Two young Dutch managers in Germany ‘Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans’ is a famous quote. This certainly applies to two young Dutch professionals in the poultry world. Tom Groot Koerkamp (27) and Siemen de Jong (26) run the Optibrut hatchery just across the border in Germany, in Nordhorn.
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‘Roughly 40% for Germany and 60% for the Netherlands.’
Tom Groot Koerkamp explains: ‘We finished our bachelor’s degree in 2017. I studied Business Administration in Zwolle and Siemen studied Food Technology in Den Bosch. We were both looking for a temporary job before starting our master’s degree. The Optibrut hatchery was being constructed at that time and this provided us with a nice job opportunity.’ So, at the age of 23, they started working in the construction but stayed on as hatchery managers. Optibrut started off hatching 800,000 broiler chicks per week and are now at a level of 1.2 million. Tom:
The opening of the Optibrut hatchery in 2017. PHOTO: TOM SCHOTMAN, AGRIO 16
Planning is key The tasks between the two are clearly divided. Tom is responsible for planning and personnel and Siemen for the hatchery processes. Tom plans the operations in a way that ensures optimal results for their customers and Siemen gives substance to this planning. ‘My challenge is to get this spot on and produce high quality chicks’, says Siemen. ‘That is his famous fingerspitzengefühl’, Tom adds. Siemen about their close cooperation: ‘I’ve known Tom since secondary school, so we are very much attuned to each other.’ Isn’t it strange that someone with a background in food technology is managing a hatchery? ‘No, it all has to do with process technology. The basics are very similar.’ Nowadays, hatchery processes are highly automated. ‘The days that a hatchery manager would change the settings according to the weather outside are long gone. I have a dashboard with all the data and video feeds, but still I often walk through the hatchery to keep a real feel for the process’, Siemen explains.
Candling line of Innovatec, including the CleanChick system. PHOTO: TOM SCHOTMAN, AGRIO
POULTRY NL 2022
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08-05-2022 13:39
