Freshly Packed.

The Vetipak site in Zeewolde is home to our successful long-term partnership with Bakker Logistics, part of the STEF group. It’s also where we work for Dynamic Products Factory, which develops creative products for the retail sector. We recently ensured that a multitude of party items in 3,300 displays reached their destinations with a well-known German retail chain. We joined forces to run the whole process from A to Z for D.P. Factory.

In April, we opened our newest co-packing facility at Park 15 in Oosterhout, Gelderland. This Vetipak branch is located within the premises of our partner AG Logistics. Similarly to the AG site in Ede, we provide co-packing activities here on behalf of Kraft Heinz. The Oosterhout facility does this for their markets in the Nordic countries, the Middle East and Africa, as well as other export countries. 

Last week was a special time for Vetico. We attended not one, not two, but three international trade fairs! We were in Monaco on Monday, Cannes on Tuesday, and Vienna on Wednesday. Chief Commercial Officer Mark van der Burgt gives you a brief rundown of our tour.

The Vetipak factory in Oss has a new and superfast mixing line that offers endless possibilities. This line has a new elevator and servo-driven counters, enabling us to mix as many as eight product types in at least sixty packs per minute, and eventually even eighty. Head of Technical Services, Niels Kanters explains. 

At Vetipak, we feel it’s important to help others where we can. That’s why we recently decided to collaborate with Stichting Hulphond (the Service Dog Foundation) by adopting Packy, a service dog. And according to Sponsoring manager Pieter Blickman, our help is most welcome.

Vetipak and ECM Europe are to continue under the Vetico banner. Within the organizational structure, this new holding will occupy a position above the two companies initially, with others besides the co-packer and medical manufacturer to be added later. The establishment of Vetico is intended to facilitate the further growth of the family business. 

Food safety is a major theme in the food industry. This is also an important matter for us as a packaging company, particularly when working with unwrapped products. We must prevent the unintentional contamination of products with undesirable substances at all costs.

Two and a half years ago, Cas van der Lee’s internship at Vetipak got off to a disastrous start when the coronavirus outbreak forced him to do most of it from home. Despite this, the former Technical Business Administration student remembers the period fondly. In fact, the 24-year-old from Vinkel now works with us as a management trainee, and has since become something of an ERP expert.  

At Vetipak, we adore technology. As far as we’re concerned, you can’t over-automate! And we have robots do the work wherever possible. We always feature one of them in our TechnoFreak section, and this time it’s unwrapped products in pouch bags.

At Vetipak, we adore technology. As far as we’re concerned, you can’t over-automate! And we have robots do the work wherever possible. We always feature one of them in our TechnoFreak section, and this time it’s bag-in-bag in a single line. 

In the Packolution podcast series, experts from the packaging industry talk about sustainability and the future of packaging. In this episode: Mark van der Burgt, our chief commercial officer.

Strategic partnership with ECM Europe
Vetipak moves into the medical world

We share our knowledge and stories, always with the support of a marketing communications consultant from Circa Twee, our communications agency. For the past six months, this has been Janneke Buitenhuis. Five questions, five answers.

“That was my best business decision ever”, says Mark now, in 2022. “Although we did rather have to get used to each other.

Part 2: the practice

Mark van der Burgt recently shared his credo with us: involve co-packers in your product development at the earliest possible stage. Everyone benefits from this approach, as our CCO has been saying for years. A clear enough plea but... how does this work in practice? We put this question to Julie Navarro, Packaging and Quality Manager at Nestlé International Travel Retail in Switzerland.

For many years now, they’ve been a powerhouse duo made in fragrant heaven: Vetipak and Rituals, a Dutch producer of luxury home and body cosmetics. We asked Marcel van Groningen, Chief Sourcing & Supply at Rituals, about the relationship between the two companies.

There’s no shortage of competitors in the markets in which we operate. In the confectionery industry (chocolate and candy), our biggest ‘rival’ is fellow Dutch contract packaging company Nomi. We spoke with André van Peer, managing director of Etten-Leur-based family business Nomi.

2 January 2019 Nathalie Joosten reports to the counter at Vetipak, about to begin her first day of work. The only problem is, the colleague who was going to show her the ropes is on vacation.

