Miguel Ángel believes that behind the positive assessment made by PCB users regarding goods in the distribution and waste collection is effort, perseverance and planning. With more than 20 years of experience, he knows where a box is going just by looking at the outside. He proudly claims that he has never lost a parcel. You can’t miss him in his distinctive blue coat as he walks the corridors.

Can you tell us how your story started at the PCB?

I arrived in 2001 and for four years I worked for a subcontracting company doing maintenance work. In 2005 I joined the PCB staff to manage goods reception and the warehouse. At that time we only received about four or five parcels a day; now there are more than 150 delivery notes, which can contain up to seven parcels! I also managed waste and moved small furniture around, which is more or less the bulk of the activity today, but on a much larger scale.

When did the volume start to change?

In 2007, when the Hèlix building came into operation, which forced us to create a new goods reception point, because we only had the one for the Cluster I building, and to hire a new person to manage the new building. The amount of work really skyrocketed when the Cluster II building got up and running.

Today, how many of you are there, and how are you organised?

There are five of us (Juanma, Jordi, Marina and Patricia) dedicated to the reception of goods, delivery, waste and transfers. In the morning, we receive the bulk of the parcels and distribute them, making sure that no parcel is left undelivered; we always leave the warehouse empty. We leave the afternoons free for waste management and the occasional furniture removal and more atypical, specific jobs. After many years of experience, we’ve found this system works best, and I am also grateful that the users are doing their part to keep everything running smoothly. If the work is done neatly, and you’re punctual, people are happy.

With this amount of parcels, you never lose anything?

Not a one, and when a package has been misplaced, it usually turns up, because there’s good management behind it all. I keep copies of delivery notes for six months, just in case. The delivery note always tells me whether a parcel has reached the PCB. Apart from that, I have been in the business for so many years that I see a parcel and just by looking at the box I know where it is going, where to look if it’s lost, what lab ordered it… I also know the drivers very well, some of them have even become friends after spending so much time with them.

How does waste management work?

It’s the opposite of goods management: what’s inside gets taken out. We do very organised collection rounds, spread out by areas and buildings, and we do it this way because the volume is so large; to do it all in one day would be impossible, and we always coordinate with the laboratories to leave them prepared. We collect biological and chemical waste completely sealed with all safety measures. And then they are collected by a specialised company that takes them out of the PCB.

You tend to score well in the PCB satisfaction survey.

Yes, it is a recognition of effort, perseverance and planning. Users also do their part to make things easier and ensure they go smoothly.