Jasmijn Lip, CODEMA’s newest project manager, discusses how the company simultaneously realises horticultural solutions on four continents
“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 US 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,” Lip said.
Services tailored to customer wishes
The company adapts its services according to the customer’s wishes and knowledge and the circumstances. This means that for two customers, the process from purchase to delivery, and even service and maintenance sometimes seems quite different.
“Our goal is timely and high-quality delivery of the critical cultivation systems to the customer, but we determine the path to this together,” she added.
The responsibility for the entire process lies with the project management department. It is the connecting factor between sales, engineering, production, software, service, and clients. Lip takes into consideration the most important developments, quality assurance 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 organised 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,” she commented.
In addition to her current projects, she 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 standardisation of documentation; and redesigning processes.
“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, I must 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 organisation,” she noted.
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 the project manager and customer. However, everything changes during the project; here, good project management makes a 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 we must 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,” Lip concluded.
