From 'trainee' to successor: the story of Marc and Mathijs
May 21, 2026 • 4 minutes reading
Who are Marc and Mathijs?
- Marc Poelvoorde joined Unilin Panels in 1984 at the age of 17, and after 42 years of service he is set to retire in October 2026 as shift supervisor of the Lux 15 press.
- Mathijs Depuydt started at Unilin Panels in 2010 as an operator on the Lux 9, the press where Marc was shift supervisor at the time. They’ve been working together again since last April and Mathijs will take over from Marc in the near future.
From operator to shift supervisor
When Mathijs started at Unilin Panels sixteen years ago, he made a deliberate choice. “I wanted to work for a large company because of the growth opportunities they offer,” he says. “The fact that I can grow internally and learn so many new things is also the reason why I feel at home here and have no plans of leaving.”
He vividly remembers his first working day. “I reported as a controller, the task every starting operator does first, but they put me to work on the packaging line. I was a bit disappointed because I wanted to work with machines,” he laughs. “Fortunately, I knew it was temporary and a few weeks later I started my training as an operator.”
On the Lux 9 press line is where he got to know shift supervisor Marc. “I noticed immediately that he was as driven as I was,” says Marc with a smile.
From a difficult start to a stellar career
Marc also never forgot his first working day as an operator. “I started in the sawing department, where I processed manually sawn panels. Forty years ago, training at Unilin was very different from today. I wasn’t given much in the way of explanation and that was quite tough. I even thought about quitting. My mother told me to persevere and I’m glad I did because it allowed me to build a great career here.”
That first experience proved decisive in the way Marc later trained people himself. “I always tried to be there for colleagues and understood the importance of proper training. I want everyone to feel they are in good hands from day one.”
I always understood the importance of proper training. I want everyone to feel they are in good hands from day one."
Special jobs and challenges
Both Marc and Mathijs set the bar high. Marc says: “I make no concessions when it comes to quality. I’m sure I gave Mathijs the occasional telling-off when his work wasn’t meticulous enough.” Their drive runs like a common thread throughout both careers.
Over the years, Marc built enormous expertise in presses and complex projects. “I like to sink my teeth into the special jobs,” he says. “Solving problems and figuring out new things, that’s what I enjoy most.”
“In 42 years I have learned an enormous amount, mostly by doing. In the past, the learning process was far less formal and structured. I was involved in the introduction of new technologies and that definitely gives you the opportunity to discover, test and learn together with colleagues.” Things are different for Mathijs as the training programme at Unilin has evolved and expanded considerably in the meantime. After his operator training, he regularly followed new courses: “for the internal fire brigade, first-aid training, forklift operator training, various leadership courses, … If you’re ambitious, you get plenty of opportunities to develop yourself.”
If you're ambitious, you get plenty of opportunities to develop yourself."
One of the highlights of Marc’s career? The relocation of machines and the reorganisation of a warehouse for a new product. “We had to remove more than one hundred trucks of material from the warehouse in a single Saturday. The timing was extremely tight but we got the job done.”
The fact that the Lux 9 achieved the best performance results is also largely thanks to Marc and his team. “My motto was: the machine must not stop. So my team and I worked extremely hard to prevent that. With success. I’m very proud of what we achieved together.”
The power of internal growth
What started as a training relationship between shift supervisor and operator has grown into a textbook example of internal mobility. Today, Marc is training his own successor. “The circle is complete,” says Mathijs. “Marc was there at the start of my career and now I am seeing him off at the end of his career.”
Looking to take that next step in your own career?
Unilin is always looking for highly motivated shift supervisors who want to grow, take responsibility and make a difference together with their team. As a shift supervisor, you coach and motivate your team, guide new colleagues and ensure that production runs smoothly and safely, with an eye for quality and continuous improvement.
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