Interview with three employees of the SEKISUI family: Paul Franssen, Josep Ribera and Lesley Hill

Interview with Paul Franssen

Please give a brief presentation of yourself and your role within SEKISUI Alveo.

My name is Paul Franssen. I came to SEKISUI Alveo in 1974. To be honest, I started working here together with 12 other people of whom Riny van de Venne is also still working here. Probably she will be in the newsletter someday as the first employee working here for 50 years. During my career, I went through several departments such as production, fabrication and logistics in a variety of positions. Now I am working as Senior Product Administrator at the production office. I assume, and I’m very optimistic about that, SEKISUI will persist for decades. It’s a perfect firm and I have always been working here with pleasure.

What does a typical work day as Senior Product Administrator look like?

On a typical work day, we collect all the production data and we check the production figures of the last 24 hours. If needed, we correct them. The better the operators work, the less we will have to do. We also archive the production data. In case the managers are looking for some information we are always able to show him the corresponding file. Furthermore, we assist the operators to do a good job by providing them with information about operation data.

From a personal perspective, can you remember any difficult times you had to go through within the company?

Recalling to my work at the logistic department which lasts about 10 years, I had a perfect time. Two years later I had a burnout which results in three months at home. This was the worst period I have ever had at SEKISUI. So I talked to the HR Manager and we decided to find a new workplace for me in the sample department. I felt better and was so happy again. That is one of the reasons why I really like this company. If you have a problem, no matter what kind, they will always help you in solving it. But you have to be upfront in order to solve the problems together.

SEKISUI emphasizes strong social and environmental responsibility. What kind of measures is SEKISUI Alveo actually taking to implement CSR activities in its daily operations?

SEKISUI Alveo is continuously working on the reduction of energy usage. We also want to make a contribution to the nature by building a fish pond and a butterfly garden. In addition, SEKISUI is taking social responsibility by contributing to the Alpe d’Huzes. This is a Dutch initiative to collect money for the KWF, the official national initiative in the Netherlands for the fight against cancer. Once a year, we take part in the National clean-up Day in the nature. On that specific day we go into the forest next to our company and clean-up, remove dead branches and so on.

SEKISUI Alveo is working ambitiously to improve production processes and to develop innovative products. What will be the special challenges in the near future?

When I see how much we are producing at SEKISUI Alveo, I often ask myself “Where is all the foam going to?”. I fear, that there will be a time where the market is oversaturated. Producing innovative products, that may be used in many other areas, will be the biggest challenge for SEKISUI Alveo in the future.

Which SEKISUI subsidiary would you like to visit and why?

I was always interested in the Japanese culture. Especially the food, I love sushi. That’s why I would like to visit Musashi. I heard a lot about it but up to now I haven’t had the chance to find out more about it face-to-face. I would be so proud getting some day the opportunity to visit Japan.

What have you always wanted to say to your team?

I worked with several teams in the past 42 years. Always to my satisfaction. I have always said what I wanted to say because I am used to communicate with people.
But what i will say when I leave the company will be a bigger problem. I often think about what would be my last words. For me, this will be very difficult. Because I don’t like saying goodbye. So I can’t really answer this question. I do not know what I am going to say. Maybe I will be overwhelmed with emotion so that I will be not able to talk. We will see. I told my friends and colleagues, and they laughed at me, the day when I will close my locker for the last time and go out of the gate, I think I will cry.

Interview with Josep Ribera 

Please give a brief presentation of yourself and the function you fill within Sekisui Specialty Chemicals Europe (SSCE).

I am Josep Ribera. My background is in chemical engineering and I also have a master’s degree in Occupational Safety, Industrial Hygiene and Ergonomics. I am looking back on 14 years of experience in chemicals and the oil and gas industry, also in construction projects. At Sekisui Specialty Chemicals Europe, I am working as Process Safety Engineer.

When did you start working at SSCE?

I started working here in April 2016. Previously I worked in Saudi Arabia on a big construction project but at the beginning of the year, I got the chance to come back home and to work for SEKISUI in Tarragona.

