After many years of dedicated service to PROBAT, CEO Wim Abbing and works council chairman Christoph Derksen bid farewell to eight employees as they retire. Three 25-year, one 40-year and two 50-year anniversaries were also celebrated on this day.
"We are at the end of an exciting year, year one after the completion of PROBAT GO, the new construction and conversion of our production facility here in Emmerich," Wim Abbing began his celebratory speech, with which he traditionally opens the anniversary and farewell celebrations that take place every November. "This year, we have focused primarily on our own way of working, also beyond the production processes. We asked ourselves whether our processes - especially from the customer's point of view - are target-oriented and realized that we also have potential for improvement here. We are working on this!", he continued with insights into the current internal fields of activity.
But the global market leader is also making progress in the area of external projects: PROBAT has restructured within the Group in order to make better use of synergies and thus provide more targeted support for cross-segment projects: For example, PROBAT is currently taking over the planning of a major project from HDM, the second division of the PROBAT Group. The provider of customized complete solutions for the cocoa and chocolate segment also celebrated an anniversary this year - its 10th anniversary!
"If we have the common goal of leading this company through the next decades and showing the competition what we can do, then we can do it! If we want to achieve something, then we can do it. And that is really impressive. I am delighted that we are where we are and can go into the next year with confidence. That's PROBAT, that's you too, and I thank you for that!" He concluded his introductory speech with these words before addressing the individual guests of honor with personal words and - in the case of the jubilarians - specially refined coffee beans.
Christoph Derksen then wished the honorees all the best for the future and the soon-to-be retirees a successful transition into a new phase of life with new tasks and challenges.
All PROBAT employees who have worked for the company for 25 years or more will find their names on a wooden plaque in the company foyer. This is also an expression of the company's appreciation of the people whose daily work has made the company what it is today: the world market leader in coffee processing plant and machinery.
The jubilarians:
25 years: Anja Franken, Carmen Holtkamp, Thomas Koziorowski
40 years: Jörg Jansen
50 years: Manfred Esters, Johannes Kersjes
The prospective retirees:
Claudia Adler, Manfred Esters, Jochem Fink, Dorle Gläser, Hubert Kersten, Ulrich Roers, Klaus Tempels, Ralf Wedel