Rick Koppenens Project Engineer

‘One minute I'm working on a price request, the next I'm supporting the procurement process and a bit later I'm supervising the construction of one of our machines. I really enjoy the variety in my work as a project engineer. The bigger and more varied a project is, the more challenging it is, the more I like it. It's always amazing to see something from a drawing actually being built. It often starts with a few lines, which eventually develop into a physical object that works as conceived. I am constantly impressed by what we get done together: from the ovens for a well-known chip brand to coffee sorting machines or other solutions for leading manufacturers in the food industry.’

Building on each other

‘From the study banks I rolled into VDL like this. I started in Helmond. That's where I built my base. Then I made the step to Eindhoven, where I now work. Here the work is even deeper and more complex, because of the large machines. But the colleagues haven't changed. At least, the type of colleagues. That's what I find so special at VDL: you can really rely on your colleagues. They rely on me and I rely on them. We motivate each other and we want to perform to the maximum. If someone needs something, we are there for each other. Even if there's actually no time for that. We know we have to do it together, everyone is equally important. That makes us have fun at work, but certainly also with each other.’

Getting better together

‘What am I proud of? Then I immediately think of a machine for a cork producer. That machine treats the cork with_CO2, which improves wine quality and extends shelf life. I'm really proud of how we tackled that as a team. After all, it was incredibly complex, but everyone was willing to go the extra mile. Things that usually took months, we were able to arrange in no time thanks to everyone's maximum effort. We have a lot of knowledge in the group. We share that knowledge with all the other VDL companies and vice versa. Knowledge is our strength. It feels like one big family where everyone is equal and everyone wants to learn from each other. We want to become better together and deliver quality, which is reflected in our products. That mentality is characteristic