The Quality Standard According to Antoine de Boer

24 October 2016 - The Quality Standard’ is the slogan that Van de Lande has used to present itself since late 2015. But what exactly does The Quality Standard stand for? We are very happy to explain. That’s why, in each newsletter, someone from our staff will be doing just that. This time: Antoine de Boer, Quality Manager.

Antoine de Boer graduated in industrial engineering and management at an institute of technology. He started working at Van de Lande as a quality manager twenty years ago. Antoine: ‘When I first started work, I was initially a working foreman for the quality assurance department. I also kept myself busy with the implementation of the ISO 9001 quality system. After our certification, there was more time for other activities, including those to do with legislation and regulations and working conditions.’
 
Providing quality is a core competence at Van de Lande. But how does the company deal with this in daily practice? Antoine: ‘Nobody’s perfect and we all make mistakes when we work. You simply have to have the courage to acknowledge that. Obviously you do everything you can to structure the production process with safety and quality consciousness at its core. But if something does go wrong, then you have to respond immediately. Which is why you’ll often find me wandering around in the factory.’

‘We stand for quality, and our clients know that,’ Antoine continues. ‘With a team of four quality inspectors, we carry out inspections on an ongoing basis. Primarily, these are what we call non-destructive checks. For this, products are checked for their dimensions and leak tightness, followed by a visual inspection. Then there are also destructive inspections. For instance, our PN16 fittings have to be able to withstand 67 bar pressure for an hour at 20 ºC. By strictly adhering to our test regime, we can continue to guarantee our clients that The Quality Standard is fully in place.’