Van Beek again has four new, talented interns in house: Rick, Max, Patrick and Bennie. The students are diving into a number of issues that Van Beek has and are hoping to come up with a solution by the end of their internship.
It all started at ‘Speedmeet’, a speed dating event between companies and students of the Avans Hogeschool in Den Bosch. Technical business administration student, Rick van Bergen, immediately clicked with Perry Verberne, director of Van Beek. “Perry was immediately enthusiastic about my background in electronics and technology”, says the technical business administration student. “The horizontal organisation appealed to me. I got to know all the employees by name within a week.”
Van Beek had a logistics assignment for Rick that immediately appealed to him: making an inventory of stocks, so that everyone in the company can see with Van Beek’s software program Pionus what and how much is in stock. “For example the work planner can sound the alarm in good time if he sees that only five items are left in stock, while eight are needed”, says Rick.
Design of screw roll infeed
Interns can usually choose between several assignments at Van Beek, including Max van Heck. The mechanical engineering student chose to focus on a new design for the screw rolls. “The two screw rolls at Van Beek are 50 to 60 years old and the infeed can be made safer and more efficient after all that time.” Together with his supervisor and workshop manager, Max is hoping to arrive at a design that Van Beek can actually use.
The work atmosphere at Van Beek appeals to Max. “I can have a chat with everyone, whether that is in the office or the workshop. The door is always open for questions, but I also get a lot of questions in return. They are very interested in me and in what exactly I am doing.”
Tinkering on Robot Arie
Robot Arie is still in his infancy and is therefore a favourite project for interns. The logistics robot goes round the factory with a pallet full of parts and visits everyone who calls him. “Robot Arie is not too sure about what he has to do if a truck comes in to unload and load”, says intern Bennie Prins. “I am going to make a detection system that recognises trucks and prevents Arie from approaching them.” The mechatronics student has just got his detection cameras in and is now thinking about how he can tell Arie that an area is temporarily out of bounds.
Updating cost price model
“Well before the ten minutes were up, it was already clear to me that I wanted to work at Van Beek”, says Patrick Dimmers, a technical business administration student. “During the Speedmeet I immediately clicked with Perry after which he had two assignments for me.” The cost price model appealed to him most. “I assess the costing of the process using fixed and variable costs, to arrive at a good price. Put simply: how long does a process take and how much does that cost.”
Patrick enjoys leaving for his internship every day. “During the work there is always time for some fun. The atmosphere is very informal and there is no difference in the departments. We are just one team. I feel more like an employee than an intern.”
Looking for an internship or a graduation assignment?
Van Beek is an experienced training company and often offers students the opportunity of a career in the company. For an internship place or a graduation assignment contact Marloes Verbeek via e-mail or telephone + 31(0)416 375225.
