'Flat organizational structure, good working atmosphere and open culture'

He has been working at Bakker Sliedrecht for thirty years: André van der Vlies started as an trainee mechanic in the workshop. After a period as an engineer testing switchboards, he has been working as a service engineer for the past twenty years. He is deployed worldwide to take care of commissioning, maintenance and service failures at our customers.

André: "As an engineer, my work in the workshop involved assembling and wiring the switchboard. Trying out and testing the switchboards manufactured by Bakker Sliedrecht as test engineer felt like a logical next step. That's how I kept going one step further in the process."

Delivering finished products

"My responsibility as a commissioning engineer, is to hand over the final product to our customers. That process proceeds according to agreed functional descriptions, applicable standards and contractual agreements. I check and test the installations and systems using scripts and test protocols," André continues. "As a system integrator, Bakker Sliedrecht provides the interface between its own products, but also relieves customers and integrates third-party electrical systems. I work alone, but often together with colleagues, on the commissioning of electrical installations. Think of power generation-generators and power distribution, alarm systems and propulsion systems on board dredgers, offshore ships, maritime research vessels and ferries."

Troubleshooting and maintenance

André: "We work worldwide, on short-term or long-term projects. At Bakker Sliedrecht, four weeks away from home is the standard. I also carry out inspections and maintenance on high and low voltage installations in accordance with the safety and quality standards set. Broad product knowledge is crucial for performing this task: knowledge of high voltage protection relays, LS and HS power switches and motors and generators. Troubleshooting requires a flexible attitude: a 'quiet week' may just turn into a sudden departure abroad to help a customer out of a crisis!"  

Technology advances

"My ambition is to go a little further each time," says André. "Vessels are becoming more complex: in that respect, those technical challenges go hand in hand with my ambitions. Bakker Sliedrecht is pushing the technological boundaries for electrical installations and automation systems. Our customers are looking for cost-effective solutions that prepare tomorrow's maritime fleet for today's challenges. These include hybrid energy solutions, for example. Technology is advancing, and so am I! Much of that comes down to gaining knowledge in practice. At the beginning of my career, I learned a lot from experienced colleagues. It's important in this job to keep developing yourself constantly."

Specific product training

André: "To keep your knowledge up to date, ample attention is paid to training. This can be internal or external. For example, training courses are held abroad at suppliers. Various courses and product trainings are also provided internally. A good example are the 'lunch meetings': colleagues share knowledge acquired through a presentation. Actively sharing knowledge in order to make Bakker Sliedrecht stronger! This way you also get to know your colleagues better, and know where they gain their knowledge."  

Diversified and independent

André: "The enormous variety and high degree of independence is what I like most about my job. I started working at Bakker Sliedrecht straight from school. My ambitions now also focus more on an office job: thinking about maintenance, lots of customer contact. I can use my experience and knowledge in that area. For large projects and conversions, I will then still want to go along to the location in question." He concludes, "I feel completely at home in the corporate culture of Bakker Sliedrecht: a flat organization, good working atmosphere and a one hundred percent open culture and structure. Here no door is closed and there are no barriers. Nowadays that is more taken for granted, but here I have always felt that way!"