Jacco Bleijenberg Product manager

How did you end up at VDL Jansen? 

Through an internship! In the 3rd year of my Mechanical Engineering studies at Windesheim in Zwolle, you spend the second half of the year doing an internship. I ended up at VDL Jansen via via. It felt so good (combination of challenging work and nice colleagues) that I decided to stay here. I still had to graduate but after that I started working here immediately.

What is your job and what does it involve exactly? 

I am technically responsible for Comfort 2.0, VDL Jansen's aviary housing system. I also deal with our manure drying systems (BeltDry and PoulDry), the interest in drying technology came from the minor “Thermodynamical Engineer” which I did in the 3rd year of my education. In addition, I feel I am more of a “hot” than “cold” mechanical engineer. Technical responsibility means that you make sure that 'your' products are correct in both 3D and 2D (Solid Edge) and that this is also in line with our ERP system. You try to do this in a modular way as much as possible, so that you can meet (all) customer requirements with just one drawing. However, this is not always possible so then you think along with specific customer requirements. You also try to pass on knowledge of the products to other departments such as sales and order processing.
 

I like a challenge and I get that space at VDL Jansen.
 

What qualities do you need in this job? 

You must be able to think in terms of solutions and also be able to support this technically with calculations or principle tests. You are also expected to take the lead when it comes to technical questions about your product because you are ultimately responsible for this.

What does your work week look like? 

No two weeks are the same. Sometimes everything runs like clockwork and you are busy working on new projects and/or products. The other week you are only busy with “challenges” at existing customers or solving ongoing projects. This combination makes the work dynamic and varied.

Have you always been active in the poultry industry? 

No, before I joined VDL Jansen I didn't really have anything to do with chickens. I thought they were cute animals, but I could never have imagined that there was so much technology involved in keeping them!

What do you like about working at VDL Jansen? 

I like the development process best; going from a vague idea to a beautiful end product where you also test/build things yourself. I like a challenge and I get that space at VDL Jansen. That is why I am now involved in drying projects in addition to the aviary, a completely different sport but very interesting to work on. What I also find at least as important is that there is attention for each other and room for a joke. These things make that I enjoy going to work every day!