Meet the team: Development specialist Hans Maas

We meet our colleague Hans Maas. In his position as R&D development ­specialist, he is responsible for the R&D (research and development) of our Nutrifeed products that we sell over the whole world. In this interview he tells us more about his work and what is so great about working at Nutrifeed.

How did you end up at Nutrifeed?
I was already working for Friesland Campina within the food division when I got the opportunity to work for Nutrifeed (in those days Nutrifeed was part of FrieslandCampina). Quite an unusual switch from food to feed, but I heard good comments on the atmosphere and way of working at Nutrifeed. This and the fact that I like new challenges made me eager to switch. Never regretted moving to Nutrifeed one single day!

What is your role (responsibility) within Nutrifeed?
My history within the dairy industry learned me a lot about the processing and characteristics of dairy raw materials. This knowledge I can use to optimize the performance of our dairy based young animal nutrition. As a researcher with a scientific interest I am always striving to improve the health effects of our milk replacers. An example of such an in-house development is our Ingredient CAIR which helps to prevent respiratory health ­problems. Furthermore, I am responsible for handling customer complaints, although it may have a negative sound when you handle a complaint correctly both parties could benefit.

What is your previous work experience?
As mentioned before I used to work for Friesland Campina within different segments. Starting with the development of dairy based blends for fermented milk products, later on, moved to application and technical sales support for dairy proteins in clinical, sports and infant nutrition. So you see there is a bridge between food and feed in my working history.

What do you like best about your job?
I greatly appreciate the working atmosphere in our relatively small team with broad responsibilities. The shared quest to develop the best animal nutrition is felt on the working floor. I have a strong link with our production facility and the laboratory, to be involved in all the phases of our end products is something I cherish. Being among the senior staff I enjoy working with younger colleagues to learn from each other and hear their stories of life

In your opinion, which requirements must a good milk powder have?
Two main aspects:  benefits for the animal and ease of use for the customer. With benefits for the animal, we mean that the product should be nutritionally sound, which means good quality protein and encapsulated fat. Besides extra vitamins and minerals, we add a series of ingredients that benefit the health of the young animal. The focus is on improving digestion and intestinal and respiratory health. With benefits for the customer, we mean that the powder should be applicable for all types of feeding systems; bucket, bottle and automatic feeding. The powder should be non-dusting and easy to mix in with water. We even developed milk replacers that can be dissolved in cold water.

What is the biggest challenge in your work?
One of the challenges is to develop the best young animal nutrition possible that is best for the animal, the farmer and the best possible product in the market.

What do you like most about working at/for Nutrifeed?
I like the fact that I am involved in all the aspects of the production of our end products. And that my efforts result in noticeable contributions. As expressed before the major ingredient for my working pleasure is the team in which I am able to work. Never a dull moment at Nutrifeed.

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