It is highly unusual for an employee to work for one company for 40 years, let alone if there are eight of them simultaneously. It’s a completely unique situation, however, when at the same time four colleagues are working for the same company for no less than 50 years. This illustrates the extremely loyal long-term relationship between Marel and its employees. Few companies in the Netherlands are able to provide such statistics. 520 years of work experience bundled into 12 people!
520 years of loyalty to Marel Boxmeer
August 2020 was a special month for Marel in Boxmeer. As many as eight employees celebrated their 40-year work anniversary and four employees are even working for the same company for 50 years, at that time named Stork PMT. Usually, Marel celebrates each work anniversary individually and abundantly, but because of the restrictive measures, this wasn’t feasible in August. That’s why a joint, corona-proof ceremony was held on September 24th.
Social distancing was respected all the time. Only family members were allowed to sit together.
Corporate culture
In August 1970, Stork Poultry Machinery Technology in Boxmeer experienced a major growth spurt, which necessitated a large number of new personnel. Exactly the same thing happened ten years later in 1980. Twelve of the employees hired at those two moments have remained operational in the company to date, to the full satisfaction of both parties. This shows how well Marel's corporate culture suits its employees.
"Why so many employees choose to stay with Marel for so long? I think it's because the company has always been committed to ensuring that employees can develop in and with the company. As a consequence, our company and its employees have developed excellently," says Anton de Weerd, who led Stork/Marel in Boxmeer for many years until 2019. "In the 70s and 80s, Stork PMT was already known for its social policy. Everyone knew it was a good place to work. And Stork Marel has always lived up to that promise!
Limousines
Marel found an alternative way to celebrate officially the 12 anniversaries in corona-proof circumstances on September 24th. An impressive fleet of limousines drove up to the main entrance of the Boxmeer building to drop off the celebrated employees and their families.
At the parking lot, an outdoor stage was installed and luckily, the weather was good. The invited family members were seated in chairs at 2 meters distance from each other. The large screen on stage displayed the speeches of various officials who remotely addressed the employees, such as Boxmeer mayor Van Soest, former directors Jaap Schipper and Anton de Weerd as well as Marel CEO Arni Oddur Thordarson from Iceland. In addition, live speakers performed the ceremonial acts, including Marel Poultry EVP Roger Claessens and manufacturing director Jeroen van Oers.
Decorations were pinned on by direct family members.
Get in touch
Our dedicated team is here to help and answer any questions you may have. Please complete the form, and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible. We look forward to hearing from you.