“When I tell people about Kramp, it surprises them. As an outsider, if you don’t know the company well, you see a conservative, agricultural firm. On the inside, though, it’s really innovative and supportive.”

When I was a small boy, I wanted to be in the army; I ended up a tank commander. When I left in 2001, I went into customer service management, before setting up a customer service consultancy, then becoming an independent consultant specialising in data intelligence. I arrived at Kramp in September 2018, and only because it was recommended by a former colleague, Maarten.

At that time, I was working in a company where the work-life balance was not right for me, as a father with young children. Maarten had sent me the job description. I was not convinced, but he persuaded me to come for a one-hour interview with Ewoud, the former Pricing Manager and my manager now. One hour became three. When you walk in, you sense a certain vibe. It was right for me. The next day, with the seed planted, I was more than willing to give it a go.

The first impression on my first day showed me just what to expect. Everything was ready for me, nothing missing. Just the little things, really, but they showed that the right processes were in place. We have an international team, from all around the world, except Australia I guess, and everyone made me feel comfortable. Within a couple of days, I felt part of the team. Of course, I already knew my colleague Maarten, but I have seen since that even with internships, we try to make newcomers as welcome and integrated as possible.

As Pricing Manager, my responsibilities are split between making sure customers across 19 countries have the right price, and writing the criteria so the software developers can create the tools which automate the processes behind that. We have German guys, Dutch, Vietnamese, South American, Russian – I love the international vibe. We’re all speaking English throughout the day, but none of us are native speakers, which is fantastic.

I cannot think of a downside about Kramp, I would recommend it in every way. I’ve worked at banks, facilities companies, small companies… this is really a great place to work. They put their money where their mouth is; there is a lot of technical innovation going on, always strategic and technical challenges. If you are ambitious, even if you are straight out of school, there’s a whole career here; you could grow old at Kramp. If you have the drive and skills, Kramp will recognise that and support your growth.

Because Kramp really values its employees. That’s easy to say, of course, but actually doing it – that’s Kramp. There’s the right blend between efficiency and automation, and a sense of loyalty and responsibility to the community around Varsseveld. We do really innovative, exciting things, but I’m really sensitive to a company’s culture. You need to be proud of the company you work for. I feel proud to be part of Kramp.