COLUMN ▶▶▶ Train the operator or the trainer? BY ERIC VISSERS, PROCESS TECHNOLOGIST AT FEED DESIGN LAB A


lmost everyone between the ages of 18 and 65 has a job. There is hardly any unemployment at the moment. This is a good de- velopment with a troubling downside. Many companies, in- cluding feed companies, are diligently looking for suitable em-


ployees. Many operators will be reaching their retirement age and need to be succeeded by new, enthusiastic, and committed young people. For these young people, this means ‘learning on the job’. The experienced op- erator teaches the new employee everything about the intake of raw ma- terials, operating the grinding-mixing and press lines, and bulk loading or planning. Certainly, no mean feat! My experience from 1988 onwards has taught me that, after about a year, this new employee can function (some- what) independently, partly depending on his or her intrinsic motivation. Fortunately, many companies are convinced that these new people benefit from training. Institutions such as Aeres and Feed Design Lab contribute to the training of new operators in the feed industry, both in the Netherlands and worldwide, in their own facility and in-company. The ultimate goal for me is to convince these young people that they have an excellent job, are craftsmen-to-be and that their efforts matter. In this way, we do our utmost to keep them involved in the feeding process for a longer period. We see all too often that after one or two years, young oper- ators can get a bit more salary elsewhere and that they do not actually find the feeding process very ‘sexy’. Not long after, the manager presents young man or woman no. 7 to the experienced operator/mentor. In recent years, we see modern terms such as Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma. In common people’s language: achieving maximum customer val- ue with minimum waste and improving production and administrative processes. Many people have been trained to contribute to this. Further automation of the feed plant also fits in this context. We hear slogans such as Smart Factory 2.0 and Industry 4.0. Today’s operator spends more and more of his or her eight-hour shift behind a computer. Entering production orders, distributing charges and batches, watching the automatic start-up of a pellet press, and seeing that everything is going according to plan. The operator of the future will not be the same as the current operator. In my view, he or she will get different tools. In 1970: a wrench and a bahco and new gloves once in a while. In 2030: a tablet to monitor as many checks as possible and, above all, to see that everything is going well. I would like to draw attention to the route to the new 2030 situation. Who will train the New Operator 2.0? This operator must have a good overview of the installation, must understand what happens with raw materials in the machines and must be able to make (at least) targeted adjustments where necessary. I take on this chal- lenge with pleasure and eagerness, which arises out of my love for my profession. I am intrinsically motivated.


42 ▶ ALL ABOUT FEED | Volume 30, No. 3, 2022


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44