The road is the journey, not the destination
Some circumstances reshape our lives and set us off in a different direction; a large part of us changes when we start working. In most cases the road is so uncertain that only by being willing to live the experience will we get the most out of what we learn.
Today we want to highlight the career of one of our colleagues. Lander is without a doubt an example of perseverance and dedication to his work. He started out at barely 20 years of age as a result of something we could call one of life’s rolls of the dice. He tells us about it as something that just happened to him…
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I don’t have a lot of working experience, I started at the age of 20 doing cleaning and maintenance work at Anoeta Stadium for 4 years, specifically until 2001. One day in May, I was asked if I wanted to participate in the production of an enormous order of Nomad beam seating at Akaba. It was a special delivery for Cologne Airport, and that’s how I started working at Akaba.
Lander had no intention of joining the Akaba production team; however, it was his first stop, and the start of a story which has lasted for several years and which led to him continuing his career, this time as warehouse assistant.
I worked in the warehouse for years and I remember at that time, when we were still in Lasarte (our old offices), how the characteristics and conditions of the place had us constantly running here and there because the material was dotted all over the factory spaces.
Changes in technology, a new project under way
Changes in technology, a new project under way and heaps of orders to deliver; that’s the way things were in early 2008, when Akaba set about revamping all areas of its business.
The company installed a smart warehouse by Ulma, and that radically changed the internal logistics procedure; we went from having material spread all over the factory buildings to having it all practically centralised and much, much better controlled.
These changes brought new responsibilities for all members of the Akaba team, and in some cases new functions and positions were introduced to make manufacturing a process with the very highest quality standards. A team of production managers was then created of which Lander was a part as head of upholstery and warehouse.
I love every part of my work: organising, planning and trying to provide the best possible response to the team we make up at Akaba.
The people you spend most time with are perhaps your workmates and for a long time, in Lander’s case, his brothers, undoubtedly an experience well worth the telling…
I’m the eldest of 3 brothers. The one after me is Eneko and then there’s my brother Alain, and for a time all 3 of us worked side by side at AKABA. For me it was a lovely, really lovely time, because I liked having my two brothers with me since the 3 of us share all sorts of hobbies: hunting, fishing, mountain-walking, looking for mushrooms… We’re always arguing about them because we each have our own opinions, we never agree, but we do have a great time (Lander laughs). Although today my brothers no longer work at Akaba, I still have fond memories of that time we spent here together.
Many things have changed; Lander continues on his journey at Akaba, and today each new project still motivates him as much as it did on the first day he started work on the order for Cologne Airport. Looking back, he thinks…
Things have changed and we have better systems and everything is much more organised, but the essence is still there, and that’s why I love what I do.
