People

Working at LelyPharma

More information about working at Lelypharma can be found at www.werkenbijlelypharma.nl.

‘In service of the customer’s wants’

“Our great strength lies in our short lines of communication, flexibility and creativity. It’s all in our nature to be in service of what the customer wants. We are always willing to try out a customer’s idea. We consult with them in the development of new products. We make test batches on a small scale. Can we make the product this way? How can we improve the process? Can we scale it up to producing a million tablets?

I’ve been here since 2000, but every day is fun and interesting because of the variety in my work. After all, there are always things to improve. An example. We’re making a thyroid hormone for one of our customers. The tablet contains a very potent substance in very low doses. You can barely even see it. In order to get just the right dosage we have to be extremely careful in building the steps in the mixing process. Making that into a concoction and finally ending up with a very successful final product is extremely satisfying. Customers have faith in us and keep coming back.

Here at Lelypharma, the people are a team. The atmosphere is excellent. Together we form a chain in this company. A chain in which each of us is an equally important link. We are aware of our responsibility to animals and humans alike. We don’t really know the meaning of the word ‘no’. If something is especially difficult to achieve, we like to think in terms of how we can achieve it in spite of that.”

Dr. Chris van Barneveld, pharmacist and qualified person

‘Everyone is involved in the work for the customer’

“I get a kick out of making a deal with a customer into reality. In the pharmaceutical industry one should always be in control of the production process. Customers have particular desires or may suddenly wish to place an urgent order. Here at Lelypharma we do our utmost best to honour the wishes of our customers. It’s a very satisfying feeling for me whenever we can deliver on our promises and I’ve managed to personally contribute to that.

This flexibility does, of course, ask quite a bit of people. But this company also offers you great opportunities. I have experienced some really good personal development within the company and as a result I’m willing to go the extra mile for both the company and its customers.

People put their trust in you. You get opportunities and support through training and courses. You deal with issues with a lot at stake. And you contribute to all of that. This means there’s quite a lot of commitment.

We are a relatively small company. Everyone is involved in the work for the customer. What motivates us is that we can assist customers in developing a new product. It’s great to see products that were designed and developed here eventually end up in the market.”

Marcus Bikker, responsible for planning and procurement

‘Opportunities for personal growth’

“In our company I take care of personnel management: getting the right people in the right place. We all love a bit variety in our work. In order to keep people focused we rotate a lot. Working at Lelypharma is great fun because of both the variation in the work itself, as well as the general attitude of the people who work here. We rotate a lot, even during the day. You’re never in the same place all day long. People feel good about this variety. Everyone is here for the purpose of working together on something that needs to be good.

I myself have worked on the assembly line and got the opportunity for growth. I’m a people person, and patient by nature. In my position, it is important for people to feel comfortable in coming to me with any questions they might have.
There’s a very open atmosphere. We are closely involved in the plans for the new cleanroom. This means the organisation, but we were also able to choose the colours of the doors: a cheerful colour that makes it fun to work there.
Something I always enjoy greatly is hearing from customers how happy they are with our products looking good and proper. The equipment we work with is really good. We make a good team. There’s a great sense of solidarity.”

Rachida Chellah, production supervisor

‘Varied and challenging work’

I love the variety this work has to offer. Every day is different. We adjust the settings of the machines for every product. The trick is to make sure that everything runs smoothly. The tests we perform for our customers are particularly interesting. We investigate how we can make certain products. In doing so we often end up facing problems we haven’t had to face before. But experience has taught us there is always a solution. That is the challenge of our work.
We are quick to switch. Lelypharma is flexible because the people working here are too. My biggest challenges are tests of tablets that don’t work out at all at first. We then change the composition with excipients or regulate the machines so that the production ultimately becomes feasible after all. Everyone in the company is involved with such solutions. It’s very satisfying to crack such a challenging case together. You’re immediately ready for the next challenge!”

Sipke Kuipers, production manager

‘Constantly looking for improvement’

“We are constantly looking for ways to improve our production processes in terms of both quality and efficiency. This means we can help more customers in the same amount of time.

People are an important factor in that process. In our experience, if we provide our employees with clear responsibilities for certain parts of the production process or analysis, people will be more devoted to their work and enjoy it more. This is very important to us.

As a contract manufacturer, we are fully aware of the fact that we are only successful if our customers are successful with the products that we create for them. What we have in common at Lelypharma is that we all do our utmost best to help the customer. Everyone is equally important.”

Bart Quik, director

‘Listening well and decisively’

“Lelypharma’s strength lies in our focus on service and our ability to help think along with our customer. After all, the customer is what’s most important. We think from the customer’s point of view. And we do this continuously. It is an attitude that suits you if you work for Lelypharma.

I am proud of how ready we are to deal with anything. How quickly we can shift gears if a customer needs something. We are good listeners and we are well organised. If a customer needs something extra done next week, we are able to do it. I’m also proud of the devotion of everyone working here. Our equipment is of excellent quality, which motivates us.

I’ve been working for Lelypharma since 1998. My work is interesting. I assist people in the technical field. I also make sure we have proper planning. This creates a sense of peace and ensures efficiency. I am a professional, familiar with practice and love to see people grow.

The work at Lelypharma is fascinating because customers often want to try something new. The results from the research that we do are always interesting. Customers are satisfied with the work, reliability and ideas from the lab. Fortunately they will tell us what they think can be improved even further. And we encourage them to do so. Because we always want to do things better.

I expect great things from the new cleanroom. Lelypharma manufactures penicillins, as well as many other different products. Each product requires its own settings regarding the cleanroom and machinery. It was always very labour-intensive to switch from one task to another. This is quite a bit easier now, allowing us to offer our customers even better service. For customers in need of penicillin products, being able to offer a dedicated cleanroom using a second production line is a great benefit.”

Peter Streef, Quality Control Manager