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Bob started working at bus manufacturer Berkhof in 1990, one of the predecessors of VDL Bus Heerenveen. His ambition was to become a chef, but the technical profession appealed to him and he has now been working at the factory on the Wetterwille in Heerenveen for 35 years.
Can you tell us more about the years you have been working here?
“I started at Berkhof (predecessor of VDL) in 1990 as a student of the vocational training course in bodywork and never left after completing my training. In all the years that I have worked here, I have had various positions and of course experienced many developments. Of the 35 years that I have worked here, I have worked on the production of buses for 33 years. Over the years, the buses have been continuously developed, from diesel to electric buses. Our work naturally followed these developments. So I have had many different positions within our company.”
In 2022, you switched from bus production to assembling construction modules for homes. How did you like that?
“We did indeed become a new company: VDL Smart Spaces. This transition had a major impact on us as colleagues. Imagine producing buses for years and then suddenly everything changes completely. I did lose sleep over that at the time. But together we put our shoulders to the wheel and took on this challenge. The factory was completely rebuilt and we learned to produce a new product together. A very educational process and still is! Because we are still busy building the company and optimizing our production process. The new product, the construction modules, is fortunately becoming more and more our own.”
What does your position look like now at VDL Smart Spaces?
“I am now a working foreman within production. Together with my colleagues, we work on the preparations for a construction module before it goes onto the production line. I am also a practical trainer and I supervise new colleagues at VDL Smart Spaces. A nice change from my work.”
What is your best memory of all those years here?
“The best was a nine-day work trip to Bermuda. We had delivered buses and there were technical problems with the gearbox. We went there with a few colleagues to fix the issues. It was really nice to experience something like that on the other side of the world.”