12 June 2024 marked twelve and a half years since our colleague Piet van Dooren (Application Administrator) joined the company! This is a special moment you can be sure we weren't going to let pass by unnoticed. He has been a familiar face in our Information Technology department for a good number of years now, a role that has given him a great deal of satisfaction throughout that time.
Wanting to know more, we took Piet to one side for a quick chat: “What has made working at VB-Airsuspension so enjoyable for the past 12.5 years?” Piet doesn't need long too think about it. He responds enthusiastically: "In essence, I would say I never begrudge going to work – VBA has always given me space to fulfil my role in the manner I think best. Piet's path to joining VB-Airsuspension was not the usual one.
The path to joining VB-Airsuspension: tell us all!
“How it all began... Aard Tuenter (Innovation, Research & Development Manager) read in the newspaper that I was out of work and looking for a suitable role and challenge. On Thursday 8 December 2011, I had a telephone interview with Iginio Voorhorst, who asked me what my German and English were like. I said I was reasonably good and the conversation then continued in the two languages. Iginio ended the phone call with: 'I’ll be in touch'. The next day – Friday 9 December 2011 – I was invited to an interview, after which I started work on Monday 12 December 2011 in a (back then) empty office as head of the ICT department."
Why have you been with VBA for 12.5 years?
"VB-Airsuspension has always given me space to fulfil my role in the way I think best. This kind of freedom also comes with responsibility, and it's very important to strike the right balance. There's a lot of give and take.
Building a team is something you do together. It's about making sure you are there to help your colleagues when they need it, all of which makes for effective teamwork. Here, too, giving is more important than taking. You have to dare to take that first small step, and the rest will follow. The change in role as head of the ICT department that was then taken up by Nils Wiegerinck (current Information Technology Teamleader) was also good for VBA. Our team works well together. I was offered a job with another company at the end of 2023. They made it all sound very tempting in order to win me over. Having mulled it over, I decided to stay with VB-Airsuspension. Enough said!"
What makes your job so enjoyable?
"I have always been given the space to fulfil my role in the way I think best. When the VBA story first started, the ICT department and the technical department were the same thing, and I did a lot that was specific to maintenance which is no longer part of my role. Working with Henk Lieftink (Application Administrator), I do the 'application part', a very successful collaboration in which I believe we complement one another very effectively. Here in the IT department, we have a 'homogeneous' team with everyone on an equal footing. This works really well and, if an issue unexpectedly arises, we are up front about it and it can be addressed and resolved right away."
What have been your most enjoyable moments over the past 12.5 years?
"Back in 2013, we started with the roll-outof Microsoft Dynamics, an example of where we put in a great team performance. Another enjoyable challenge was setting up the Works Council (WC). This was something I found particularly satisfying. I built our 'snack site' during the first week of the 2018 – now known as 'the VB-Corner' – to take some strain off Jeroen Heusinkveld (Prototype Engineer). Until then, all orders and payments were handled by Jeroen Heusinkveld and this had become too much for him alongside his other roles. Another satisfying moment was when my wife Marjon had the opportunity to work in production here. She was glad to get some structure back in her life and it worked well around the needs of our family. Last but not least... I never begrudge going to work, and that's something I'm planning to stick to for a few years to come.”
We're pleased to hear it, Piet! Piet, we wish you many more happy years working at VBA and congratulations on this anniversary!
