13 1308 14.9 % 85.1 %
2013/14 1311 15.1 % 84.9 %
2014/15 1314 17.9 % 82.1 %
Averagenumber of
percentagefemale
percentagemale
ACCIDENTS FREQUENCY
1/08 2014
1/08 2015
THE NUMBER OF ACCIDENTS
EMPLOYEESIN WHICH ADOCTOR WAS CONSULTED
PER 10002.0 1.6
OUR AIM 0.5
POWER CONSUMPTION
ACHIEVED UP TO AND INCLUDING 2014/15
11% less CO2€ 3.1M lower energy costs
25%€6M
OUR AIM2017/2018CO2 REDUCTION
LOWERENERGY COSTS
AVEBEIN FIGURESR E S U L T
Achieving good returns per hectare starts with high quality starting material. The quest for new varieties that are resistant to diseases and yield a lot of starch calls for and is given a lot of attention. Avebe has a subsidiary that is dedicated to high quality seed potatoes and new varieties: Averis Seeds.
Henk Folkers, production manager,
explains the developments in the
cultivation of new varieties. ‘We’ve had
a programme for determining the value
of varieties for a number of years’, says
Henk Folkers. ‘This makes it possible for
new varieties to flourish more quickly
than in the previous situation. One big
difference: we involve the growers in the
process sooner. After all, they’re the ones
who work with the new varieties and the
seed potatoes. We would like to use the
experiences of the growers for this: that is
of great value to us. Especially in the final
stage of the selection process.’
Averis Seeds has its own test fields, but
they are similar to laboratories. There is no
test that gives results that are as reliable
as the practical situation in the growers’
fields. Another innovation is found in the
procedure. Up until recently the cultivation
process was as follows. ‘You looked for two
crossing parents with the right properties,
crossed them, and then planted the seeds.
All of the tubers went to the field, and from
the third year it was possible to determine
the resistance and yield situation.
These days we get that information
sooner. We take a piece of leaf from each
young plant and subject it to certain
DNA technologies. We’re now able to
test for resistance as soon as in the first
generation. That is an important time
gain.’ This makes the selection process
faster and more efficient, and we gain
better insight into the added value of
a new variety.
The experience of the growers
is of great value to us
AVERIS SEEDSfaster progress with new high quality varieties
1 5
In July and August several open days were held in Avebe’s work area. One of them was the Field Day in Krautze in the Prignitz-Wendland region. Avebe has two facilities in this region (Dallmin and Luchow) at which potatoes are processed into potato starch, fibres and starch derivatives.
The field day was all about the cultivation
of starch potatoes and the cultivation
technique, and attracted over 400
visitors. A lot of attention was paid to
the varieties of the various cultivation
companies. Visitors gained a clear
image of the alternatives offered by
modern starch potato varieties, such as
those in the area of nematodes, mould
and bacterial diseases. As well as this
comparison of varieties ample attention
was paid to fertilisation and farming
technology. In a collaborative effort with
Maschinenring Lüchow a wide range of
modern machinery was put on display,
including stone removers, machines
for administering minerals and organic
fertilisers and mechanical weed removal.
The day was completed with a harvest
demonstration with two different
digging machines.
successful field day prignitz-wendland
Avebe at Agriculture Expo Vlagtwedde
Avebe and the Agro team and Averis attended
the Agriculture Expo in Vlagtwedde for the first
time in July. This presented an opportunity for
many parties such as members, suppliers and
colleagues to acquaint themselves with our
new corporate identity. There was also news
about varieties: we presented the variety Avito,
which is resistant to phytophthora. A small
demo field was made at the expo site especially
for this purpose.
The Agriculture Expo in Vlagtwedde is the trade
fair in the North of the Netherlands and is held
on a site of more than seven hectares. Suppliers
in the farming sector, agriculture and cattle
farming, earthworks, agricultural mechanisation
and contract work presented their products and
services at this three-day fair.
New trucks with Euro 6 engine on their way to Avebe. With effect from the 2015 harvest half of the trucks used to transport potatoes will have a Euro 6 engine.
more sustainable transport for avebeThis Euro 6 engine reduces NOx
(nitrogen) emissions by as much as
97%. During the past financial year
Avebe has made clear agreements on
this in its contracts with the haulage
companies. The strategy also includes
a concrete objective for reducing CO2
emissions. Avebe attaches importance
to producing sustainably. Potato
transport is an important factor here.
