“Training suppliers’ staff regularly can ensure optimal production cleanliness.” Over five posts, our specialists discuss trends and developments for 2026. This week, Koen Mentink and Heleen Van der Sloot Floors from Hittech Bihca share their insights as a tier-1 supplier.
Koen Mentink, Managing Director at Hittech Bihca: “With a supply chain involving many companies, it is hard to maintain the same level of cleanliness throughout the chain. As a tier 1 supplier, we need to monitor all companies that supply us. However, there is no international standard that covers this level of cleanliness for these companies, so the risks can be high. For example, liquids and emulsions can remain on parts after shipping from one supplier to another, and even thermally sealed packaging can contaminate parts by leaking oxygen. For me, the best solution is to increase awareness of these risks throughout the supply chain by training the relevant personnel. My colleague Heleen van der Sloot Floors manages this process.”
How do you organise such training?
Heleen Van der Sloot Floors, HR Advisor at Hittech Bihca: “These training courses are more than just knowledge transfer: they are an investment in quality and a strong, safe corporate culture that benefits everyone daily. In collaboration with Dennie ten Bruin from AT Techniekopleidingen, we provide practical and theoretical lessons. We then store the knowledge and agreements gained centrally in oZone – Hét leerplatform voor de techniek, a Dutch knowledge centre from FME, the business organisation for the technology industry, where knowledge is recorded in an accessible, up-to-date, and uniform manner. Through this collaboration, we develop training courses that help us all work more safely and consciously, handle projects responsibly, and strengthen our collective way of working. The next challenge is to develop a global set of guidelines, given our international network of suppliers. That would be an excellent objective for 2026.”
For more information about her experience with training methods for cleanliness in technical companies, contact Heleen Van der Sloot Floors.
In the photo, Koen Mentink is holding a part with a so-called ‘blind hole’, a space known for retaining residual liquids.
Cleanliness is a mindset that can be trained
