Alumnus testimonial
Alumni Judith Lesschen - MSc Food Technology
“I had an amazing time studying in Wageningen. I participated in nearly everything it had to offer. I joined a student association and organised various events for my study and sports associations. I love sharing my passion for Wageningen and specifically food technology. This enthusiasm resulted in an additional 2 years filled with extra courses and a board year organising the annual introduction days of 2020, during the peak of covid-19. And along the way, I got to meet so many amazing and inspiring people and I build lifelong friendships. My time studying in Wageningen will always be a warm memory of an amazing adventure.”
Without my studies I would not have found my love for food factories nor have the chances to develop my communication and collaboration skills
Where are you currently working?
“After my degree I started in the manufacturing trainee programme of KraftHeinz working in our ketchup factory. Here I got trained to understand the ins and outs of the factory and start to develop the necessary leadership skills. After my year as a trainee, I moved into my current role position as Continuous Improvement lead. I started on the packaging hall where we fill the ketchup bottles and later moved to the manufacturing area. In the manufacturing area we make the iconic Heinz ketchup out of the raw ingredients.”
Could you tell us something about your daily activities at your work?
“My day starts very early in the morning with analysing the last 24hrs of production time for the manufacturing area. Based on my analysis our team makes an action plan for the day. As the factory is running 24h/5d a week, it is important to resolve issues quickly to ensure a steady supply of ketchup to supermarkets all over the world. I really enjoy this fast-paced environment with high stakes. Decisions are made quickly, and you can see the impact almost immediately. The work we do is very tangible and diverse, not a single day is the same.
My daily activities often focus on coaching colleagues towards a different way of working, analysing extensive amounts of data or setting new standards. I often find myself searching for puzzle pieces to come up with an appropriate solution for an issue that actually works. My colleagues, the data and our engineers all contribute to this process, so I get to work together a lot with my colleagues. And once we find the solution, I will make sure the plan is executed and follow up with trainings, unforeseen issues and information sharing.”
What are your future goals?
“Working in a factory means endless goals, once we resolve a bottleneck, a new bottleneck will appear that we will then resolve too. In my current area I focus on improving the yield of our mayonnaise and ketchup manufacturing. Next to this I am trying to find ways to optimise our production capacity by automation and improving our processes.”
How has studying in Wageningen helped you excel in your job?
“My job in the packaging hall did not require any knowledge other than basic understanding of food quality. In the manufacturing area I now work on projects where I can use my knowledge about viscosity, energy transitions and I am the link between the R&D department and our factory. However, studying, doing a board year and committees enabled me to develop my soft skills and gave me the head start I needed to learn this job. Food technology could not have prepared me for understanding and operating massive machines. But, without my studies I would not have found my love for food factories nor have the chances to develop my communication and collaboration skills. I still rely daily on what I learned and gained from my board year, committee work and interactions I had as a student.”