Get acquainted with… Martien Bijl

In this edition of 'Get acquainted with...' we introduce Martien Bijl to you. He is one of the seniors or as he says himself 'he is part of the furniture'. Martien has been with us since June 1989. Next year he will be working with us for 25 years.

Martien is 56 years of age and lives with great pleasure in the Westland coastal village called Monster. He likes to work in and around the house and to repair everything himself as much as possible. Martien is also an avid Formula 1 viewer and never misses a match of 'his club' Feyenoord. So, he likes to watch sports. "But I do not play sports myself, I already exercise all day at Snijpunt", Martien says laughing. He does love beach fishing and is thinking of taking it up again.

Food Safety

Martien's years of experience make him very versatile. One of his main responsibilities is in food safety and the corresponding BRC certification. "With the team, we have managed to achieve the highest AA-grade BRC certification. A great achievement, but maintaining it is even better." He is therefore happy to put his shoulders to the wheel for that.

Freedom and trust

"At Snijpunt no two days are the same." That variation along with the contact with his colleagues is what Martien likes most about his job. "I also enjoy the trust I am given to take on things within the company myself. I have become the eyes and ears of the company. If I see that things need to be done, I grab them with both hands."

What Martien likes best is when he is asked to get into the car to "just" take a few boxes away to a customer. "I love it! I am helping the customer and my colleagues by doing something I enjoy, and which gives me a sense of freedom".

From the start

Martien used to work for bell pepper grower Karel Vromans, who later started Snijpunt with Marco Romein. When Martien was asked to join Snijpunt, he never hesitated for a moment. "And I never left", Martien proudly tells us. The circle seemed complete as Martien had worked in a small cutting kitchen of a supermarket before he started working in the bell pepper business.

Values

In our canteen, the core values can be read on the wall. "Cooperation, positivity, reliability, respect and continuous improvement", Martien knows them by heart. "Not so difficult, because these are values that I stand behind 100 percent. As a person and therefore also in my profession."

Growth of the company

In recent years Martien has witnessed the tremendous growth of the company. "I enjoy the developments and the growth of the company. It is quite bizarre to think that we have grown from 7,000 to 9,000 kilos a week to sometimes weeks of up to 200,000 kilos!"

The foundation of this, according to Martien, is the enormous team spirit in the old days. The time when the week was ended on Friday afternoon with a beer in the canteen. "When the phone rang and a rush order had to be sent out, we all put our shoulders to the wheel, including management. No was never an answer. That is what made us this successful!”