The first trucks with the Euro 6 engine
were taken into use in 2013. Half of
the trucks are now equipped with
this type of engine. The other trucks
are at least Euro 5 or EEV (Enhanced
Environmentally Friendly Vehicle).
Avebe and its transporters have thus
taken big steps towards meeting their
environmental objectives.
1 7
Avebe is setting out to help its members to improve the returns in the fields. In some of the test fields we’ve achieved as much as 15 tons of starch per hectare. That rarely happens in practice. But that isn’t the point: ‘This is certainly a dot on the horizon. We’re reflecting the ideal situation in practice in order to find out how to improve the growing process’, says Jans Klok, who is responsible for the project aimed at improving returns (20-15-10).
J A N S K L O K
to improve returns
EVERYTHING TO HELP THE GROWER
‘With potatoes you only get one chance
a year, you can only get it right or wrong
once’, adds Jans Klok. That immediately
underlines the importance of an
optimisation programme. How does a
programme like this work? Which choices
are made from the variables that the
growers face, such as the quality of the
seed potatoes, crop protection, nutrition
and soil? Avebe has a clear focus: ‘In
this project we focus primarily on the
cultivation aspect, the actions taken by
the grower, says Jans Klok.
The growers can join study groups,
together with ten to twelve other
growers. ‘They share each other’s
knowledge and experience and learn
from each other’. Avebe also organises a
number of Open Days each year so that
the growers can take a look at the test
fields. Here too, possible improvements
are shown. Finally, there are four account
managers as a point of contact and
source of information for the growers.
It all starts with the quality of the seed
potatoes. How vital is the tuber that we
plant? Partner PPO examines diseases
and plagues, and the number of buds
per plant. During the course of the year
we look at whether the plants come
up at the same time, counts are made
and the yield is determined. We know
for example that for an optimum yield
three tons of starch per hectare already
have to be produced by 1 July. The yield
measurement is repeated on
1 September. On exactly the same
day, so that the grower can objectively
compare his yield with that of other
participants, a benchmark. Some of the
knowledge that the grower needs for
optimum returns is not new. But not all
of the available knowledge is used every
day in practice’, says Jans Klok. There is
room for improvement on that point.
Not all of the available knowledge is
used in practice
It is certainly a dot on the
horizon
A market-driven organisation: what does that mean in practice? Malin Morin explains. In her role as Innovation Sales Manager she keeps close tabs on the food market, speaking every day to customers around the world. One of the most important insights she has to offer is this: ‘There’s no sense in launching a new product if our clients don’t want it. It’s important to be driven by the customer wants and needs’.
be anything between six month and six years,
although we strive to make it happen as soon
as possible’.
Malin is in complete agreement with and
supports Avebe’s pay off, ‘Innovation by
Nature’. ‘The potato is a superb natural
product, and it’s in our nature to be creative
and innovative. I’m amazed every day by all
the things that can be done with potatoes.’
The way she sees it, innovation benefits from
a good balance between two things: Avebe
has a strategy that serves as a guide for the
long term on the one hand, whilst on the
other the organisation is able to respond at
lightning speed to its customers’ wishes and
requirements.
Avebe has plenty of opportunities in many
market segments. ‘We can use starches and
proteins to help food manufacturers develop
good quality and affordable food, but also at
the high end, where unique properties such
as indulgent health and “free-from” claims are
being supported.
Some of today’s buzzwords are ‘natural,
healthy and less processed’. Avebe can gain
when people opt for more natural products
and vegan alternatives. ‘It is vital that we
understand what the consumer wants, both
now and in the near future. That’s the key to
what our customers need.’
Avebe claims ‘Innovation by nature’. But
how exactly do innovations, ideas for new
products, come about? This is done in two
principal ways, says Malin. ‘There are people
at Avebe who often come up with brilliant
ideas, and at the same time, there are
customers who can tell us what they need
in terms of new directions to grow their own
business. These are the two main trigger
points for innovation. The bright ideas are
then studied, evaluated, tested and tailored
to see whether existing products of Avebe
can contribute, or if new products must
be created. Sometimes existing products
can be tweaked to bring new performance
characteristics. We need to be careful to
check at every stage that the idea we are
developing has good commercial potential.
