A day at work with our operational manager, dennis zwinkels

Where does your passion for horticulture come from?
I was born as a grower's son in Westland. A dynamic sector, where other matters besides cultivation are increasingly important. After finishing my pre-university education, I therefore opted for a technical education (HBO Mechanical Engineering) because the technology in horticulture was also becoming more and more important.

Work experience
After that, I gained a lot of technical and organisational work experience at various employers. I started as a project manager at a company that installs harvesting systems for growers worldwide. At a contractor, I was responsible for setting up the technical system branch. I also worked at an international greenhouse construction company, where, in addition to my position as operational manager, I also travelled a lot to supervise projects.

Self-development
In 2019, I had given myself time to see what I actually wanted to do with all this technical and organisational knowledge. I worked in different industries for a year and took the time to speak to different people. That is how I also came into contact with Olsthoorn. Due to the growth of the company, they were able to make good use of technical/organisational support and thus the position of Operational Manager was created. The aim is to improve the current internal processes, relieve the workload of the people in the office and thus work more efficiently for the customer.

Getting started at Olsthoorn Greenhouse Projects!
I have started the quotation and calculation process. Together, we looked at how this could be done simpler, clearer and, ultimately, more efficient for everyone. By sharing our experiences, we often come up with good new ideas that suit Olsthoorn. We have also implemented them to everyone's satisfaction.  

Troubleshooter
Some time ago, a customer in Scandinavia had technical problems with the glass. We went here with a colleague, to see for ourselves what the problem was. Together with the customer and the Olsthoorn team, we thought about the best solution. Of course, we could opt for an easy solution, but we went for the best long-term solution. A few weeks later, I went to Sweden with the construction crew to actually resolve this technical problem. This 'mucking in' may not be part of my job description, but it is necessary to see all sides and it is also educational and fun to do. This way, you stay involved in practical matters, which only benefits the processes in the office.

Planning
I am currently working on the planning. All projects are worked out, so the workshop knows what needs to be prepared and the construction team can get to work on the construction site. In this case too, we are looking at what can be done better, easier and more efficiently within this process. 

Corporate culture
These are tough processes and change is expected from colleagues. But what is so nice at Olsthoorn is that everyone is open to this and that all colleagues come up with their own ideas. This improves the workload for everyone and the processes are more efficient, which ultimately is good for our employees, but also valuable for our customers!