Part 1: the credo

Anyone who has worked with Vetipak for some time is probably familiar with our credo: “Involve us as early as possible in your product’s development, because that's when we can provide the most effective help.” We’re now seeing this is happening more and more often, and with excellent results. Time for a two-parter. This time, we’re speaking with Mark van der Burgt, our CCO, and next time with Nestlé’s Julie Navarro.

His career at Vetipak started ten years ago with a position as a packaging worker. But as driven as he is, it didn’t take long for Tomasz Telega to make progress: he completed his operator training and took up the position that he still enjoys to this day. “The technical aspects, working for top brands and with great colleagues... this is a wonderful, varied job,” says Tomasz. He’s taking us along with him on a typical day at work.

At Vetipak, we always look ahead. And not just to the next five or ten years, but the next generation or two. That’s also the reason why we’ve recently strengthened our board with Jeroen van Herpen and Seth Winterscheidt. 

Michelle Tijssen was only meant to work at Vetipak for two months, over the summer of 2014. In the end, she was there for more than four years... 

At Vetipak, we always look ahead. And not just to the next five or ten years, but the next generation or two. Because we aim to offer our employees, customers, and suppliers a safe, innovative and appealing future. That’s also why we welcomed powerhouse Jeroen van Herpen to the board as Chief Operational Officer (COO) on January 1 of this year. 

Tuesday, June 1, 2010. It’s Hans Snel’s first day at Vetipak. “Keep your eyes and ears open in the coming weeks, and tell us what you notice.” His Vetipak adventure has begun.

“What do I remember about that long day way back in 2010? I remember being tired – tired and disappointed.” Briton John Toomey, the co-founder of Yu! Fruit Snacks, can laugh about it today. “We wouldn’t have a business if it weren’t for Vetipak.”

Commitment to corporate social responsibility is strong at Vetipak. We are therefore pleased that both SEDEX and EcoVadis give our policy a positive rating. Our QESH Manager Monique Donkers comments on this achievement.

You’ve probably already heard about our new location at the Vorstengrafdonk industrial estate. As a company, we’re particularly proud of this milestone, especially given this dynamic period and the rapidly changing economy. So we’re pleased to share our news with the rest of the world!

Desiree van Daalen about her experiences with the company.

Since last fall, the sauces, breakfast cereals, and beverages manufactured by Kraft Heinz have been making their way from AG Logistics’ brand-new distribution center in Ede to retailers across the entire Benelux region.

Ben Kleisterlee (Mars) talks about the Vetipak factory in Veghel.

“Where on earth have I ended up?” A bemused Rob van der Wijst takes a look around the production facility, a compact space where three machines are installed. Or, more precisely, two and a half machines, as the flow packer he’s been hired to operate is not working properly, and there are parts of the machine lying around everywhere.

We moved into a new production plant at the Vorstengrafdonk industrial estate in Oss.

Without Koos den Otter and Wim van de Westelaken, our company would probably look very different. Or perhaps no longer even exist...

Shoulder to shoulder with Vetipak, never leaving our side: that’s where you can always find Rob van Seumeren from Van Iersel Luchtman Attorneys. The attorney believes that’s the best way to help us achieve our goals. Five questions, five answers.

“Without a doubt, we were real pioneers back then", Arno laughs, reminiscing on the company's first few months.

With an extra compartment, changes to the factory layout, and new machines, our Petfood factory has undergone a complete transformation in less than four months. All to ensure that our regular client, a manufacturer of various top-quality pet food brands, could meet demand.

Manufacturers, packaging companies, retailers, governments and consumers... we all struggle to meet the challenges of sustainability. Things need to improve – that much is clear. But how? In the fifth part of this series, we talk to Rens van de Rakt, our in-house packaging technologist. He believes it’s essential for customers to involve their packaging manufacturers at the earliest possible stage in order to make a sustainable difference at all levels of the supply chain.

There is still plenty of chatter in the office about Vetipak's Christmas activities. What exactly was Germie de Graaff doing during the raffle? Did she just swap one winning ticket for another? One staff member wonders about this out loud... with a wink. Of course, it is just possible that this piece of paper had his number on it, which is why he missed out on a prize...

Ynno van Erp has never been coy about his ambitions: he previously shared them with us in our The Drive Of… column on our website, and in the early years of his career he expressed the desire to become the youngest plant manager in Vetipak’s history. And at just 27, he’s already making it happen. After working his way up the ranks in several other challenging roles, he recently took over management of our Oss plant.