Avebe sells starch derivatives and proteins,
but it is very important that we market our
products to the customer as “solutions
to problems” or “new application ideas”
rather than simply powders. We target
many segments in the food business where
our products such as soups & sauces,
confectionary, snacks, meat and dairy
have strong benefits. For example we
are explaining to food manufacturers how
Avebe products can help them to make
end-products more healthy with better
textures or just more affordable for the
end consumer.
Our vision on selling innovation for food
segments is translated into how the sales
department is organised: As we have
ambitious strategic targets related to sales
of innovative products and solutions derived
from the bright ideas, we have put dedicated
resources to this task in order to increase the
speed and scale of success. Regular product
sales, supporting the existing business
and supporting customer derived business
development also requires a lot of time and
energy; we separate the two areas because
the approach to the customer is different and
we intent to get the best overall result.
We operate at the cutting edge of Research
& Development, Marketing and Sales.
That makes it possible for customers and
researchers to inspire each other to come
up with ideas for new products. And that’s
what makes the difference between success
and failure. Developing and selling new
innovations takes time and patience; the
time between sowing and harvesting ‘can
I N T E R V I E W
I’m amazed every day by all the
things that can be done with potatoes
AVEBE SELLS SOLUTIONSmore than starch and protein
A N N U A L R E V I E W
1 9
Like our members, we have been committed to the Northern Netherlands region as an employer for many years. We believe as a matter of course that everyone has qualities and value. We do what we can to offer suitable work for as many people in the region as possible.
The government introduced the
Participation Act on 1-1-2015. The purpose
of this is to encourage employers to take
on people who find it difficult to find jobs
owing to a disability. Avebe needed no
encouragement here, because since 2012
we have been making arrangements for
operators at the Foxhol location to be
helped with the cleaning work by people from
this target group. We are currently considering
where more opportunities such as these can
be created throughout the whole of Avebe.
Our commitment in this area has not gone
unnoticed by politicians. The State Secretary
responsible for this is due to pay us a visit to
see in person how we go about this.
The operator, the forklift truck driver, the laboratory technician and of course the farmer: everyone is valuable to Avebe, everyone puts their shoulder to the wheel to help us meet our objectives. And it has to stay that way if possible: these days we all have to carry on working until we’re 67. For that reason a lot of hard work is done on health & fitness at Avebe, on how we can set off cheerfully to work and return home in a good mood too. After all, if the people do well, Avebe does well too.
‘It’s not just a question of whether you eat
an apple a day’, says Giena Klaassens, who is
responsible for HRM operations at Avebe. ‘It
also has to do with getting the most out of your
work. There are three pillars: Competence,
Drive and Health’.
1. Competent – Are you good at your work? Do
you possess the knowledge and skills that
enable you to do your work properly?
2. Driven – do you enjoy your work? Does it
energise you? Are you enthusiastic about
what you do?
3. Health: do you feel fit, and have you got a lot
of energy? Are you happy?
‘Creating job satisfaction, that’s something
that employers and employees have to do
together’, says Giena Klaassens. ‘The best thing
is if employees themselves come up with ideas
and take initiatives. People can indicate what
they need to stay fit & healthy, and Avebe will
support them wherever possible.’ The first
initiatives have already been taken, and Giena
Klaassens is pleased about that. ‘There is a
group of colleagues who come to work by bike
every day, many Avebe people take part in
Groningen’s 4 Mile running event, and others
have decided to give up smoking. Fantastic.’
The employees are on the right track, and so
is Avebe. Various initiatives have been taken
to help employees continue to develop in
their work to help them in their efforts to
achieve health & fitness. ‘We’ve appointed
health & fitness coaches who are coming
to see whether the workplaces are healthy
and safe’, says Giena Klaassens. ‘Also, a
web portal has been opened to provide a
lot of information about sleep, eating and
exercise. And of course the Health Bus is
on the road again. I hope that many Avebe
people will come on board.’
