Ivo Panhuijzen - VDL Nedcar

Ivo Panhuijzen has been working at VDL Nedcar for five years. During those five years, he fulfilled various positions. They were always positions out of his comfort zone because, as Ivo says: “That’s what I learn most from.”

An interest in cars

“After my mechanical engineering studies at Eindhoven University of Technology, I wanted to gain more practical experience. As I was applying for jobs, I came across the position of process engineer at the Final Assembly Shop of VDL Nedcar. Now, I've always had an interest in cars, so it was the perfect combination: theory, more practice and cars.”

Everything in detail

“When I joined VDL Nedcar, they had only just started the first MINI. A wonderful moment. At university, I had learned to solve a problem to the last detail and at VDL Nedcar, there were many different things that made a process complex and I just had to get on with it. It meant I had to step out of my comfort zone.

I worked on process engineering details and on the engineering for the introduction of the Convertible; this ranged from discussions about development to ordering technical systems. Once that was up and running, I was given the opportunity to become a project leader in my department, for the introduction of the MINI Countryman.”

Project leader

“As a project leader, I spent a lot of time around the table with BMW’s project leaders. Very exciting and challenging at the same time. I had to find my way in order to get things done and organised. Once the MINI Countryman project had started, I thought things ‘would slow down a bit’. Nothing could have been farther from the truth. I was charged with dealing with small modifications (annual model modifications), such as colour or a new radio, or details customers would never see. And once I got comfortable there, I was asked to fill the position of the head of the Manufacturing Engineering department. I was literally given a couple of days to think about it and in September 2017, I accepted the challenge.”

Good choice

“I feel the position of head of the department has been a very good choice. I've noticed I learn a lot from working with a team of not only 16 engineers but also 16 trainers.

I’m also more closely involved in the process now, which enables me to see the needs of the production organisation. My job is a combination of production and human aspects, really. In that sense, you could say my career development at VDL Nedcar has shifted from technology to working with other people.

Efficiency

“During the past few years, VDL Nedcar has grown enormously. We’re continuously looking at how to improve our approach to certain matters and how to gear them better to our environment. That's why at the start of the year, our team started a new project. I want engineers to engineer rather than be concentrating on side issues. It’s too early to tell if there’s any improvement, but the first results are coming in. It's a wonderful challenge and if we succeed, it would be the icing on the cake.”

Ambition

“Right now, I don't have any specific ambitions. I do realise that I always try to step out of my comfort zone, because that's when I learn the most. And there are plenty of growth opportunities here at VDL Nedcar. Perhaps I’ll find a job at another VDL company in the future, if only to see how things can be done differently. They give me a lot of space to grow. You can make mistakes, as long as you resolve them and learn from them. I’ve also been given the opportunity to take a Management Development course, which was perfectly in line with the questions I have as a manager. We concluded the course with a TedX presentation.”