CODEMA’s knowledge of critical cultivation systems travels around the world. Under the leadership/direction of the Project Management Team, Codema simultaneously realizes horticultural solutions on 4 continents. The team has grown significantly in recent years. How does Codema maintain the level of quality and service so that it grows with the wishes of customers? Jasmijn Lip, Codema's newest project manager, talks about this …
"Codema's target group – and with it, its services – has expanded in recent years. We now supply our services and critical cultivation systems from the west coast of the United States to the east coast of China and all countries in between. Where we previously served experienced (Dutch) growers, large companies and investors are now also an essential part of our target group. We want to keep the quality of our custom made cultivation systems high, which means we have to adapt our services to these new target groups."
Services tailored to customer wishes
"We adapt our services depending on the wishes and knowledge of the customer and the circumstances. This means that the process from purchase to delivery and even service and maintenance sometimes looks quite different for two customers.”
“Our goal is timely and high-quality delivery of the critical cultivation systems to the customer, but we determine the path to this together.”
The Project Management department is responsible for the entire process. It is the connecting factor between sales, engineering, production, software, service and the customer. This department has developed strongly in recent years, partly due to the recruitment of new talent such as Jasmijn Lip. She considers the most important developments, the assurance of quality and the pleasure and challenge of working at Codema.
Quality assurance delivery of critical cultivation
“In the world where I come from, the Offshore industry, everything is organized around documentation, protocols and standards. This involves a certain way of working together, which the customer appreciates. Codema first served the horticulturist who knew what he wanted and, just like us, knew what the technical possibilities are and what the quality is. The value of documentation was less important. As our target audience expands, quality assurance is increasingly important. This is where my experience comes in handy.”
In addition to her current projects, Jasmijn is committed to initiatives that contribute to quality assurance and being in control of projects, such as:
- Selection and design of the new ERP system
- Further standardization of documentation
- Redesigning processes.
Above all, she believes that one interpersonal process in particular makes the difference:
“Currently at Codema two streams are converging. One is experiences, decades of experience with critical cultivation systems. The other is knowledge by attracting new people from other industries or with good ideas. We both need to maintain and integrate it into our business. In projects, it is important that I keep all communication lines open and connect as a kind of spider in the web. This way, we learn from each other’s knowledge and experience, and we ensure that we continue to grow as an organization.”
“What I like is to fully immerse myself in a project. You will receive a large contract, but you still have to devise the entire project and determine the direction. In that, I see a challenge.”
Collaboration with the customer
A purchase process in this market takes months or sometimes even years. This ultimately results in a contract of, at best, dozens of pages. Each agreement and its impact of that on services and costs are included in this. This is the starting point for the cooperation between project manager and customer. However, everything changes during the project; here, good project management makes the difference.
“Of course, we are working on a seamless transition between Sales and Project Management, but not everything can be overseen during the sales process. That is why it is crucial that we continue to align expectation with our client during the project. This way, the client knows exactly where they stand. When expectations are clear to everyone, we can then tailor our solution even better to the wishes of the customer.”
Active worldwide
“When I applied for this job, I didn’t realize how international Codema is. In my first months, I mainly worked on projects nearby. Then came a project with a manual system in England, and now I am starting a large, fully automated project on the American West Coast. With every project, I work with a different part of Codema, which gives me the opportunity to take on the challenges with other team members.
Why work at Codema?
As a relatively new Codema employee, Jasmijn can give her opinion about why someone should choose a job at Codema.
“I think the freedom is fantastic, and I am very enthusiastic about that. You are responsible for your own projects. Of course, I have to account for things, but in my projects, I arrange everything independently. Within the team, we challenge each other in a good way. We want to become even more successful together and achieve good results. Within Codema, you are jointly responsible for the direction and choices of the company; entrepreneurship is in the DNA of the organization. If that appeals to you, you will undoubtedly feel at home at Codema.”
For more information:
Codema Systems Group
Oosteindsepad 8
2661 EP Bergschenhoek
The Netherlands
+31105212755
[email protected]
www.codemasystemsgroup.com