EVERYONE IS VALUABLEGet the most out of your work
The best thing is when Avebe
people themselves take the
initiative
On the right track: health & fitness coach,
Health Bus and web portal
AVEBE NATURALLY COMMITTED ALSO TO PEOPLE UNDER THE PARTICIPATION ACT
H E A L T H & F I T N E S S
A N N U A L R E V I E W
ONLY TOGETHER CAN WE MEET OUR OBJECTIVES
E D I T H R O M P
Safety, complaint reduction & energy
EVERYONE HAS TO
TAKE THEIR responsibility
2 3
Steam is used, forklift trucks drive around the site and hazardous substances are stored. But the biggest threat to safety, says Ter Apelkanaal location director Edith Romp, is formed by old habits: ‘The best results are achieved if people have safe behaviour in their DNA.’ Safety, but also complaint reduction and energy savings are spearhead policies at Avebe. ‘There is a clear link between working safely and working well, and this prevents complaints and lowers costs.’
Avebe is a company with a long history.
Working for Avebe is sometimes virtually
passed down from father to son’, says
Edith Romp. ‘There’s a lot of trust, there
are people who have worked here for more
than thirty years. They’re used to working
in a certain way, and they sometimes
wonder why things suddenly have to be
done differently.’
How safety is experienced has come
to occupy a different position in recent
decades. ‘It’s important that you get home
safe and sound after work. Important to
you, your family, your friends and your
colleagues’, says Edith Romp. How do you
achieve that? A process has been started
to increase safety awareness. Machinery,
systems and procedures play an important
role in this; they have to be right.
Does that mean that safety is mainly a
technical matter? No, replies Edith Romp.
‘It’s above all a question of attitude and
behaviour. It’s about how you work and
how you cooperate. Confronting each
other on unsafe behaviour, learning from
each other. Confronting each other isn’t
easy. We sometimes hear someone say: “...
but I wasn’t taken on here as a policeman
was I?”. But not protecting your colleagues
and yourself against dangerous situations
at work isn’t macho, it’s stupid. We have
to make it easier to talk about safety. That
why time has been set aside for talks
about safety: ten minutes a day at each
department. Safety inspections are also
carried out every day, because ‘we have to
make sure that people get safety in their
DNA’, believes Edith Romp. ‘We work with
people, and this takes time.’
It’s clear that Edith Romp puts people
first when it comes to safety. But she
emphasises that there is also an economic
aspect to unsafe situations. Every incident
costs money, it’s as simple as that. Extra
activities are always needed, such as
repairs, interruptions, process restarts,
and so on. And then there’s the possibility
of products that fail to meet customer
requirements. And that can lead to
complaints.
Edith Romp stresses the point that most
of the complaints are less to do with
the product specifications, because
everything is completely checked
before delivery. So what do customers
complain about? About the packings,
and sometimes dirt in the container.
‘We have to take a very close look at
our logistics, packings and transport’,
she concludes. Avebe wants satisfied
customers and is taking a vigorous
approach to reducing complaints. The
cooperative has a programme manager,
and the locations have teams that
working on reducing complaints. They
are multidisciplinary teams; all relevant
people and departments are represented:
logistics, production, procurement
and commerce. The teams analyse the
complaints, identify the causes and make
an action plan to eliminate the causes of
complaints. Progress is discussed in the
Ter Apelkanaal Management Team once
a quarter. Another spearhead in Avebe’s
strategy is energy, or to be more precise,
reducing energy consumption. Edith Romp
is completely honest about this: ‘The Ter
Apelkanaal site is currently not meeting
the objectives. This has to do with the
availability of manpower. We all have to
make choices now: what are we going to
work on, and when? Calling in experts
doesn’t always help: hiring people from
outside only solves part of the problem.
Ultimately you always come back to your
own people’.
But the first steps have now been taken at
this location in Ter Apelkanaal. An action
plan has been drawn up for the coming
year. ‘We use a great deal of steam, and
recycling heat could result in a huge saving.
That will involve installing heat exchangers.
Once they’ve been taken into use we’ll be
making a substantial contribution to the
energy saving objective’.
The first steps towards energy
savings have been taken
Complaints are never about the specifications,
because everything’s
completely checked
It’s important that you get home
safe and sound after work
This annual review was commissioned by Avebe and is sent to all members and employees of Avebe.
The complete annual report can be downloaded at www.avebe.com.
A hard copy of the full annual report can be obtained from your account manager
or via [email protected]. Cooperative AVEBE U.A. Veendam
The figures given in this annual review are an extract from the financial statements published
during the members’ meeting on December 16th 2015.
