Quarterly meeting at Smicon: Customer focus and the power of teamwork

At Smicon, specialist in food waste recycling, customer focus and internal collaboration are at the heart of what we do. We believe that true customer focus starts with a team that’s aligned. During our last quarterly meeting, we took action on that belief. Instead of a classic presentation to the whole group, we organized an interactive brainstorming session in smaller teams—an approach that proved to be a real success.

This format gave employees the opportunity to share their personal ideas, experiences, and opinions about Smicon in an accessible and informal way. Unlike a traditional one-way presentation, this created an open dialogue where everyone had the chance to contribute their perspective.

“I was genuinely surprised by the number of suggestions and insights that came from the team,” says Managing Director Kees Uppenkamp. “Because we chose a brainstorming session this time, people felt more free to participate. It resulted in much more valuable input than a typical presentation would have.”

After collecting input, each group pitched their ideas. This helped foster mutual understanding and created energy around finding solutions together. It was not only an exercise in customer-centric thinking, but also in collaboration and team development.
 

Customer Friendliness Starts on the Inside

The theme of this quarterly meeting was customer friendliness—a topic that matters to everyone, but is rarely discussed in such practical terms. What does customer friendliness actually mean in daily practice at Smicon? And how can we keep improving as a team?

Kees reflects: “What stood out to me most was how colleagues reflected on how our customers experience us. Alongside specific improvement points, there were also many positive observations. That confirms to me that we’ve built a strong foundation to grow from—and that this topic really matters to people at Smicon.”
 

From Ideas to Action

The meeting resulted in three concrete insights that Smicon will further develop in the coming months. One of these is the launch of internal and external newsletters, with the first edition scheduled for release later this year. Another is to put more emphasis on internal customer focus and making this more visible throughout the company.

The openness and engagement during the meeting left us wanting more. Kees sees this as an opportunity to strengthen internal collaboration even further: “I strongly believe in a positively critical attitude toward each other—not to complain, but to bring out the best in one another for the benefit of Smicon. That only works in a culture where people feel free to share their opinions—respectfully and with well-founded arguments. It also means holding each other accountable for responsibilities. This way of working is how we grow as a team.” He also emphasized the role employees play in Smicon’s visibility: “If you're proud of your work and show it, you’re our best ambassador.”
 

Smicon as an International Player—Internally as Well

The quarterly meeting also made it clear that Smicon is in the midst of a significant phase of international growth. That opens many doors and brings both new opportunities and challenges. “Doing business internationally requires adaptability from our team,” Kees explains. “There are differences in how you approach the market with distributors versus direct customer contact. Communication also varies by department—think service, sales, or project engineering. That’s natural—every market is different—but if we want to keep growing internationally, we must anticipate those differences as an organization.”

Within the team, there’s growing attention to how we can better support each other in an international context—by sharing knowledge, aligning our communication, and collaborating across departments. Because international growth starts internally: with colleagues who complement each other’s strengths and are aware of both cultural differences and shared goals.

“In many major countries, food waste recycling is still in its early stages. These are markets where Smicon can truly make a difference,” says Kees. “To seize those opportunities, we need engaged colleagues who are willing to think along and help build.”

We want to encourage suggestions and ideas—accessibly, practically, and in ways that suit each person's role. Kees concludes: “The energy and enthusiasm we saw during this session show that the input is definitely there. It’s up to the Management Team to keep listening closely.”