Job Talk: Continuous Improvement Manager Wouter van Buitenen
“I love bread. My grandfather was a baker and I used to bake my own bread. Then choosing Bakker Goedhart is no coincidence.” Speaking is Wouter van Buitenen (31), Continuous Improvement Manager at the bakery in Wateringen for six months. There, he works on more efficient processes, less waste and more job satisfaction for colleagues.
What does a Continuous Improvement Manager do?
“My work is about improving and reducing losses,” says Wouter. “Less waste, less downtime mean less stress and greater returns and job satisfaction.” Because where there is waste, there is often also frustration. “If bread falls off the line or a machine keeps malfunctioning, you also lose motivation as an employee. That's where we can make a profit. Not only financially, but, above all, human.”
Working smarter together
The people in the bakery are incredibly loyal and work hard, notes Wouter. “But,” he says, “at some point, you also want to work smarter.” And to be able to do that, you occasionally have to consider what is going well and what is not going well. There is a challenge, because that's not what people are always in the mood for in the bakery. Logical, Wouter also understands: “When you run, it's dangerous to look back.” By talking a lot with everyone in the bakery, he knows how to get more and more people involved in the improvement culture.
The dynamics of bread
Wouter previously worked in pancakes, poffertjes and sushi. But baking bread turns out to be of a completely different order. “Bread is a living product. When the dough is fifteen minutes longer, your entire product changes. And if a loaf of bread is in the oven for ten minutes too long, you can throw it away. You have little room for error.” The bakery is also a dynamic environment, with tight delivery times and last minute orders. “The process is long — from making dough to rising, baking and cooling, it takes a while. And if you're already short on time, nothing should really go wrong,” he says.
Learn from other bakeries
Although Wouter works as the only Improvement Manager in Wateringen, he is not alone. A network of Continuous Improvers is active at Bakker Goedhart, from Emmeloord to Terneuzen. “We speak to each other weekly and learn a lot from each other's projects. In Emmeloord, for example, they have introduced a weekly meeting — we do that now too. The wheel doesn't have to be reinvented over and over again.”
From measuring to doing
Improving requires structure and conviction. “You have to be critical and analytical, but you also have to be good at dealing with people. I have a lean six sigma black belt, but you won't make it with a degree alone. You have to create support, especially in an organization with many strong characters.” Measurement is essential here. “Everyone sees that something is not going well. But if you really start measuring, you know what the problem is. Measure, know, think, act.” And doing that ranges from a small adjustment in a machine setup to a month-long project.
Future ambitions
For the coming period, Wouter has clear goals: “We want to further increase efficiency. So: produce more with less waste. And don't let people run and stand still, but let them work at a good pace.” So plenty to do. But plenty to enjoy too. In Wouter's case, preferably from Limburg's bread. “And the whole wheat dumplings are also very tasty.”