Meet Michelle
"Coming up with ideas and seeing them come to life makes my job so much fun."
Michelle Verduin, Process Expert LogisticsAbout Michelle
After completing her university degree in Logistics and Economics, Michelle Verduin knew exactly what she wanted to do: work at a company in a busy region – a company with an eye on the future at all times and one that she could stay at for a long time to come. Those wishes came true at Action, a company she was already familiar with as she regularly walked out with a full shopping basket.
Did you find your place at Action straight away?
"To be honest, I didn't. The department I started out in was more operations-focused than I thought. I wanted to work much more on a project basis. That said, I received a warm welcome from day one and felt that I fit in well with the company culture – you work hard, but there's always time for a laugh. In other words, I was happy to stay. Fortunately, my manager took me under their wing and helped me to look at different roles that would suit me better. And that turned out to be the role of Process Expert Logistics."
What exactly do you do as a Process Expert Logistics?
"I work on optimising processes all the time. Take our voice-picking system, for example. This system gives employees in the distribution centres commands via headsets to make sure they pick the right orders. We're currently busy implementing a system that understands voice commands better and will save us a lot of time. To get to this point, we first trialled the system with a small group of order pickers, looking at how well the system worked and analysing what the staff thought of it. I do a lot of measuring, testing and analysing in order to improve processes. I also got to travel to Ensuès-la-Redonne in southern France a few weeks ago as part of this project, which was rewarding. We have a new distribution centre there, so it was the perfect opportunity to get the new system up and running straight away. The results were great, with the process running smoothly compared to the old system. We will soon be installing the new system in a slightly older distribution centre, with a view to rolling it out to all the other centres in due course."
"The Action Academy helps you develop your career with courses and (audio) books."
What are the challenges in your job?
"The constant change, being on the road a lot and working on different projects. You haven't quite finished one project and already there is another one waiting for you to start it. That said, I love the fact that I can come up with ideas to improve things and then see those ideas come to life."
How do you see Action as an employer?
"Action is a large organisation with huge challenges to overcome. Around 1,000 people work at the headquarters alone. Nevertheless, every member of staff receives the same level of attention, regardless of their position. Everyone feels involved and valued by the company. What's more, Action is always looking to the future, and that's great. There are already plans in place for the next 30 years. That gives us a certain degree of confidence, but it also says a lot about our ambitions."
Do you have any plans for the future?
"I'm in a good place at the moment, but I like thinking about my potential next steps. A management role or a position in the IT team appeal to me. I work with the IT team a lot in my current role, and I've also built up some experience with the SAP system. I don't have any experience in IT, but the Action Academy allows you to take external and online courses and access (audio) books and more to further your personal development and career. You name it and you'll find it in the Academy. As an example, I took a four-day stakeholder management course in Utrecht, and I'm currently following some practical courses on how to become more proactive and how to set the right priorities. That's perhaps the most surprising thing about Action: the endless opportunities for growth and development."