Hello
My name is Gidion Bouwmeester

“I was a butcher for six years and now I work as a laser tube cutter at 247TailorSteel—that’s definitely a little different. In mid-2017, I started as a production staff member, a packer, but after two months, I got the itch to learn how to use the laser tube cutting machine. We quickly increased from two to three machines, and then to four, so I saw that there were some opportunities. I mentioned it to the office and they had me in a training program right away.

Passing on knowledge

I learned the basics from my colleague Emre, who has a lot of experience, and I spent a week working with Jan Willem. He also explained a few things to me. Once at work, I could always go to a colleague for help. They would explain something to you and then you would know how to do it yourself for the next time. In the beginning, when they explained the machine to me, I sometimes thought, ‘What have I gotten myself into?!’ But you make progress more quickly than you think. That said, even a few months later, you still need some guidance every now and again. For example, you might need help if you need to change certain parameters to increase speed or capacity. At those times, it really still is specialized work. But it’s really great specialized work!

In this line of work, you are your own boss sometimes and you are not always working at the machine. That’s something else that I really like, personally. With our product (tubes), you get a little busier than you would with some of the others, like working with sheet metal. I mean that in terms of internal logistics. What is also unique is that, as a newcomer, I sometimes pass my knowledge on to new people. That’s how fast we’re growing. I think it’s pretty special to be a part of that.

Growing together

We can be very open with each other on the shop floor. The advantage of this is that you can also easily resolve any disagreements you have. You don’t always have to get a shift supervisor involved. You get clear answers to questions quickly, so that you always know where you are at. The keeps the pace going nicely. That allows the business to keep growing, which means you see more growth opportunities for yourself, too.”