Annemarie Jorna - COO, Royal Koopmans
When Royal Koopmans crossed paths with Annemarie Jorna (42) about three years ago, she wasn't actually looking for a new challenge. Jorna, who became the Chief Operational Officer of the Leeuwarden grain specialist in May 2021, fell in love with this innovative family business instantly after a tour.
Annemarie Jorna - COO
Pioneers in grain - that's how Royal Koopmans describes itself since 1846. And rightly so, according to COO Annemarie Jorna. While much has changed within the organization over more than 175 years, pioneering and grain remain two essential ingredients. "Freedom, entrepreneurship, and room for initiative are important concepts at Koopmans that ensure we progress, grow, and remain future-proof," says Jorna.
How did you end up at Royal Koopmans and what was your first impression?
"I have a background in business administration and have almost always worked in the food industry. I worked at FrieslandCampina for ten years in various roles, including as Manager QC, Plant manager, and Program manager supply chain. In between, I was a Lean manager at Douwe Egberts, and before joining Koopmans, I was a Plant director at Accell. During that last period, I realized I missed the food industry. For the role of COO at Royal Koopmans, I got in touch with Albert-Mark Nagel from Nomilk2day, where the job opening was listed. The smells and sounds of the factory felt like coming home."
What kind of leader are you and how does that manifest?
"The roles I have held over the years became more generic, with my strength lying in creating strong (management) teams, making performance visible, and establishing structure and standards. At Koopmans, I was given the freedom to work on that. Regarding leadership style, I often receive feedback that I provide trust and space. I set norms and boundaries, and within that framework, someone can operate. I set high standards, am not easily satisfied, but I like to act as a sparring partner to close circles. Furthermore, we are very lean. With around 150 employees, we supply to major players, both nationally and internationally. This is impressive because the factory's operations are quite complex. We must constantly adapt to the environment in which we operate, which requires a lot. Stakeholder management, effective communication, transparency, standardization: these are components that must be well-aligned to perform. I make that clear and expect the same from the team. We need to perform at a Champions League level to meet market demands."
In May 2024, you will have been with the company for three years. What developments are you particularly proud of?
"I started here during the pandemic and noticed a lack of connection between sales and operations. I really felt like: here's the factory and there's the office. The primary processes were also disjointed, so there was work to be done both emotionally and in terms of processes. We addressed this, including through work sessions and mapping out processes such as order and product development. By consistently focusing on Continuous Improvement, there is now more peace and stability in production, resulting in fewer disruptions. Additionally, a master plan has been established, with significant investments planned for the next three years. Relevant to the Koopmans Food Ingredients department is the acquisition of a new mixer. This will optimize our mixing capacity and make us even more flexible."
You are partly responsible for the business unit Koopmans Food Ingredients (KFI), where several changes have been implemented. What were some of these changes? And what has been the effect?
“The previously mentioned optimization of internal processes has had an effect on KFI. We have our OEE reports in order, which stands for Overall Equipment Effectiveness. By automating that process, we can see exactly how a line is running. Operators will soon have to do less manual administration. In addition to reducing malfunctions, this gives us valuable insights into numbers and data. We have also started a leadership program, so that from manager to foreman we are making progress in leadership style, ownership, feedback, and more.”
How do you ensure that your organization is and remains future-proof?
“By investing smartly, we keep the factory's level up to par in all areas. We critically assess the training program and the training offerings. We put effort into training people, so we can, for example, train someone to become an industrial bread baker. Finding good staff is a challenge. We try to make our people more versatile, which promotes our flexibility. In that regard, sustainable employability is high on the agenda, which is also reflected in health checks. I mentioned earlier that we are continuously taking steps to automate, standardize, and optimize our processes and systems. Finally, we critically examine our partners. For example, we recently switched warehouses, so we have more to offer in the future.”
Finally: what makes working at Royal Koopmans enjoyable and attractive for you?
“Koopmans is a wonderful company. I love the culture, which felt very inclusive from day one. Everyone matters and is equal. A true family business. Symbolically, I find it meaningful that you receive a drinking cup with your name on it, even if you are an intern or an interim worker. There are many internal events organized. Furthermore, the willingness to change is high. People want to move forward. We are flexible, caring, and constructive. We have a clear vision of where we want to go together, with performance and delivering quality as important pillars.”
Jorna is looking for an experienced and ambitious Production Manager for the Koopmans Food Ingredients (KFI) department within her team. Click here to view the job vacancy.
Photo: Jurrian Nijenhuis
[Published: January 2024]
