We have started the recruitment of a Maintenance Technician for Michael Kors
In this blog I will tell you a little bit more about the Maintenance department of Michael Kors, the content of the vacancy, the different contacts the culture and the work field of the company located in Venlo. Maybe it’s something for you? Enjoy reading!
This blog was created in part through collaboration Erik de Groot and William Smolenaars, both Maintenance Supervisor
Daan: Where does the demand for a new colleague come fromDaan?
William: We are a team of 4 colleagues with one colleague temporarily supporting us from outside. As a department we would like to further professionalize ourselves with a hard core of 4 mechanics to expand our work and put more focus towards the preventive side of maintenance.
Daan: You are working in shifted shifts. What exactly does it mean?
Erik: The work takes place during day shift and that is between 07:00 and 17:30. As a Maintenance Department, we are always present on the shop floor with one person. This means you will work one week from 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and the other week from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. As a team, we have the freedom to schedule ourselves and we help each other when asked. In addition, we occasionally work on weekends (peak season). We alternate, so this ends up being only +/- 4 days on a yearly basis.
Daan: We all know Michael Kors. What can you tell us about activities in Venlo?
Erik: Michael Kors had a large DC built 6 years ago in Venlo with an area of 100,000 m2. We have since become the Capri holding company, which includes brands such as Michael Kors, Jimmy Choo and Versace. From Venlo, we serve the EMEA market. We have 3 logistics streams, namely: e-commerce, the physical stores and the large department stores,
online retailers. Michael Kors is an international and multicultural organization. The distribution center in Venlo employs about 300 colleagues, which increases even more during peak periods. The language of communication in our DC is English which is not surprising.
What can you tell about the work of the Maintenance Technician?
William: We work with a relatively new machinery in which there are few really major failures. Work includes troubleshooting conveyor systems, packaging machinery and building-related facility work within the DC. It is a large and diverse machinery. Disruptions in the process quickly fill our day.
Daan: I hear you say the professional term “conveyor” several times. What exactly does it mean?
William: Yes these professional terms are so normal for us. Conveyor systems are the various conveyor systems with drive motors such as labeling machines, sorting machines and scanner systems. So mainly plants to sort, collect, pack and transport our items towards the customers.
What failures take place on the conveyor machines?
Erik: Think about conveyor belts or motors that are stopped. A photocell that needs to be adjusted or replaced, a relay that sticks and mechanical work such as replacing motors or shafts, tracking/steering a conveyor belt in case of misalignment, or boxes folding/sealing machines that need to be adjusted Furthermore, we are the first point of contact for malfunctions on internal transport equipment and, if necessary, we engage the supplier for this.
Daan: What are “building-based facility operations”?
William: We are responsible for the building installations. Consider having elevators, sprinkler systems and electrical systems inspected in a timely manner. We record and monitor these periodic activities. We receive notifications from the Safety & Security Department to implement security features in or on the building. Perform work on legionella management, energy management, lighting, as well as sanitation work. Building-related facility work covers about 40% of the work. Almost everything within these 4 walls that does not function properly ends up in the maintenance department.
“In the past 3 years, our supplier has not once crossed our floor. We are proud of that”
Erik de Groot, Maintenance Supervisor
Daan: Where do you want to go as a department?
William: We are currently mostly fixing minor malfunctions, but would like to take the maintenance department to the next level by working more preventively. This is also where the request for a 4th colleague comes from. We would like to train a new colleague and bring them along with us in our ambitions. We can then dive more into the technology. Currently, we are not working with historical data sufficiently. We still have new machinery now but in the future we want to be able to predict the machines better, making us less failure-driven. A system that supports this data is becoming increasingly important. Currently, we are still spending too much time on our daily work.
What is the culture at Michael Kors?
William: An open culture where you can discuss anything. Originally, we are an American organization. Of the regular core Michael Kors employees, everyone knows each other and almost all of us live in the region. As such, we have a culture of “just act normal and you’ll be crazy enough.” Within the DC there is also an open and multicultural working environment with people of all nationalities. The group of colleagues changes quite a bit due to seasonal peaks.
Who are you in daily contact with?
Erik: We are in daily contact with the Supervisors of the DC. This is also where most orders come from. We are part of the engineering department With this department we discuss the progress of planned and unplanned work. Also, from this department we are involved in improvement projects and projects for implementation of, or changes to installations. We are also in contact with the Safety & Security Department to make improvements/adjustments in their area. And of course, we regularly collaborate with our IT colleagues in hardware and software troubleshooting in the DC.
Daan: What is the difficulty of the position?
Erik: We think the difficulty is in finding a new colleague who is interested in both solving conveyor system malfunctions and in building maintenance management. The technical variety is tremendous but, on the other hand, the depth of technique is occasionally lacking. Attract a colleague who enjoys and derives satisfaction from everything related to technology. Those we are looking for!
Daan: What failures do you not perform yourselves?
Erik: We don’t program PLCs. For this, we have contracts with the supplier of conveyor systems to solve complex control problems. It would be a big plus if we could work on this ourselves so that we can better understand what is happening. Here is a nice challenge for us in the future. Repairs and maintenance we do ourselves on control cabinets and PLCs. In the past 3 years, our supplier has not visited us once. We do take pride in that. From the beginning, we have handled the maintenance of the conveyor machines well so that now there are few major problems.
Daan: Why is it so much fun to work with you guys?
Erik: The variety in our job is great because of the diversity of work. The freedom we enjoy in our work. We can decide how to organize our day. This is, of course, beyond the failures that occur. We fix these as soon as possible. You can make and implement improvement proposals yourself. You will be given the freedom to do this on your own initiative, with prior consultation, of course. We are a small informal team and discuss our day at the coffee machine or in the cafeteria. We have many different machines in the work field. Most of the technology in the distribution center is mechanical, electrical and pneumatic. With us, you will have the freedom to work on the various machines, provided, of course, that you have sufficient experience. Otherwise, we help the new colleague grow in the technical knowledge that is not yet present. We work within the fashion industry, which means we work in clean work environments.
William: At my previous employer, people worked in shifts. Because of the shift system, I received an additional list of points of interest the next day. That gave me no satisfaction. Now I go home and find the work the next day the same way. That gives much more peace of mind.
Daan: The DC is 28 soccer fields in size. How many kilometers do you walk in a day?
Erik: We easily walk 10 km a day. Therefore, vitality is important in our job. We did look at other transportation options, but the shape of the building makes it almost impossible. With us, you lose the ounces in no time.
Daan: Can you describe the ideal candidate?
William: The ideal candidate has a strong interest in tech and has worked in a technical environment. Education level is not the most important thing. What is much more important is that you are eager to learn and grow with our organization. That you have a strong sense of responsibility and feel happy in the position. If you have a mechanical background, we are going to help you and facilitate you to take growth steps within electrical and visa versa. Michael Kors encourages that we continue to develop and good training opportunities are available in return.
Do you see this and would like to learn more about your career opportunities at Michael Kors? Then check out the Maintenance Technician position and apply! I’ll talk to you soon.
Thank you for reading!
Daan Crutzen
Talentfinder & Blogger
