Niels

You learn from your past mistakes and first hand experience

All the machines at DILLING’s dye house have names – there’s Alberte, Basse, and Klaus. These three are named after former workers as well as children and grandchildren of employees. Then there’s Erik. According to Niels Thomsen, long-time production operator, that one is a tricky one to figure out. “I actually don’t know where the name comes from. It has always just been called Erik", Niels explains in that calm voice of his "that is all there is to it.“

There is, however, much to be said about the work that Niels does at the dye house. Since 1993, he has been operating the machines, making sure they are set to the exact right dye formula. “I always read the formula. Every single time. Even though I have done this hundreds of times. You see, if a mistake occurs it will be very costly,“ Niels explains.

Visibly still a little embarrassed thinking back on this now, Niels recalls the one time it did go wrong.

“I was running a load of cotton, dyeing it navy blue. On that particular day, I didn’t have the right measuring cup with me, so an extra kilo ended up being added to the original formula. It turned out navy blue alright, but it was not the colour that was prescribed. That’s a mistake I’ve only made once,“ Niels declares.

Aside from sticking to the prescribed and proven formula, Niels has realised two other important things from and about his job. The first one is the importance of safety:

“My first years on the job, I didn’t really spend that much time thinking about safety. In truth, I thought the safety measures in place were a bit excessive – like having to wear gloves, safety goggles, and other gear at all times. Thankfully, I soon learned that safety measures are actually a crucial part of our production.“

The other lesson Niels picked up, is the significance of opting for organic merino wool and cotton, manufactured and dyed in accordance with strict regulations.

“I never really gave it much thought: what we were manufacturing and how that process could ever positively affect the skin. For many years, even when I first started working at DILLING, I suffered from eczema. Then one day, I decided to start wearing our underwear and the eczema disappeared. That got me thinking about quality.“

Lastly, there is one more rather significant thing that Niels realised: That love can be found anywhere. Shortly after he started working at DILLING, Niels met his coworker, Lene. The two of them have been together ever since.