Sardina employees are cutting fish in Lindström workwear
Lindström’s service centre in Zagreb dispatches a lorryload of serviced workwear every week to make the 400 km journey to the island of Brač, a place of picturepostcard beauty.
Brač is known for its white limestone, which was used to build the White House in Washington, DC. The landscape of the island is dominated by the Vidova Gora mountain, which stands almost 800 m tall, as well as the turquoise waters of the Adriatic Sea and the world’s most photographed beaches. The main source of livelihood is fishing and fish processing, and Sardina, a fish processing plant, has employed a large proportion of the island’s population for the last 108 years.
Responsibility is decisive
As a large employer, Sardina bears significant responsibility for sustainable development in the area. This became particularly apparent in 2013 when the company opened a new production plant in Postira with a floor area of more than 15,000 square metres. The plant uses modern fish processing technology and its operations have ISO 9001:2000, HACCP and Kosher certifications.
“We have a diverse product range: we make tinned fish, fish paste, marinated and salted fish, fresh fish and shellfish, fish meal and fish oil. We perform continuous quality inspections in accordance with the requirements of the HACCP and ISO systems. When we opened the new factory, we were looking for partners who fulfilled the strict quality requirements of our sector,” says Jadranko Nezak, Sardina’s production director.
Jadranko has more than 20 years’ experience in the sector. “We selected Lindström as our workwear supplier because we considered it to offer the best quality on the market. We have been positively surprised by Lindström’s innovative and functional service, as well as our common objective to use energy responsibly. For example, we have selected freezer units that use carbon dioxide, although freon units, which are widely used, consume less energy. Freons destroy the ozone layer, so carbon dioxide was a choice supported by our values,” Jadranko says.
Clean and practical
The island’s relaxed atmosphere is also apparent at the fish processing plant. The employees are hard at work gutting fresh sardines, and there is a clear need for protective aprons.“The splashes that occur when fish is processed make stubborn stains on clothing. In these conditions, workwear is required to be protective and clean. The workwear has pockets that can be sealed using internal press studs, which are very handy and essential in this sector. We were all very excited to receive appropriate, correctly sized workwear placed directly in our own lockers,” says Jelena Vlahovic, the quality manager.
“When I put on Lindström’s workwear, I immediately understood why Finns are praised for practical design,” says Ivan Glavinic, who was positively surprised in his work. “In my job, it is important to be able to move around unhindered by the workwear. If I have to adjust my clothing in a
tight space, I might damage equipment or injure myself or a colleague.”
On Monday mornings, Sardina’s employees are greeted by a cupboard full of blue-and-white workwear for the week ahead. Lindström’s delivery lorry turns around in the courtyard and heads for the ferry to Split, the largest city on the Adriatic coast with the Diocletian’s palace – built from Brač
stone – glittering on the shore. From Split, the lorry continues its journey inland loaded with Sardina’s used workwear, which will be taken for washing and repairs before it is used for the next working week.
Food is all about cleanliness. Lindström workwear fulfill the strict quality requirements of Sardina, a fish processing company on in the middle of white sand and turquoise waters on Croatian coast.