Innovation has been part of Vetipak’s DNA since our story began. By constantly researching, pioneering, and trying new things, we have consistently managed to package products in a way that is smarter, better, and faster. We are currently a leading player in our industry when it comes to automation and robotization, an achievement for which our engineering project manager Cees van der Ven can claim credit.

Sometimes it seems like there is no such thing as coincidence. For example, a few months ago Nadine van Helvoort had the idea that being a plant manager would be the perfect next step in her career. That very same evening, she saw the opening for the position at Vetipak in Veghel. And the rest is history.

Can large brands outsource an entire process to Vetipak? Absolutely! We then join forces with the customer to develop the packaging material, and take over the purchasing process. Naturally, we also ensure that the packages are filled when they go out the door – with sweets, for example. That was our brief recently when we were approached by a top chocolate and confectionery brand.

The occupation of sales professional had already been undergoing change for some time, but the COVID-19 pandemic of the past year has accelerated these changes. What does this mean on a day-to-day basis for companies, sales professionals, and customers? We share five insights gleaned from six insiders.

For the second year in a row, HAS students collaborated with the municipality of Oss to organize the Sustainable Packaging Day. This online knowledge event was attended by more than 200 interested parties. One of the guests in the pop-up studio was Vetipak packaging technologist Rens van de Rakt. He reports on the event.

Manufacturers, packaging companies, retailers, governments and consumers... we all struggle to meet the challenges of sustainability. Things need to improve – that much is clear. But how? We set out to find answers in the ‘jungle of sustainability’. In the fourth part of this series we talk to Fabrizio Gerosa, sales director at Italian-based Gerosa Cellografica Spa (headquartes of Gerosa Group), one of Europe’s leading flexible converters. In his view, we should combine our continued drive toward innovation with a pragmatic approach.

The more innovative the technology, the better. That’s what we believe at Vetipak, and it’s why we created LAB 51 to accelerate automation and robotization. But we can also appreciate a machine that’s still running after three decades. Especially if you can combine it with today’s state-of-the-art technology!

It goes without saying that Vetipak is committed to having a positive social impact. We are leaders in sustainability and believe strongly in giving back to society, for example by working together with sheltered workshops to provide opportunities for employees who are at a distance from the labor market. As it happens, we’ve been doing this for a long time already; not because we feel we should, but because it feels natural to do so.

Within the Circular Packaging Innovation Program – which is designed to promote research, knowledge sharing, and collaboration – Vetipak is a partner of the Oss city council. So when Cindy Hagenstein, project manager for the council, asked us to get involved in the Sustainable Packaging webinar, we said ‘yes’ right away. You’ll find a recap of the event below.

The regional business journal Bedrijvig Oss has published a comprehensive article about the ‘sense and nonsense of tenders’. The article featured in-depth interviews with two experts: Pim Ketelaars from innovation agency Hello New Day and – for the local perspective – our own CCO Mark van der Burgt. The gist of Mark’s story is: tenders definitely make sense, as long as the focus is on making a difference together.

Operational Excellence (OPEX) is in our genes. Every system, every process, every technology: we take a close look at them all to find out how to make them better, faster or more efficient. Or ideally: how to make them excellent. Our Operational Excellence Engineer Harm van Boekel has a big part to play in that effort.

March 2020: most Dutch people believe that the new coronavirus won’t be that bad. Just be careful for a few weeks, and the worst will be over soon... But at Vetipak we had other ideas. We formed a coronavirus team even before the first lockdown was announced. March 2021: a look back on the past 12 months.

“We want to grow in co-production, and we see a lot of opportunities in the Personal Care segment. Eska has contact with major brands that are looking for attractive packaging. We can produce it, and Eska has the material, so we can reinforce one another.”

At Vetipak, we seek to encourage our employees to engage in lifelong learning, both at a professional and a personal level. We use the online platform GoodHabitz for this purpose, which provides a variety of training courses. One of the participants is team leader Wioleta Krupa, who tells us: “It helps me to become a better team leader.”

Few people have a job as versatile as a Vetipak plant manager. It involves an exciting mix of technology, commerce, quality assurance, organization, and culture. One moment you’re in the production facility, and the next you’re attending strategic meetings at the holding-company level. Jeroen van Herpen, plant manager at Vetipak’s Veghel site, believes nothing beats this kind of dynamic, fast-paced work environment. We listen as he takes us through his day.

