Danny van Rest Bedrijfsleider

Thanks to the many companies and training opportunities within VDL Groep, there are plenty of opportunities to grow. Danny van Rest, company manager at VDL Kunststoffen, knows all about that.
 

How did you get started at VDL?

“In 2006 I started at VDL VDS Technische Industrie in Hapert. At the time I was still living with my parents in Belgium and taking the part-time MTS Mechanical Engineering course. I wanted to work alongside my studies and at school they advised me to look into my possibilities at VDL. Not much later I was able to start at VDL VDS as an operator, which I did for a year.”

After VDL VDS Technische Industrie you ended up at VDL RPI Metaal in Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht, from where did you take this step?

“Some of my friends decided to move to Rotterdam and I wanted to join them. Because I liked working at VDL so much, I started looking for opportunities to continue working at VDL. Soon I ended up at VDL RPI Metaal in Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht, where I could also work again as an operator.”

At VDL RPI Metaal, you held other positions besides operator. Tell us more.

“After I completed my MTS, I started a part-time college course in Commercial Economics. I followed this study in the evenings, in addition to my full-time job at VDL RPI Metaal. I liked this course and it opened doors for me to a position in sales. Thanks to my experience on the shop floor, I knew very well what we could or could not make at VDL RPI Metaal and knew how to sell our company well. I was in this position for about 5 years, when the current manager decided to leave the company. Although there was a little doubt about my age, I was 28 at the time, the director decided to ask if I wanted to fill this role. I wanted to. In the end, I enjoyed doing this for 4 years.”

After 4 years as plant manager, you moved from VDL RPI Metaal to VDL Castings. How did this come about?

“By now I had been living in Budel for several years with my partner and our first child. When our second child was born, I decided it was time for a job closer to home. I indicated this to the managing director and less than a month later I could start at VDL Castings as a company manager. Super nice that this was picked up so quickly at the time and I could quickly start working at another VDL company.”

You have now been working at VDL Plastics as a company manager for 4 years. How do you like that?

“Good! We have a strong team here of about 120 colleagues with whom I enjoy working. Moreover, VDL Kunststoffen has experienced considerable growth in recent years. In order to keep up with that growth, we had to acquire quite a few new machines and even expand our premises considerably. That is an enormously fun and challenging process to go through. I'm curious to see what the future holds here.”

All in all, then, we can conclude that you have made considerable strides at VDL. What would you like to say to colleagues who would also like to grow?

“The great thing about working at VDL is that we have an awful lot of companies that are also active in very different sectors. That means you can go in many directions and look for what suits you, both in terms of position and VDL company. But you have to indicate what you want and put your energy into it, not wait for it to come to you. If you want to grow, make that known, show what you can do and take the initiative. Then the opportunities are enormous.