So, it's that time of year again and only a week to go until the big day! Ahead of our Christmas break, we headed over to Varsseveld, Holland to visit our colleagues across the sea. Which gave us the chance to take a look at the new VB warehouse and offices, it's safe to say we were pretty impressed...
Hitting the slopes
When we arrived on Wednesday, we didn’t head straight into the office. Instead, Gerald, the VB General Manager, took us to his local skiing club! After settling in with a warm brew, we got our skis on and hit the slopes. With two of us having skied before and one trying it for the first time, there were definitely a few challenging moments—one even involving a broken ski lift! Let’s just say some of us won’t be going pro anytime soon but it was memorable nonetheless.
The VB factory
Back in 2021, we opened a brand new Logistics Centre and warehouse over in Varsseveld, alongside the existing offices and factory. We took a tour around the new factory and got to see the production of our systems from start to finish, along with some amazing technology that helps with the process. From the very start of the line with the making of our air bellows to seeing all the pallets ready to be shipped off to our subsidiaries, from Australia to Turkey and Germany. One of the most fascinating pieces of machinery we came across was a bolt-picking station. You simply input the order and a laser shines on the exact bolts you need to pack, it’s such a clever and efficient system!
Christmas Party
While in The Netherlands we had the chance to attend their Christmas party, Winter Warmer. Held in the new warehouse, there was plenty of space for the tables and the hired bar, which served Holland’s own Grolsch on draft. We had some delicious food, with the pulled pork taking the crown as our favourite. Along with some VR snowball fights and Father Christmas rides, we came home with our own campfire as a Christmas gift! It was great to see our colleagues all together and having a great time.
VB-UK festivities
Back in the UK, we had our own Christmas party! We headed to Chester for the night, where we had some great food at The Opera followed by a night of drinks and singing in one of Chester's indie bars, good tunes were a must. We exchanged Secret Santa gifts in the morning which was definitely a laugh. From personalised mugs to screaming goats, everyone's gifts were received well.
We would like to finish off by wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! We've had an exciting year here at VB and already looking forward see what next year will bring...