New workspace at Yanmar for Pro Almere students

On Friday, March 27, Yanmar celebrated the opening of its newly relocated Repack Department at its warehouse in Almere. This department is a dedicated workspace where students from Pro Almere gain valuable, hands-on logistics experience in a safe, structured working environment. The small celebration was attended by Pro Almere management, department managers, internship supervisors, and Yanmar colleagues. Students from Pro Almere’s hospitality program provided catering, preparing and serving refreshments. 

New location, improved workspace

The relocation of the department was necessary following Yanmar’s recent expansion of its warehouse facilities. The repacking activities were moved to a new location within the Yanmar warehouse in Almere, ensuring the department remains fully integrated in daily warehouse operations.

The new workspace is bright, well-organised, and provides a pleasant working environment. It creates a more open, clearly defined department where the team works together on a dedicated floor. The workstations are arranged in a row, allowing students to maintain visual contact with Yanmar employees. This layout enables regular staff to act as role models while also supporting an efficient production setup.

Designed with student input

Students and their supervisors from Pro Almere were closely involved in the design of the new department. Their input helped shape a workspace that supports both productivity and learning. One of the most visible improvements is the addition of windows, allowing natural daylight to enter the workspace. Student feedback has also led to practical improvements in on-site facilities and overall break-time amenities.

Hands-on experience in logistics

The Repack Department is staffed by students from Pro Almere, a practical secondary school for young people with learning difficulties. Since 2015, Yanmar has offered these students meaningful work experience on the warehouse floor. By working alongside Yanmar employees, they develop essential skills such as punctuality, teamwork, responsibility, and the ability to follow professional procedures.

Daily operations

Each day, six to eight students work in the department under the guidance of two school coaches. In close cooperation with Yanmar employees, the students rotate through various logistics tasks, including assisting with counting, supporting warehouse staff, operating packaging equipment, and contributing to outgoing logistics processes. As students progress, they gradually take on more challenging tasks and work more independently. At the end of the year, they receive a certificate upon successful completion of their internship.

Working together for the future

With this new Repack Department, Yanmar and Pro Almere continue to strengthen their partnership, which supports warehouse operations and helps young people build confidence and prepare for their future in the workplace.