As Director Operations, Ton Pasnagel is mainly occupied with the planning and communication surrounding the supply chain. Ton makes sure that the products you order at Barbas Bellfires are delivered as quickly as possible and always have the quality that you are used to from us. He does this by ensuring planning capacity, future demand and the communication between various links of the production process are maintained to the highest degree.

“A significant focus of my work is the delivery times. It goes without saying that we want to keep this time scale to a minimum. This requires smart planning and a good insight into the demand for the medium to long term. Fireplaces are primarily sold in autumn and winter. That means we need more production capacity during this period. To achieve this, we employ extra workers and our own people often work overtime in winter. They can save up those extra hours for spring and summer, when things are calmer. This way, we have integrated a system of flexible work that fits the market.”

Functional approach

The Director Operations can be found on the factory floor daily. He has a lot of contact with employees; he likes the practical, functional approach. “If an issue in the production process is discussed during a meeting, I want to see it with my own eyes. This can be anything that affects the supply chain: something technical, quality-related, process-related, or something personal with an employee.”

Good feeling

After over twenty years in the kitchen sector, Ton started working at Barbas Bellfires in June 2017. “My first thoughts were: the good, friendly atmosphere and the focus is on the client and on product development. Everyone here is proud of the company and its products. I felt right at home with this mentality and passion.”

New welding robot

Ton proudly tells us about the new welding robot Barbas Bellfires recently purchased. “This allows us to manufacture even more ourselves. By that I mean, parts and products that we currently still outsource. This will increase our production capacity: we gain even more control over the supply chain.”