From Substitute to Driving Force: How Imke Went Above and Beyond at Jaga

Jaga, the Limburg-based company that has been designing and manufacturing energy-efficient climate control solutions in Diepenbeek for more than sixty years, requested a temporary replacement. What they got was a Bright Innovator who mastered the job, got to know the team, and is now looking ahead.

A company with character

Jaga is no ordinary manufacturer. The company is known for its unique culture, its sharp focus on innovation and design, and a production environment that is constantly evolving. With about 300 employees in Diepenbeek and exports to more than 60 countries, Jaga is a major player with a strong identity. You can see that in how they work: driven, direct, and with short lines of communication on the shop floor. It’s an environment where you have to prove yourself quickly.

First the job, then everything else

Imke joined the team as a temporary replacement. She didn’t have any grand ambitions on day one—she just wanted to do the job well, as expected of her. She got to know the job, understood what was asked of her, and ensured continuity. That may sound obvious, but it’s the foundation of everything. Without that first step, there’s no trust, and without trust, you won’t get anywhere.

Close to the workplace

What Imke quickly noticed was the value of direct communication with the production team. She sought out that connection and built on it by being present, asking questions, listening, and understanding what daily life was like on the shop floor. That gave her a perspective you never fully get when you’re just working from behind your computer.

Looking Beyond the Job Description

And then Imke did what we’ve come to expect from her. She didn’t stop at what was initially asked of her. She began to analyze the organization: how do the processes work, where are the points of friction, and which bottlenecks are considered normal when they actually aren’t? Asking those questions is easy. Answering them in a way that moves the organization forward is another matter entirely. Imke combined her knowledge of the day-to-day operations with the big-picture perspective she had built up over time and began making connections that hadn’t existed before.

From Observation to Action

Identifying a bottleneck is just the beginning. The next step is to do something about it. Imke translates her observations into concrete possibilities: where can Brightnewday address this in a structural way? Not as a one-time fix, but as a contribution to an organization that wants to be ready to take it to the next level. That requires courage, a broad perspective, and the willingness to initiate a conversation the client might not have expected.

A team behind me

Imke isn’t in this alone. The entire Brightnewday is behind her. When she encounters an issue that goes beyond her own expertise, she can count on all the Bright Innovators: people with experience in production environments, process optimization, and organizational development. That knowledge is readily available, immediately and without any detours. That’s what sets a good observer apart from a true driver of improvement.

Brightnewday a case? Absolutely.

This is entrepreneurship: turning a temporary assignment into a long-term contribution, and seeing opportunities that the client hadn’t yet fully recognized. This is warmth: first integrating, building trust, and getting close to the people on the front lines. This is authenticity: no grand narratives, just concrete observations and honest conversations about what can be improved. And this is expertise: understanding the organization inside and out and using the collective knowledge of the entire team to help take the next step. Imke started out as a temporary replacement. She has become a driving force.

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