Julie Mansuy

‘I feel valued at Plantics, while changing the world’

Materials engineer Julie Mansuy (26) coordinates the research related to the use of the Plantics bio-resins in combination with hemp fibres. For instance, her team supports the upscaling of different products but also works on the development of new products.

Julie explains that she has a background in materials engineering. ‘I learned about material science, chemistry of composites, and plastics and characterisation techniques. Within the “hemp hub” as we call it, we do research as part of the different projects. We assist in the development of new products like our traffic signs. And recently we supported the upscaling of the prepregs (pre-impregnated fiber mats) on our own site and of the production line of the hemp chair, at our partner. Essentially, we keep on improving the properties of the materials considering the application and keep on making the process more efficient.’

Connecting teams

In the projects that concern hemp, Julie is the linking pin. ‘I connect colleagues who are working on the different hemp projects. That is the project management part of the job. But I’m also doing lab-work myself. I like that combination of desk work and lab work. And of course, the interaction with colleagues. Helping others to achieve their goals as well makes me happy.’

International cake competition

Julie’s hemp team is a small team of four people. ‘But we are part of the bigger R&D-section of Plantics. Working within a young international team is nice and also permits to build strong friendships! This is very important to me, as an expatriated girl it is not so easy to meet new people in the Netherlands. We have a lot of fun together, during work, but also after working hours.’ A nice example of having fun at work is the cake competition. ‘Every Thursday afternoon we all tasted and judged the cakes two people baked. Unfortunately there was never a winner because new people were always entering’, Julie smiles. ‘But it was a special moment, because it brought everyone from the company together every week. Not only the R&D-colleagues but also the managers and the people from production, which is quite rare.’

Team of senior advisors

‘Plantics is a relatively small company. Sometimes it means that we make long hours to get a job done. But I don’t feel a lot of restrictions in doing my job, we are flexible, especially time wise. We are given freedom and the management really listens to what we want and what our ideas are. So there are plenty of possibilities to develop yourself. I feel valued here’, she explains. ‘I’m learning so much at Plantics, both professionally and personally. We have a young team of very different people with various backgrounds, but we also have a team of senior advisors. It’s really good to learn from them and their feedback.’

Make an impact

‘Plantics is a work environment for people who want to have an impact and feel useful in changing the world, just like me’, Julie explains. ‘We work here for a reason, not for the biggest pay check’, she says smiling. ‘We have a unique bio-resin no one else has. We can really make an impact on the world with that. That’s pretty special.’ Plantics is all about teamwork. ‘Me and my colleagues put a lot of small stones together, making a big difference in the end. We can really change the industry and how people think about plastics. It’s a big task, but when we succeed it’s a win for everyone.’