Hey everyone!
My name is Marten Dubbelboer and after receiving my MSc. certificate (MSc. Supply Chain Management) I recently joined the workforce. In a short blog I will tell a bit about myself, my work, and I will give a tip for applying to companies!
During my master at the RUG I developed an interest in production environments. Their results are very tangible and in cases of large scale and large volumes you can get huge results through small changes. This interest was further awakened through a visit to Tata Steel in IJmuiden during the TeMa Inhouse Tour (which I really recommend by the way)!
At the end of July I started as a management trainee for Smurfit Kappa (SK), a producer of packaging made from paper and cardboard. At SK, an Irish-Dutch multinational, 46.000 people from 35 countries and 3 different continents are employed. It's definitely not a small company! From our own forests in Spain to a full recycling division, Smurfit Kappa is active in the full Supply Chain. Next to this we have a huge and diverse circle of customers: from the cornerstore bakery to the biggest FMCG-players worldwide, but also international automotive and e-commerce players in all shapes and sizes.
If you had asked me as a fresh TeMa alumni where I’d start working, I would never have said the corrugated cardboard industry. I was attending a social of YSE (an organisation in Utrecht that for a number of companies (including Smurfit Kappa) organizes incompany and multi company traineeships, and has an interesting network!) and met some trainees that enthusiastically told me about Smurfit Kappa and their projects. This spoke to me. After an inhouseday at one of the Smurfit Kappa locations it became clear to me what I could do at this company, and I decided to send in an application!
In terms of culture Smurfit Kappa felt like a warm bath from the first day. I immediately felt welcome in all factories and offices. As a trainee in the Benelux you are encouraged to walk into every office.
Right now I’m leading my first project which aims to shorten the delivery time of one of our factories. This will enable Smurfit Kappa to become more active in e-commerce. A shorter delivery time means a serious change for the planning process, internal logistics and transport to customers. Because of this I speak to many different people to give shape to the project.
What I find most motivating about my work is that the results in the factory are immediately visible. This is also the point of the traineeship: as a trainee at Smurfit Kappa you don’t give advice or do research, instead it is expected that you make a real change in the business. Within the traineeship you can go many directions: Sales & Marketing, Operations & Supply Chain, but also Finance! Every year 4 to 8 trainees are accepted at Smurfit Kappa Benelux who will get 2 years of training and rotate between locations (factory or head office) every 6-8 months for a new project. Because the company is so big, there are also many opportunities abroad!
What would I advise for applications? During my application process it helped to ask specific questions about fun and less fun experiences of current and ex-trainees during an event or at a social. Often this can give you a clear view about what a job or traineeship entails. And definitely ask what an average week looks like! This will make you realise quickly if it will fit you.
Do you want to know more about the traineeship at Smurfit Kappa? Take a look at our website: https://www.traineeshipbijsmurfitkappa.com/.
Greetings,
Marten Dubbelboer
