Rico CAD/CAM Programmer

‘I once started with a part-time job as a cleaning boy on Saturdays. You could say I followed in my father's footsteps, because he also worked here at the time. From that part-time job, I moved on and learned to operate the machine as an operator. This experience gave me a much better idea of the direction I wanted to take when I had to choose a course of study. That became a BBL machining course at Summa College in Eindhoven. And I liked VDL so much that I wanted to stick around here during the course.’

Collaboration

‘I now work as a CAD/CAM programmer. This means I collaborate a lot with our engineering department and with the operators. You are actually involved in the project from start to finish. Together with the engineers, I first look at the manufacturability of the products and discuss what is possible. Then I make a plan on how to programme and machine the product. We look at the choice of tools and whether a mould is needed, which we design ourselves or - if it is a complex mould - in consultation with an engineer. Once everything has been programmed and checked, I make the first product myself and then start the actual production together with the operators. Incidentally, you don't only feel this fine cooperation at our company, but throughout the VDL Groep. If we start working on something new, it's super cool to see that you can also go to other VDL companies with questions. Everyone helps each other. Knowledge sharing is central and ensures that together you become faster, smarter and better.’

Impact on the world of tomorrow

‘I like the fact that I contribute to products in various markets. After all, we work for the semiconductor, defence and medical markets. Markets that make a lot of impact on the world we live in. The batch size of the products we make for these markets is generally not that big. As a result, you are always working on something different and the work remains varied. Our team is small - there are two of us - and that makes it challenging. You face new challenges every time and have to approach each project differently. As a result, you learn a lot and quickly.

Learning from each other

‘I am also increasingly sharing my knowledge. That way, you can lift each other to a higher level. Seeing someone else grow and develop is something that gives me a lot of energy. The older guard sometimes comes with questions. And then I find it really great to see that you can still teach someone with much more experience something from your own position.’