Peter Rikken was president of the EPP until two years ago, a position he held for eight years. From Meilink he has been associated with the EPP in administrative roles for more than 12 years. Two company visits took place on Thursday 12 October, including one to Meilink Schijndel, and various business sessions were planned for the conference delegates on Friday 13 October. Meilink in Schijndel received 60 guests twice for the company visit. Visitors came from all over Europe as well as the USA and Canada, and Peter gave a presentation about the entire Meilink organization. Dennis Groesbeek, new director of Meilink Schijndel, specifically discussed Meilink and IPS and the special cooperation they have in the high-tech region of Eindhoven. This was followed by the extensive tour in six groups.
The importance of international bonding
Peter Rikken: "The woodworking industry in the Netherlands and in the rest of Europe operates in a somewhat fragmented way and is not organized to the maximum extent. Especially for our joint sustainability agenda, it is important to seek and find bonding and a higher degree of organization together under the international umbrella of FEFPEB."
Optimized for lean
Prior to the company visit, Dennis Groesbeek together with Ruud Sweelssen, Lean manager within Meilink and all employees, carried out a drastic action in the production halls based on the lean principle 5S. The proud employees of Meilink Schijndel presented a tiptop branch. The reactions of the visitors were particularly enthusiastic. People were impressed by the level at which Meilink Schijndel designs and produces packaging.
