In the meat industry, one thing is certain: today’s plans are already outdated by tomorrow. A meat promotion in the flyer, the upcoming holidays, a product lineup that suddenly shifts. That’s when you want a staffing partner that doesn’t just provide people, but the right people, at the right time, and in compliance with the rules.

Meat processor Van Loon in Beilen has been relying on Flexspecialisten for this for about 13 years now. It’s time to look back and look ahead, together with team leader Alyssia Holmen.

A factory that has to make deliveries every day

Van Loon Noord processes meat for Dutch supermarkets at its facility in Beilen . This is done in three categories: beef cuts such as steak, pot roast, and soup meat; ground meat products such as sausage, hamburgers, and ground beef; and an exclusive line featuring higher-end cuts like ribeye and entrecôte. The majority of the product goes to Jumbo, and the facility in the northern Netherlands also supplies Plus and Hoogvliet.

For team leader Alyssia Holmen, every workday begins with the same questions.“What are we going to do? How much are we going to do? How many packages do we need to prepare?” Planning, forecasting, and managing the permanent staff are at the heart of her work. To make that happen every day, in addition to approximately 150 permanent employees, there are about 110 Flex employees on the floor, almost all of whom are hired through Flexspecialisten. “That helps us enormously to handle the peaks, but also the lulls.”

“That helps us tremendously in handling the peaks, but also the troughs.”

Every rung of the ladder

Alyssia has experienced the partnership from both sides. She joined the company as a temporary worker through Flexspecialisten and was hired as a permanent employee in 2017 by what was then still called Meat Friends.“I really started at the bottom,”she says.“First, I packed products; then I operated a machine; after that, I became the point of contact on the production floor; and finally, I became a team leader. I’ve actually worked in almost every role.”

That approach is no exception at Van Loon Noord. Every year, a set number of flex workers transition to permanent contracts. This is a deliberate policy designed to give employees a sense of future prospects while ensuring the flex pool remains at full strength. These are often people who have been with the company for some time and have taken their skills to the next level—for example, by learning to operate a machine.

The Right Match, Starting on Day One

What makes a staffing partner strong in the meat industry? For Alyssia, it comes down to three things: good communication, reliable delivery, and the quality of the people.“It’s not always rocket science for us. But basic hygiene and basic communication are just really important.” Anyone who works with migrant workers knows that finding the right match isn’t a given. Does the job suit the employee, and does the employee suit the company? With remote recruitment, it’s not always easy to assess this in advance, even though someone is leaving their home country and familiar surroundings behind for a new job.“You bring these people here, and then you simply want to offer them a place to work,” says Alyssia. That’s why careful selection and good communication between the client and the staffing agency are just as important as quick placement.

In addition to recruiting abroad, Flexspecialisten and Van Loon Noord recently launched a new program targeting candidates who already live in the Netherlands, including many Ukrainians. It’s a great opportunity for both sides: candidates are interviewed in person on-site beforehand, are already familiar with the Netherlands, and are immediately available when extra help is needed.“It’s worked out very well so far,” says Alyssia.

Scaling Up Without Panic

The busiest times at Van Loon are around December and during the summer. The summer, in particular, is hard to plan for: as soon as the weather turns nice, barbecue meat flies off the shelves in large quantities.“Then all of a sudden you need twenty extra people. And they’re not just standing outside the gate waiting,” says Alyssia.

Still, scaling up went remarkably smoothly over the past year. Thanks to its steady pool of people eager to work, Flexspecialisten can quickly provide extra help when demand suddenly spikes. And that’s only becoming more important: now that Jumbo is running meat promotions again, production has to adapt more frequently and more quickly.

“Then all of a sudden you need twenty more people. They’re not just standing here waiting at the gate.”

Investing in Skilled Workers

A production line doesn’t run on packers alone.“You can have a whole team of production workers who can pack the line, but if no one knows how to turn on that machine, it’s no use,” says Alyssia. That’s why Van Loon trains Flex employees with potential to become Operators. It’s a role that requires precision: quality checks, record-keeping, and making sure each package has the right label.

All taken care of

In an industry that’s under close scrutiny, reliability means more than just on-time delivery. Flexspecialisten is designed to meet WTTA requirements, so clients like Van Loon can be confident that aspects such as housing and compensation are handled in accordance with the rules. This allows Van Loon Noord to focus on what really matters: delivering the right products to the customer every day.

Partner, not a supplier

Flexspecialisten It’s not remote—it’s right here at Beilen. With our own in-house office on-site, the lines of communication are short: questions about scheduling, work schedules, or new employees are addressed directly on the shop floor by people who are closely involved with production and the Flex employees.“It’s truly a collaboration,” says Alyssia.“If we have a problem, we just walk in: is there another way to do this? The people from Flexspecialisten here feel just like colleagues.” The same goes the other way around: if something comes up at Flexspecialisten, Van Loon helps find a solution.

13 years, 110 Flex employees, and production that needs to adapt to seasonal fluctuations and supermarket promotions. Van Loon has proven it: with the right partner, flexible staff become a permanent asset.

“If we have a problem, we just walk in and ask, ‘Is there another way?’ The people here at Flexspecialisten feel just like colleagues.”

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