Thies Stegeman Factory Engineer

‘When I started working at VDL 2.5 years ago after studying Aeronautical Engineering, I found myself in a young team working every day to develop pioneering products. That really appealed to me. As a Factory Engineer, I am the link between complex engineering, design and implementation. In this role, I get all the space I need to come up with out-of-the-box solutions and can take innovative steps together with my team to shape the future.’

'A great example: we developed tooling for a specific work process. Previously, an employee had to remove a certain part manually, with the risk that other parts of the material could accidentally slip away. By using the new tooling, this part no longer needs to be removed during the process. This makes the production process much safer and more efficient.' 
 

Taking innovation to the next level

‘It's cool that, despite being young and having relatively little experience, you are allowed and able to be an expert on a component. At VDL you are given a lot of responsibility and you have to dare to take it. Sometimes it feels like you are thrown in at the deep end, but that is exactly what makes you grow. Experimentation is encouraged and making mistakes is allowed, as long as you learn from them. I find that a very stimulating working environment. It gives us the freedom to experiment, and that makes us innovative. We join forces to achieve more. For example, for my work, I work very closely with the team and with external parties. Together, we achieve much more and take our innovations to the next level.’

Top of technology

‘Besides being involved in innovation, I love bringing the right people together. I don't know everything, neither do my colleagues, but together we know more. I think I have a pretty good understanding of everyone's talents and I use that knowledge to make sure we get the best out of each other as a team. Together we work on the future, here we are at the cutting edge of technology every day. And that ‘together’ not only applies within VDL, but also outside. We also hang out together privately. We recently went sailing with a few people, we regularly take part in pub quizzes and sports competitions. These contacts make the work extra fun.’