Have you always wanted to work on a special project? One where you can use both your head and your hands? Then you have come to the right place!
Working on special projects
A good example is Daan Mulder; he graduated while working with us, and is currently developing a 3D concrete printer. And Bart Gillis: he graduated last year in mechanical engineering and is now completing the final stages of his design while working with us.
Taking initiative
What is the best thing about your internship and working at Van Beek? Bart: “My graduation assignment was to design a new alignment rig. This is a device for aligning screw conveyors. I was allowed to develop the concept and come up with ideas, and chief workshop officer Frank van der Velden and operations manager Eric de Jong made their recommendations. The initiative, though, was always mine. That’s what’s so good here: you learn so much because you are doing everything yourself and the supervision is excellent.”
A lot of responsibility
The best part, of course, is when you get to implement your design. And that is exactly what happened. Bart is now employed by Van Beek and is busy assembling his alignment rig. “Again, I get to do most of the organizing myself. The budget proposal and a brief explanation of why I needed dial micrometers for testing, for example, and I was given the go-ahead.” Bart also contacts suppliers himself, which means a lot of responsibility!
Gaining practical knowledge
Bart admires the level of customisation that Van Beek is able to deliver. “Although I studied mechanical engineering at college, I didn’t get much practical training. I didn’t learn welding or anything like that. When building machines like this (screw conveyors, ed.), practical experience is very important. That’s the reason I wanted to work in this sector to gain experience. You acquire a lot of insight and I was also able to improve my drawing skills. You learn to engage with other specialisms. This is something you won’t learn by sitting in front of a computer screen.”
Soon, the new alignment rig will be finished. It can handle larger screw conveyors than the existing alignment rig and offers extra measurement guarantees where required by a customer.
