Caroline Van der Perre, the managing director of the recycling firm RAFF Plastics, had long felt she wanted to ‘let go’ of more in her business and focus increasingly on strategy and growth. The SME Excellence programme strengthened her conviction that this was the right thing to do, giving her the tools to take decisive action. ‘As an SME, you often think “I’m too small, this is not for me.” In fact, the reverse is true.’
About RAFF Plastics
Why did you opt for the SME Excellence programme?
‘The programme was part of the WOMED award, but it came at the right time. 2023, the year in which I won the award, was a hectic year. I wanted to shift my full focus back to RAFF. We are facing many challenges: the recycling laws are changing at a breakneck pace and cheap plastic is being imported into Europe. I also have the ambition to grow and increase our impact in terms of sustainability. It’s already part of our DNA, but now I want to include customers and suppliers in our story as well.’
What are your key takeaways from the programme? In what ways are they helping you take on the challenges facing your business?
‘I’ve become more aware of the importance of strategy. RAFF is a family business. For a long time, our mindset was, “as long as the factory runs, as long as the machines work properly, we’re fine.” But you also need to reflect on the structure of the business if you want to grow. What skill profiles do we have at hand? Where do we want to go? Who do we need to get there? Growing means delegating.
The SME Excellence programme has also dispelled some misplaced modesty. I always used to look at audits or certificates with a certain degree of scepticism. Our SME is too small for those, I thought. Now I see things differently. They position you in relation to industry peers, they get the conversation going and they’re a way to show our business and industry in a positive light.
I also found Koen Dewettinck’s classes particularly useful, as they taught us to analyse ourselves as leaders. Discovering that I belong to a specific category – I am a ‘pusher’ – and hearing how business leaders with a different profile approach their business, was a source of both recognition and inspiration. A real eye-opener.
Besides offering new insights, the programme has also validated my gut feeling about certain decisions. For instance, I have long believed that we shouldn’t jump at every possible opportunity. But in this programme, I actually learnt the theory behind this. Now I’m more aware than ever that it is important to focus on what you know and what you can do. Or, in our case, making custom plastic pellets for our customers.’
How have you gone about implementing these insights?
‘We decided to invest in middle management, partnering with a major recruitment company to do so. That wasn’t an easy decision, as it comes at a price. However, it is a necessary step towards growth. We also started working on our structure and processes, identifying the skill profiles we have at our disposal and which people are needed in which places. We aren’t doing that alone: we have coaches to support us. We want proper job titles and clear job descriptions for our employees. For that, we use applications such as Teamify. Last but not least, we signed up for the Great Place to Work employee survey. In the past, I would have never even considered this. Now, I know that it serves both as a baseline measurement of how we are doing as an employer and a way of attracting future employees.’
What impact have these actions had on your business?
‘There is greater clarity. Everyone understands their responsibilities, and we are organised to optimise growth. Today, we process 70,000 tonnes of waste per year. This is set to grow to 100,000 tonnes, probably at other sites as well.
We have also found that people can find us more easily. For example, we now regularly receive requests for internships, including several from top profiles at Flemish universities. A major player in our sector recently asked me how we achieved EcoVadis gold certification (a sustainability assessment, Ed.). That felt like a real confirmation of our achievements.
It has also proved invaluable for me personally. The realisation that I was too much of a jack-of-all-trades came as quite a shock. The programme gave me the boost I needed in more ways than one. After 25 years of working for the family business, I have had to figure out a lot myself. Receiving positive feedback from colleagues and business coaches has been hugely rewarding.’