A production manager at the precocious age of 27, Ynno van Erp is exactly where he was planning to be in his career by now, which tells you a lot about his level of ambition. Next, he has his sights set on becoming the youngest plant manager, and he looks to be on track to hit that milestone as well. “I couldn’t be more grateful to Vetipak for the opportunities I’ve had,” he says.

Executive Assistant Angélique Nooijen, who is based at Vepak’s Menhirweg site, has one of the most dynamic jobs going at our company – one where flexibility is the name of the game. And if that isn’t enough, this talented all-rounder is also involved in marketing communications. To find out just what Angélique gets up to on a typical workday, we tagged along with her for an entire day.

It’s a Wednesday afternoon. We receive a call from the National Consortium for Medical Devices, based in Den Haag. They’re urgently looking for large-scale packaging services. And not only do they need these services “yesterday,” they want the reassurance that the packaging operations comply with the strictest quality and hygiene guidelines. “Can you handle this sort of thing?”, they ask us. Six days later, we’ve massively upscaled our Personal Care division, to the point where we can now deliver tens of thousands of kits a week.

Just like Vetipak, the municipality of Oss is very active in the field of sustainable packaging. Due to the strong presence of the packaging industry in the area, the municipality has even launched the Oss Circular Packaging Innovation Program. A publication on this subject recently appeared in FOOD Locations, for which our CCO Mark van der Burgt was also interviewed.

The world around us is continually changing. That's why it's smart to take a fresh look at our industry’s future. Fontys Business Administration graduate Florian Smits researched the trends that will change the co-packing of confectionery in the coming years. He explains five of them.

Meet Floor van der Molen: Business Administration graduate and recent Vetipak intern. We asked her to conduct a customer experience survey: like a regular survey, but with a Vetipak twist.

While Business Controller Alfred van der Meijs knows better than anyone that Finance is hardly a company’s “sexiest” department, his job is actually a lot more exciting than many people think. Vetipak’s fast-paced environment – where efficiency is important but should never come at the expense of ownership – is definitely one of the contributing factors.

Manufacturers, packaging companies, retailers, governments and consumers... we all struggle to meet the challenges of sustainability. Things need to improve – that much is clear. But how? We set out to find answers in the ‘jungle of sustainability’. In the third part of this series we talk to Erik Bunge, CEO of Smurfit Kappa Benelux, which is part of one of the world's largest and leading paper and cardboard producers. Above all, Erik advocates an innovative approach to the issue of waste, whether it concerns paper, plastic or any other aspect.

Hard worker, booster of good atmosphere and friend to everyone: Jeanne van Schadewijk was all of it for fifteen years. Always in for fun, and never afraid to offer her colleagues a listening ear or her shoulder. Until today, because Jeanne, mother of Vetipak, is going to enjoy her well-deserved retirement.

Two different worlds that merge into one and so provide the customer an enormous added value. That is a short description of the cooperation which we have with Bakker Logistiek. We recently achieved another success in repacked thousands of quarter pallets.

Suppose you are a manufacturer of dog snacks. Tasty, fresh, good for the teeth and produced in two attractive variants: mini and maxi chunX. How do you ensure that the star-shaped chunks end up neatly in the packaging? And that they don't (stick) together? For this we have developed a solution at Vetipak.

Conquer the market with a manually packed end product. That is what plant manager Eric Vlassak strives for. Under his enthusiastic leadership, thirty ‘rigid boxes’ for a well-known home & body brand roll off the line every minute in our Personal Care factory. Folded and glued. But that is just the beginning.  

Food safety is of course an important theme at Vetipak. That is why we are proud of the positive results of the FSSC2200 audit, which independently tests us against it.  

On June 22 the national online event Day of Sustainable Packaging took place in Oss. Of course our  packaging technologist, Rens van de Rakt was there. He looks back at this day based on four trends.

What do you do at times when you demand a lot from your employees? That’s right – you give them a token of appreciation for their commitment and flexibility. But since a lively staff summer barbecue is ‘off the menu’ right now, our receptionist Germie de Graaff came up with a worthy alternative: Good Luck Boxes.

