"Driving change by creating a broad base of support in order to work toward future-proofing."Wiebe van der Wal, Technical Manager, Hendriks Precon

In a world that revolves around technology, engineering is an important pillar in the realization chain. It is no coincidence that Hendriks precon has a professional and self-managing team of engineers that come up with client-specific solutions on a daily basis. This team has recently been expanded with Wiebe van der Wal. He will lead the team and also drive improvements and new developments.

Constant change

Before joining Hendriks, Wiebe studied mechanical engineering and worked in various departments and positions at an engineering and consultancy firm with its own machine factory. There he was responsible for increasingly large turn-key projects in the aerospace-/ and automotive sector. After a short break he returned to the company to work as a technical manager for another three years. Herein he co-started the transition towards machine automation in which the competences hardware/ and software were realized. In December 2021 Wiebe made the move to Hendriks precon where he fulfills the new role of Technical Manager. When we ask him what that means, Wiebe answers, “Within the department we work with a self-managing engineering team. This means that I divide my time between leading the team, but also keeping the focus on the optimization processes and new developments. Hendriks precon was looking for someone who can overlay the different priorities and challenges in order to create the right support on this basis and actually complete the project.”

Oil between gears

When we asked Wiebe to name his own challenges, he replied: “Change or the introduction of new initiatives requires broad support within the company. I think that is where the greatest challenge lies. I see myself a bit as the oil between the cogs. To me, change means: working together, each with his own piece, to make a puzzle. And that puzzle – that change – is, I think, necessary to make Hendriks precon future-proof. Just take the subject of sustainability. It’s a complex theme that affects the entire world. How can Hendriks precon join in this chain transition and use our (new) technology to make our clients’ processes more sustainable? That is a beautiful, challenging task to which we, as the entire chain, must contribute to.”