He has never learned as much as he did during his first year at Waterman Onions. These are the words of Waterman Onions Quality Manager Wilco Besuijen. Quality is what it is all about in his daily activities. “It is my job to select the most beautiful and the best onions. Every day again.”

Good coordination is the most important term of control, says Wilco: “Our morning meeting is extremely important. Every morning I sit around the table with my colleagues of our Sales, Purchasing and Production departments for half an hour. We discuss what is going on as we speak and what is to come. We make schedules and coordinate the right parties. This way we make sure we have the most efficient (production) process we can realize. ”

Quality control
However, there is more. As soon as a trailer is ready to unload, we immediately check the quality of all incoming loads. “I take samples and enter the results in our system. I have close contact with the relevant purchaser and they consult the supplier.”

Figures play a major role. But checking onions is also about seeing and feeling. “I do my rounds not only in our production hall and our warehouse, but our buyers also often check the batches at the growers warehouse. It is extremely important to match the supply to the type of order that is currently requested. After all, the best quality control is still the one which is done with your own eyes. This allows me to immediately see whether the onion has the right quality. Or not.”

High standard
Waterman Onions has a high standard. This is not only shown by the quality controls that Wilco performs, but also from the various certifications that the company has been awarded with. “The BRC, in the field of food safety, is the most important in our view. We have achieved the highest scores for this in recent years. And that is a great compliment for the entire company.”

Challenges
However this does not mean that Wilco can rest and lean back. His profession is always on the move. There are always (new) challenges. That is what makes this job so much fun, he says. “There are no books, there are no schools or courses. I learned the tricks of the trade in practice. The first six months I followed Wim (Waterman, co-director / owner) everywhere around. I was where he was. Simply to get to know all facets of the company as well as possible. I have asked countless questions and, above all, I looked carefully, paid attention and stored all that information.”

The fundament of his work lies in knowing the company well. Knowing who does what, maintaining contact with everyone and indicating the consequences of certain actions. “Every department contributes to the quality of our final product, the Waterman onion. No one excepted. My job is to let my colleagues know that. Fortunately, everyone is aware of this. We are a team and our teamwork ensures that the high Waterman quality is and will remain high!”