The customer in the centre

"It is never far from thought to action at Mac Baren. We have short decision-making procedures, so the risk of good ideas gathering dust at the decision-making level are minimal."

Ole Houborg is head of the Customer Service Centre, with responsibility for ensuring that Mac Baren Tobacco Company's customers and trading partners can always obtain precise responses to their queries, be it about one-stop production or an order for Hong Kong.

Earlier in his career Ole was very much involved with sales, primarily to the export markets.

Ole considers good collaboration internally within the company to be crucial if he is to deliver what is expected of him. A good atmosphere also makes it more fun to go to work.

"Communication between the different sections at Mac Baren is exceptionally good, which is crucial if the Customer Service Centre is to live up to its name; that is, provide the service that our customers expect. In many ways we are the 'face' of the company to our customers and trading partners, and we take pride in looking our best."

Quality in every aspect

"Things are moving fast in production and we must learn new things all the time to keep up."

Glenn Solgaard Johansen has been on the production staff at Mac Baren Tobacco Company for many years. Compared to when he started, his job today is much more multifaceted as he is responsible for ensuring that the packing machines always have the right tobacco on hand and in the right quantities.

To ensure that the machines are never standing idle, he needs to be fully familiar with the production plans.

"The job has changed a lot during my time here at Mac Baren. In recent years a great deal of new technology has been introduced in production and computers have become natural working tools for us. At the same time, we have to be able to do more things. I myself have recently completed a training course in an entirely new function."

Glenn is pleased to be with Mac Baren Tobacco Company.

"I am satisfied with my job and my workplace. Things are well under control and as safety representative I know that it is a safe and secure workplace. There is a good atmosphere among colleagues and respect for each other's different ways of being."

In the front line

"Overall, the market for pipe tobacco has been falling worldwide. Our future growth is dependent on us being able to win market share in the traditional markets at the same time as we open and develop new markets. It is very interesting to have a front-line role."

Thomas Knudsen is Regional Export Manager with Mac Baren Tobacco Company's export section. He is responsible for several of the markets for which the company has particularly high expectations in the coming years.

"We work closely with the Marketing section when we go after prioritised markets. We return home with inputs that Marketing develops into cohesive product ranges."

Thomas spends more than one-third of his working time in foreign parts. Personal relations are decisive, therefore contact with foreign customers and trading partners must never be allowed to go 'cold'.

"It is tremendously interesting to be in close dialogue with people from other cultures. In the past there used to be much talk of the language barrier when dealing with people in other countries. But I consider overcoming the cultural barrier to be the key."

Learning new things is fun

"I have been given the opportunity to work with things that interest me and at the same time I am receiving a formal training."

So says Michael Andersson in his capacity as an adult apprentice in Mac Baren Tobacco Company's technical section. Here he has been given the opportunity to combine his interests and training, despite being over 30 years of age.

Michael is in no doubt that in the future the Danish labour market will make generally higher demands of the workforce. Interest and flair had seen him well on the way, and now it was time to obtain a formal qualification.

"For the staff there is no doubt that Mac Baren is a company where the focus is on becoming qualified. I knew there had previously been adult apprentices in the Technical Section, and I have always had an interest in and flair for things technical. After spending some time in production I decided I wanted to challenge myself professionally, so I enquired about opportunities to become an adult apprentice. Fortunately the response was positive."