As a mechatronics student, Guus van den Hurk faced a crucial decision. Gain one year of experience at three different companies or work and learn for three years at a fixed location. He chose the latter and opted for an extensive BBL trajectory at Vetipak. With success, because Guus has been one of our maintenance technicians since the summer of 2023.
Hey Guus, was it a difficult decision?
“Not really, because I immediately had a good feeling about Vetipak. I knew I could learn a lot about technology here, and I would have all the space to do so. It gave me the feeling that nobody here is just a number but a person. That is how it turned out.”
How did you notice that?
“My BBL trajectory was truly customized. I started with basic tasks, such as a small turnaround with different tooling. Later, my assignments became more and more complex. I learned by just doing. I also learned a lot from colleagues, because everyone was willing to help me. It’s all very personal.”
What appealed to you in terms of technology?
“Especially the versatility in packaging technologies, but also the lines we design and build ourselves -where we often apply the latest technologies. As a result, we’re not tied to suppliers, but we have development in our own hands. I still think that’s beautiful.
to make changes’’
What do your days as a maintenance technician look like?
“If something is going wrong in the factory, I’m the first they call. Besides that, I’m also busy converting machines, maintenance tasks and, very importantly, making improvements. As a technician, I have all the freedom to make changes. I gladly take that!
How does such a change come about?
“Often it’s discussed in our ‘morning prayer’ with all the technicians. In that ‘morning prayer’ we discuss how we can improve processes and how we can prevent common malfunctions. We make small adjustments ourselves. We tackle significant changes with Vetico’s engineers.”
What makes your work enjoyable?
“I love having my head in a machine, but it’s much more than that. I also enjoy the interaction with colleagues very well. Vetipak employees are hard workers, but they can also have a lot of fun together.”
to broaden my view of technology’’
From BBL’er to maintenance technician has been achieved. What’s your next goal?
“For the time being, I can still take enough steps in this role. Collecting experiences is the most important thing right now. In the future, I want to do more engineering to broaden my view of technology. But not too much, because I mainly want to be hands-on. That’s what I love to do most!”
Will you also have the opportunity to do more engineering in the future?
“I’m convinced of that because Vetipak pays a lot of attention to its employees. If you want something here, it’s possible. And they do everything they can to assist you. They already say: ‘dive into that subject or take a look at that drawing‘.’”
Finally, what’s your ultimate project to work on?
“Phew, that’s a tough one. I’m definitely looking forward to the new construction in Veghel. There’s a lot of challenges and new adventures in our pipeline, with new machines and our own lines. And of course, a new building which we will make completely Vetipak-style again. It’s great to be a part of that entire process.”