Maciej Wawrzyniak has a dream: one day he wants to build a house for his family in Poland. Reason enough to choose a career across the border. In 2018 Maciej started working for us and soon he grew into a cooperating line manager. “I am very happy with the opportunities I have.”

She would have loved to given her colleagues a big hug on her last working day, but that was not possible due to the corona measures. It says a lot about the bond that Daniëlle van der Heijden (35) has with Vetipak. After nearly seventeen years of employment in various positions, it is time for a new chapter in her career.  

Manufacturers, packaging companies, retailers, governments and consumers... we all struggle to meet the challenges of sustainability. Things need to improve – that much is clear. But how? We set out to find answers in the ‘jungle of sustainability’.

In the second part of this series, we talk to Mark van der Burgt, Vetipak’s Chief Commercial Officer. He would like to see clients and packaging partners get together at an earlier stage to discuss the opportunities provided by sustainable solutions.

We are happy to go the extra step for our customers. Even if we have to look for extra warehouse capacity for this. For one of our Personal Care customers, we are therefore investigating whether we can meet their need for direct shipment. Speaking: head of the Personal Care Business Office, Frits Franssen.  

Vetipak counts almost two hundred employees and sometimes up to four hundred and fifty temporary workers are added. Due to its size, the HR policy is, according to HR Manager Hans Joore, often ‘a circus in itself’. But … a nice circus!

Good news! Customers who have products from outside Europe and packed by us, no longer have to pay import duties. Thanks to our new service ‘Inward Processing’ (also known as bonded handling) they save up to thirty percent of the value of the products.

Monique Donkers is QESH Manager at Vetipak. QESH stands for Quality, Environment, Safety and Health. Like no other, Monique has gotten involved in those themes, enabling them to not to let them go.

Last weekend OTTO Work Force, Europe's largest employment service organization, encouraged all her flex workers by giving them a nice Easter package. We as Vetipak have been happy to contribute to this by packing these nice giftpacks.

Manufacturers, packaging companies, retailers, government authorities and consumers... we all struggle to meet the challenges of sustainability. Things need to improve – that much is clear. But how? We set out to find answers in the ‘jungle of sustainability’. In the first part of this series, we talk to Chris Bruijnes, managing director of the Kennisinstituut Duurzaam Verpakken (Research Institute for Sustainable Packaging), who advocates an integrated approach above all.

Now the coronavirus has also reached the Netherlands, it’s time for extra awareness. Therefor all Vetipak factories have taken precautionary measures. In this blog we update you on our protocol.

Karolina Zapadka’s work listens very closely. As a Customer Service Assistant she ensures, among other things, that setup of new items is perfect. And does the first production preceed as desired? Then our customer is satisfied. Just like Karolina.  

It’s a fixed yearly visit for Vetipak; The Internationale Süßwaren Messe (ISM) in Cologne. This time Joergen Pleijte (Bussiness Development Manager) and Marcel Zondag (Customer support Manager) visited this leading trade fair in the confectionery and snacks industry. Three trends they want to share with you.

In the section ‘The day of ...’ Vetipak employees talk about their working day. This time it is the turn of all-round mechanic Bob van Dommelen. Bob has been working at Vetipak in Veghel for seven years now. In between, he made a trip to another employer, but right now he is back on his old Vetipak nest. Wondering why? Then please continue reading!

Our organisation counts six companies and therefore also six financial ‘households’. Fortunately, Marieke van de Poel and two colleagues always provide an overview. In this section she tells everything about her work and her motivation.  

Many different people work at Vetipak. And they all contribute in their own way to our beautiful company. To tell something more about that, we follow them for a day. This time with: Magdalena Tos, team leader Personal Care.

The Tax Free World Association (TFWA) in Cannes is the world's largest trade fair for duty free and travel retail. To discover the latest developments and to maintain our network, Mark van der Burgt, Chief Commercial Officer, was of course there. And this struck him!

Improved capacity – and above all flexible capacity – is the biggest advantage of our new centre bottle line. This new production line combines two operations for a single client: filling both bottles and cardboard boxes with chocolates. Engineer Noud van der Linden explains it all.

The annual FachPack took place in Nuremberg, Germany, in the last week of September: the international trade fair for packaging, technology, processing and logistics. Of course our packaging technologist Rens van de Rakt was there. He looks back on the basis of three trends.

