Our People

To get an idea of what its like to work at Colbond, here are some short reports written by a selection of our employees.

Maarten, Area Sales Manager, Benelux and Germany

There is a strong connection between Colbond and my professional development. My current employment dates back to 2004, but even before then I had a connection with the Company: I spent the last half year of my education in Technical & Commercial Business Administration at the German sales office to write my thesis. At that time I lived and worked in Wuppertal. This period was followed by a few years working for a consultant before I again found at Colbond what I was looking for an environment where I could extend my working expertise.

I took up a position as Area Sales Manager for Colbonds geosynthetic brands Enkamat, Enkadrain, Colbonddrain and Enkagrid. What attracted me in this job was the way it is organized. I was assigned my own market and could decide for myself how to organize my work. In the Netherlands we are selling direct. This implies that we advise project owners and customers and are selling directly to the end users. In Belgium and Luxemburg we sell via distributors. This varied set-up of sales channels was a challenge for me.

Succeeding a Sales Manager who had retired, I started to get to know the market on my own and found great support from within Colbond, both from a technical point of view as well as commercial, aided by the personal experience of a number of colleagues who were all very helpful to me.

I consider the personal factor a big driver of my daily work. I organize my own work and am looking for new challenges, projects and applications. And all the time I know I have the support of my colleagues. Its a great feeling to be free to do what you must do, being responsible yet knowing that you are not alone out there. Experiencing your own projects from the very beginning to a conclusion is very rewarding and makes it fun, challenging and worthwhile to work here.

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Klaus, Shift Leader in Obernburg (Germany)

When I joined Colbond about 10 years ago, polymer processing in general and the production of three-dimensional monofilament mats in particular were a new field of expertise for me. But after just a few days and weeks I found that the Company provides an environment where one can quickly learn to understand the relevant manufacturing processes and tweaks for each product.

All supervisors are very supportive of the development of personal skills and knowledge because they realize that sound education is critical to efficient production processes and high-quality products.

As Colbond supplys specialty products to a number of niche markets we have to be flexible and proactive to meet changing customer demands. The product range is constantly being modified. This is something which could not be done without both organizational learning and the continual increase of knowledge on an individual level. Clearly one of the reasons why my work will never get boring!

I completed a series of professional training courses and worked on a number of projects. For example, I was involved in the implementation of a new computer data logging system which was an interesting and challenging exercise. I am pleased that my work at Colbond is very broad and offers a way to make use of the capabilities, which I acquired during an earlier commercial vocational training. I also have an entrepreneurial approach and am constantly looking for ways to meet customer demands even better.

Today, I work as a Shift Leader, and deputise for the Quality Supervisor during his or her vacation. This is a highly motivating opportunity!

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Mark, Technology Manager in Arnhem and Emmen (NL)

Having gained process and technology experience from earlier jobs, I started as a process engineer at Colbonds Emmen plant in 2001. Straight away, I got involved in innovation and improvement projects to improve the plant after the separation of Colbond from Acordis/ Akzo Nobel. My participation in a smooth-running team gave me a good impression of what the company is about.

Striving for optimal conditions all round is a fundamental philosophy, not only in words but also visible throughout the organization. This means that there is always room for change when well-founded arguments and facts are on the table. This flexibility both in machinery and people characterizes one of Colbonds strong points.

In our technology department, the working area is company-wide – it feels like being a spider in the web. We have close links with production and technical personnel in the plant to optimize our plant conditions and gain maximum quality and output while keeping HSE requirements in mind. We also liaise with Purchasing to discuss material specifications.

Plant trials play an important role, as well as co-operation with R&D in transferring new equipment or products from pilot lines to production plant. Being closely linked with technical product management allows me to visit customers, understand their needs and interpret them for our production processes.

This all makes working as a process engineer or as technology manager fulfilling and exciting.

My main focus is to keep the plants in Emmen and Arnhem running in an optimum way. This means I have to work part-time at both sites. My diary is fairly full of appointments and meetings but I still try to spend enough time on the shop floor. I like this diversity and I know that in the years ahead there are plenty more opportunities. Teamwork will make it possible.

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Tim, Production Operator / Shift Supervisor Relief

I have worked at Colbond for 3 years as a vacation relief operator. This job is very challenging and rewarding because it gives me a better understanding of the process from start to finish, as I am required to work in many different production areas. It seems like I learn something new every day.

I am also the General Shift Supervisor relief, and this offers me a truly unique perspective. I am able to look at the business both as a production operator and as a supervisor. Getting to see the processes from more than one viewpoint is one of the aspects I very much enjoy and appreciate.

The key success factor of any company is its employees. The company will succeed or fail based on the skill, work ethic, and dedication of these employees. I have been fortunate in this regard because my co-workers are a great group of people. They are what makes Colbond strong and hopefully will for many years to come.

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Lori, Development Engineer in Asheville, NC (USA)

I joined Colbond’s Research and Development team in August 2007. Our laboratory and offices are located in the manufacturing facility at Enka, NC.

I earned my M.S. in Textile Engineering from Philadelphia University. Before joining Colbond, I spent five years with a polypropylene yarn manufacturer and then two more years as a Product Development Engineer with a fabrics producer. My experience in traditional textile markets often allows me to look at Colbonds Building, Industrial and Civil markets in a non-conventional way.

The R&D Department is committed to excellence. I am encouraged to continually expand my knowledge of our products, markets and new technologies. I work closely with Product Managers and Enkamat Production. I also have opportunities to travel to Industry trade shows and participate in educational classes.

Colbond works to improve and expand its product offering. This drive ensures that our many Development Projects are always exciting and often challenging. We have a 1/3 scale extrusion line in our lab and a significant amount of new product testing and characterization equipment. This allows us to develop prototypes that translate well to the Production lines and Colbonds customers.

I thoroughly enjoy working as a Development Engineer for Colbond. I like the global collaboration with our Arnhem colleagues. I feel fortunate to work with a great team and I look forward to many more years with Colbond, Inc.

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