Paul: I work as Plant Manager at Aviko Xilinhot in China. In my daily work I ensure that we work as safely and environmentally friendly as possible.

Yongwei: I work as HSE (Health & Safety and Environment) Manager at Aviko Xilinhot. I am responsible for a wide range of tasks, in which safety in the workplace predominates and regulations in the area of environmental protection is one of my priorities.

Yongwei

Aviko is a warm family with much respect for everyone's ideas. I am given all the support I need. It makes me happy to be able to work on improving the HSE management level at the plant every day.

Paul: We successfully made it through the corona lockdown. This was one of the biggest challenges in 2022. Furthermore, we built new lines and we succeeded in improving safety awareness in our plant in Xilinhot.

Yongwei: I am proud of the fact that we managed to mitigate many risks. This includes risks such as the inability to harvest high quality potatoes, the inability to attract sufficient numbers of qualified employees or that we do not make sufficient progress on important construction projects with sufficient attention for safety.

Paul: We worked on various initiatives to limit the impact on the environment and to mitigate potential risks. For example, we successfully installed a new deodorisation system. We managed to neutralise more than 85% of the odours. It is important for the local residents in the vicinity of our plant to be satisfied and that they do not experience any inconvenience.

Yongwei: We are working on our goal of 'zero accidents'. We have worked hard to make our plant in Xilinhot a safe workplace. We improved various aspects, including the plant's hardware. This includes the safety of electrical power supplies and the platforms in the production halls. In addition, we have developed better safety procedures to prevent and minimise incidents. Safety starts with our employees. This is why we work with education and training systems for our colleagues. Furthermore, we are actively working on developing higher safety awareness among our colleagues and we are providing them with professional tools and practical tips, so that we can safely complete our work every day.

Yongwei: During the busy potato harvesting period in 2022, we had over 300 colleagues in quarantine on our plant's premises. I am therefore proud: thanks to the major efforts of our Aviko team in Xilinhot and the expertly developed corona prevention and control plan, there were no safety accidents or corona incidents during this period. This is a tremendous accomplishment that we achieved jointly!

Paul: We aim to significantly reduce our carbon footprint. However, in the area of renewable energy, the infrastructure in China is not yet as far developed as it is in Europe. We are currently investigating the possibilities together with experts, after which we will develop a phased action plan. This requires a long-term approach that at the same time includes short-term actions.

Yongwei: We are devoting much attention to creating safety awareness among our colleagues. The challenge for us is to continue to advance our work and to continue to put safety first, each and every day.

Paul: We are building a sustainable company together. Our goal is to reduce our CO₂ emissions in 2030 by at least 35% and our goal is for our plant to belong to the top three in China. For my colleagues, my aim is to create a fantastic and safe workplace experience. Together we are creating the future!

Yongwei: My personal goal is to further develop myself and to become the HSE expert in the sector. As for Aviko Xilinhot, my aim is to become a generally recognised, outstanding and more sustainable organisation, where safety is uppermost!

Paul Ren - Plant Manager Xilinhot