Drawing, analyzing, 3D-printing.. It’s all daily practice for Marijn van Houtum en René Hanenberg. Marijn studies mechanical engineering at the Fontys University and does his internship at our Technical Engineering department. René recently started at Vetipak as Technical Engineer. This blog describes one of their working days

When you think of the word ‘passion’, a job at a packaging company may not be the first thing that springs to mind. That is, until our staff talk about what motivates them. Take Jan van Diepenbeek, Head of our Technical Services in Veghel. He’s very enthusiastic about the robot technologies we use in our production lines.

The packaging industry is on a mission to become radically more sustainable by 2025. We have teamed up with Packaging Partners to take a great leap forward. Starting today, we’re supplying five types of fully recyclable paper mono packaging, sealed with a thermo-sealable, plastic-free varnish.

Beware: this shouldn’t be a story that frightens people, warns Arno van de Ven at the start of the interview. The founder of Vetipak absolutely does not believe that robots will take all of our jobs. That said however, it’s also absolutely clear to him that robotisation is going to have a major impact on the packaging industry and the supply chain. Starting with Vetipak.

No mountain is too high for Vetipak, even the Matterhorn. With appropriate pride we recently pack the famous nougat-chocolate brand from the Swiss Alps. In a joined development process we advised and guided our customer in their choice for a luxury gift pack. The results are impressive: the first pouches with goldfoil and window recently rolled of our production lines.

With pain in our hearts we have to inform you that our loyal receptionist Rani is leaving us. For almost 10 years, Rani -also known as “the tropical surprise of Vetipak” according to her colleagues- was the face and voice of our head office.

As an international packaging specialist, it is crucial to gain and share new knowledge. That is why we always visit the annual Europe trip of the Association of Dutch Packaging Experts (VNV). This time we visited Sweden. Packaging technologist Rens van de Rakt summarizes the trip into five bite-sized chunks.

Motorbikes, quads, racing trucks, rally cars ... all at the start of the Morocco Desert Challenge (MDC) on 12 April. During this annual desert rally in Morocco, participants compete with the elements, their material and themselves for eight days. One of them was Harm van Boekel, Operational Excellence Engineer at Vetipak. In this blog he looks back on his adventure. After all, life is more than just working!

Sharing knowledge, exchanging experiences and networking: those were the main ingredients at last week's ECPA Conference in Eindhoven. Of course Vetipak also attended this important event. Chief Commercial Officer Mark van der Burgt looks back on the basis of three inspiring speakers.

The high season is just around the corner, so production is about to go through the roof. That means we need to scale up, and for that, we need great staff. But... how do you find great people in a labour market that’s already under pressure? And more importantly: how do you keep your great people once you have them?

Say you have a private label for chocolate products, and you’d like to bring a new brand to market. The product is ready to sell, and you also have access to sales channels throughout Europe and beyond. Now all you need is the perfect packaging. That’s the story of Choco Shocks miniatures, which now stock the shelves in a stylish quatro seal upright bag.

The Dutch student robotics team from Eindhoven, Team Rembrandts, has earned the title of World Champion in Robotics. They managed to beat 4,000 teams from around the world, and are the first team from Europe to earn the world title in Detroit. Vetipak is a proud partner of the Dutch robotics students!

We’ve made a flying start in a new market: Personal Care. That involved an investment of more than 2 million euros in a fully filtered and climate-controlled facility and new, high-quality technologies, including fully automated production lines and robotics. One of our first clients is the home & body brand Rituals.

What’s it like to work at Vetipak? It’s mainly a combination of passion for your craft, intensive collaboration with your client, and enjoying everything you do. Read what Hans Snel has to say about it. Together with his colleagues Rens van de Rakt and Karolina Zapadka, he visited one of our corporate clients in Poland for a Quarterly Business Review.

Quality, flexibility, team spirit, and passion. These aren’t just the core values printed in Vetipak’s annual reports. The packaging specialist from Oss puts them into practice every day. Vetipak has become the largest packaging specialist in the Netherlands, and is successfully expanding into the European market. But how? In part by being ‘future-proof’ in the field of technology, but mainly by putting our employees first.

Press passes, pastry, and lots and lots of sticky notes: those were the ingredients of the training course that 21 Vetipak colleagues attended last week. They discovered how much our company is actually doing, and how we can share those events: with one another and the outside world.