Auke Talma

‘Contributing my knowledge and experience to young company Plantics’

Organic chemist Auke Talma (70) has been retired for several years. His work has always been his hobby, which is why he now enjoys being a part-time consultant, among others, at Plantics. ‘This way I can continue to use my experience and knowledge.’

‘The CEO of Plantics asked me as a part-time consultant three years ago. I immediately answered “yes” to that question. And I still do this work with great pleasure. One day a week I can be found at the Plantics location. The enthusiasm of the many young people here stimulates me enormously! It keeps my brain active. ‘Auke is enthusiastic that Plantics makes use of such advisors anyway.  ‘This brings a lot of knowledge and experience from different subfields, which ensures a flying start. It’s a stable factor in this young company.’

Creative solutions

The first time Auke was introduced to Plantics’ resin, about 6 years ago, he thought it was chemically almost impossible to make applications with the resin.  ‘The creative solutions the people at Plantics have come up with, have amazed me. The steps they’ve taken are phenomenal. And it’s fantastic that I now get to contribute to this special product myself.’

Developing continuously

Currently, Auke is involved in a project to develop a “second generation” resin.  ‘Of course it is based on the well-known Plantics principles, but with even better properties for processing.’ In such a project, Auke gives solicited and unsolicited advice to Plantics colleagues. ‘I enjoy sharing my experience. And I am glad the colleagues are open to that. Outside of projects, they also know where to find me. Those short lines of communication at Plantics keep the development speed high’, Auke is pleased to see.

Chemistry that works

Auke is passionate when it comes to applied chemistry. ‘That the molecules you develop are used for applications, that’s beautiful. That’s why I’ve always worked in the industry. It doesn’t stop with research; you must also go to market with your product. And thus, you must take that market into account and trigger customers. But the production process is also important. ‘At Plantics, Auke continues to be amazed by the creative and practical inventions his colleagues have made and are still making.  ‘I am so proud of their creativity, effort, dedication and commitment.’

Contributing to team performance

A wise lesson Auke likes to teach young colleagues is this: ‘Take your time to learn your trade. When you have finished your education, you just don’t know everything yet. And you don’t have to. Talk to a lot of people. In the end, it’s about team performance. Everyone has a lot of different knowledge, and by exchanging it, you’ll make progress together. Challenge each other to bring out the best in each other. You don’t have to solve all the problems yourself. Certainly not at a company like Plantics. There is so much knowledge here. Take that knowledge with you and use what is needed along the way. Be eager to learn new things and make a success of it together with your colleagues!

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Want to read more about Auke’s drive in his working life? In ChemieMagazine in 2016, he talked about his work at AkzoNobel Polymer Chemistry (article in Dutch).