Peter Blansjaar, Production Manager, VDH Products
Peter Blansjaar (36) has been working at VDH for almost four years. ‘The balance between technology, vision, and people suits me perfectly.’
From a young age
‘My love of technology was instilled in me by my parents from a young age. I’ve always found it interesting to make things and then see them move. It was a natural step for me to study electrical engineering, after which I took a job as a draughtsman.’
Mix of technology and people
‘Since drawing turned out to not really be my thing, I changed tack completely: I enrolled in teacher training college to become a teacher who would get kids excited about technology. And yet, I never actually worked in education. I joined VDH instead. First in a more technical role as head of engineering, and now in the mix of technology and people that goes with the role of Production Manager.’
The bigger picture
‘Together with production coordinator Jannes, I make sure that everyone at the production department knows where they stand. Our people all take care of their own part of the bigger production process, where they have their own responsibility and influence. You can regularly find me on the production floor to monitor whether everyone is getting roughly the same number of orders, so that everyone can keep going with their piece of the line. We also see to it that everyone stays tuned in to the bigger picture, the end product.’
Sharing the workload
‘As a production manager, I monitor more than just the process. The work atmosphere is also very important. People have to come in to work and go home with a smile on their face. I keep a close eye on workload. Sometimes we get a rush order that we have to squeeze in, and there are, of course, the regular targets we have to hit, but the way we distribute the orders and spread the work over departments helps us share the load. We meanwhile have 50 people working here in production. And whenever necessary, Jannes and I will just help out.’
Initiative and responsibility
‘Working with colleagues is a fantastic aspect of my job. I’ve swapped my predecessor’s office on the first floor with a view of the production hall for a spot downstairs on the production floor. We are really lucky to have our people: they are passionate about what they do and they take initiative. The culture here at VDH is one that encourages people to take initiative and responsibility. We challenge each other on our work and we appreciate each other. And ideas for process improvements also come from people working on the production floor.’
Proper training
‘We are currently working on a huge order for a transport refrigeration manufacturer. This required an adjustment to the production area. We have generated new workplaces and changed the layout. And it created space for new staff, of course. We don’t just hire anyone we can use all at once, because we want people to get the proper training first, so that they can make the most of their talents.’
Technology, vision, and people
‘Where I used to spend my days behind a screen at engineering, my work is now much more hands-on in the production hall. Sure, systematic thinking continues to be an important part of my work. We are also making progress in terms of automation. The balance between technology, vision, and people suits me perfectly. And it is also what drives VDH’s success.’