What does a typical work day as Process Safety Engineer look like?

As a Process Safety Engineer it is my job to ensure the safety of the production equipments by avoiding any kind of incident, accident or property damage concerning installations.

Sekisui Specialty Chemicals Europe is working ambitiously to improve production processes and to develop innovative products. What will be the special challenges in the near future?

Concerning production, we need to accelerate the development of products in order to upgrade the product portfolio of SSCE. In addition to that, we have to work continuously on the improvement of the quality to ensure, that we deliver the best products to our customers. These are the main objectives for the near future, I would say.

As of late, SEKISUI offers a number of collective activities like the Environment Day, Eco Summit or the Football Tournament. What do you think about those activities? 

These activities offer the great opportunity to meet other employees, I like that very much. In October, I will take part in the SEKISUI Football Tournament here in Tarragona. I am looking forward to it and we will see what happens.

How did you experience your first days at SSCE? 

I was really impressed about how I was received by the colleagues. They were so nice to me and everybody was willing to help and to support me. And I must say, that this collegial behaviour has continued up to the present day. I am working in a relatively small team; everybody knows each other – just like a family.

If you had the chance to pose a question to SEKISUI’s top management, what would you ask?

Maybe it is not a question, but I would ask the SEKISUI top management to trust in the employees in Tarragona and to invest in Sekisui Specialty Chemicals Europe in Tarragona. Although we are a relatively small team here, there is a high potential for new developments.

Interview with Lesley Hill 

Please give a brief presentation of yourself and the function you fill within SEKISUI Diagnostics.

My name is Lesley Hill and I am working in quality assurance as a QA Compliance Supervisor. I have a team of two people and we look after quality and compliance issues in the manufacture and distribution of SEKISUI Diagnostic products. This encompasses review of batch records, release of products, deviations, CAPAs, internal auditing and working with Regulatory for our IVD products. We ensure that the quality system to ISO9001:2008 and ISO13485:2003 is maintained and review and approve all procedures.

We work with all the different functions at SEKISUI Diagnostics. We are also involved in supplier auditing for our critical suppliers and customer audits. We get involved early in the R&D project teams for the introduction of new products ensuring that potential quality issues are addressed.

What did you do before promotion? What is the difference between the two roles?

The main difference is I am now looking after a small team of people in terms of supervision and performance review. Before I was a QA Compliance Specialist and the team reported directly to the Director of Quality.

What does a typical work day as QA Compliance Supervisor look like?

It is very varied which makes the role diverse and interesting. Issues may have occurred in terms of manufacturing the day or night shift before which become a high priority. The plan needs to be flexible and the team responsive to issues.

What do you like about working for SEKISUI Diagnostics? 

I enjoy the challenge of the job and the change from QA Compliance within Pharma to Diagnostics. I have got a broader exposure to quality issues at SEKISUI Diagnostics and a wider role to fulfil.

What do you see as SEKISUI Diagnostics’ biggest success story so far?

From an SDB perspective the continuing supply of the Modification Enzymes to Genzyme with very few quality issues over the past few years is a big success story.

The distribution agreement with Abbott for the CP3000 instrument and reagents has also opened up a whole new area of opportunity for SEKISUI Diagnostics.

If you had the decisional power, what would you do differently relating to your department?

We need to continue to improve communication across departments. I would prefer greater exchange of information so that everybody is well informed.

SEKISUI Diagnostics is working ambitiously to improve production processes and to develop innovative products. What will be the special challenges in the near future?

For SEKISUI Diagnostics it will be very important to work on the improvement of the existing products. We are working with a lot of older biological processes so you need to pick out certain parameters which could be improved.

From a personal perspective, what are your goals for the future?

I would like to gain more experience in supervising and more insight into different areas. I am very interested in auditing for example, because it is a key part of quality compliance. My personal goal is to become Quality Manager sometime in the future.

If you had the chance to pose a question to SEKISUI’s top management, what would you ask?

I would like to ask how they plan to bring together all the diverse cultures within the companies across the world and how they can unify them.