‘In my role as Senior Project Leader, I ensure that our clients get what they expect from us. This requires a lot of consultation and coordination. In my job, you are “the conductor of the orchestra”. I make sure that everyone works together correctly and according to schedule, that information flows smoothly, that we stay within budget and also that the right design is made that meets the customer’s wishes.’
‘Communication is essential in my work. I have to keep my colleagues well informed and I notice that our clients, too, increasingly feel the need to be included in the process. After all, the engineering process is no longer an everyday occurrence for some clients. So we increasingly have to explain what we are doing and why.’
‘I am now working for the second time at KH Engineering. After studying chemical engineering, specialising in process technology, I started work at Aker Kværner in Antwerp in 2006. After a year, this engineering firm was taken over by KH Engineering. From there, I was seconded for a longer period to BASF Antwerp as a process engineer. After a while, I was more interested in a general job, so I applied for a permanent position as project manager at BASF. There I was in charge of very diverse projects, from safety projects and equipment replacement to even the DCS migration of an entire plant. I learned a lot there, but after six years at BASF, I returned to KH Engineering in 2016.’
‘I still haven’t regretted it: as Senior Project Leader, I have varied and enjoyable work with different customers. In many cases, this involves modifications or extensions to an existing plant, but complete new tank farms are also part of my experience in the meantime.’
‘A customer wants something new or he wants to modify his existing production process. It often starts with a line on a white sheet of paper. The client indicates what he has in mind and we work it out from concept to construction package. For a new tank farm, for example, we make sure that the tank pit is correctly dimensioned, that the tanks are in the right place, that the pumps are in place, that all the piping and instrumentation is in place. In short, that the customer gets all the functionality he had in mind at the start of the project. If we can deliver such a project safely, on time and within budget, that makes me proud. Especially with the very tangible projects, which you can, as it were, look up on Google Maps. Then you can say: “We realised this as a team”.’
‘I like the short lines of communication at KH Engineering. All the people are very accessible, up to and including the CEO. There is a good mix of experienced people and young, recently graduated starters. There is an open atmosphere, in which it is easy to communicate with each other. That makes me feel at home.’