She moved from packaging to the agricultural sector. Something completely different, until she was asked to join the packaging team again after a few months. “That’s when I realized how much I still enjoyed it.” Packaging wouldn’t let her go. Neither would her former employer, who took over the packaging department shortly thereafter.
This was a reason for Evelien to look further. “I had no idea what I wanted to do, but I wasn’t in a hurry either. The summer holidays were just around the corner.” However, that’s just how it works in the packaging industry: everyone knows everyone and news travels fast. Soon her former manager, who was now working at Packit, called. “He asked if I wanted to come by for a cup of coffee. Once inside, it immediately felt like a warm welcome, with old acquaintances everywhere. To be honest, I didn’t have to think about it for long.”
Invisible, yet indispensable
As Account Support, Evelien mainly works behind the scenes. She supports the account managers and ensures everything is correct between the customer’s initial inquiry and the delivery of the packaging. She prepares tender requests or quotes for procurement, then sets up the calculation for the account manager and contributes ideas for the artwork. For some customers, she sends the quote herself. Once the deal is closed, she records contracts and prices in the system. If a customer requests product information, such as regarding laws and regulations, Evelien ensures that the request reaches quality management, procurement, or the supply chain. “You are a kind of versatile professional who guides a project until it reaches the customer. Only then can I let it go.”
You feel welcome here
That variety makes her work enjoyable, but so does the contact with colleagues. It’s mainly in the small things. “Leen, who simply calls me Eef and asks how things are at home. A handwritten card at Christmas, a gift from my manager on my birthday, and on holidays like Easter, someone always brings something tasty. You simply feel valued and welcome.” That contact doesn’t end at five o’clock. After work, Evelien likes to join her colleagues at the pub to catch up. This is also reflected in the work, because colleagues who truly know each other can coordinate more quickly. This also benefits the customer.
“I see the shopping bags from my favorite textile supermarket everywhere.”
A personal team
At Packit, Evelien found what she had eventually lost: personal contact. Packit is a group small enough to know each other and agile enough to switch gears quickly. And that also produces something beautiful. “When I walk through the supermarket and see packaging that I’ve worked on since the quote stage, I feel proud. It might be a cliché, but it’s true. From waste and food bags to the large and small shoppers from my favorite textile supermarket: I see them everywhere.”