'The best thing about this company is the creativity and the solution orientation,' says Andries van der Werf of machine factory Van Wees Waalwijk. 'And I find it always special to see how young employees develop, are capable of a lot at a young age and develop into all-rounders.'
we'll solve it together
The CEO has long since ceased to be the sole face of the company. He shares that honor with sales manager René van Heijst and sales engineers Ronald van Hooren and John Labee. All four are technically skilled. John: "Together with clients and colleagues, we think up the machine or solution. That is a whole process that involves a lot, such as the technical feasibility, the user-friendliness, the available space and the safety for the people who have to work with it. Solving this problem together makes our work very attractive.
As a former Van Wees Waalwijk mechanic, Ronald still lovingly solves the occasional technical problem. 'If I can solve it right on the spot, I will. I have a passion for technology. That's what makes my job fun.' Here in Waalwijk, they are experts in special mechanical engineering and in optimizing production processes. They take care of design and implementation, both mechanical and electrical and programming with software, maintenance and repairs.
The future of Van Wees Waalwijk lies in the automation of production processes. Robotics plays an important role in this. Andries: 'The shortage of production people will only increase. And the people who are now working in the factories, employers have to be careful with them.' This was demonstrated once again last year with the Covid-19 pandemic. So automating heavy-duty and repetitive work is high on the priority list of many.
The dga continues, "For example, we are now working on automation in an industrial bakery. Operators there do heavy work, they lift a lot and often have to bend over. We will soon deliver a machine that can lift and move the baking trays with the heavy dough using robotics.' One of this client's requirements was that the machine be compact and portable. 'So we build a 3-by-1.5-meter robotic cell weighing 1,400 pounds on wheels.' Andries emphasizes that the goal of such a project is not to downsize the workforce. 'This company has a shortage so the people they save thanks to such a machine can start performing other, more enjoyable and ergonomically sound tasks.' Ronald: 'That's how we make the hands that the market can't find.'
Andries also takes care of his employees. 'I advise every entrepreneur to build a good relationship with schools, both MBO and HBO. For example, we always employ BBL trainees. Of course it takes time to properly supervise trainees, but it is the ideal way to bring in new employees.' He hasn't had to place a job ad for fifteen years. Ronald adds, 'We offer challenge, diversity in assignments and independence. That's how we quickly discover who fits within the Van Wees Waalwijk culture.' When Covid-19 delayed projects, Andries chose to keep his workforce intact. He even gave some people permanent contracts. 'The catch-up in orders is coming this year. The vaccine is causing companies to regain confidence in the economy.'
Another example of an ongoing project; a machine with a robot that puts flower pots into boxes. 'We are building that for one of our neighbors,' John explains. 'An employee of that company came here to have a machine part overhauled and saw that we do a lot with robots. He didn't know that and that's how the ball started rolling.'
This is how they make a unique machine at Van Wees Waalwijk every time. 'We only design and build to customer specifications.' The region is important to Andries and his company. 'The vast majority of our customers are within a radius of 60 kilometers. This is practical because we have to immerse ourselves in the customer's process. Thanks to Covid-19, we have all learned that manufacturing or getting parts from far away can become a vulnerability.' John: "We even have customers who demand that all materials come from Europe. Van Wees Waalwijk helps companies with production in the Netherlands and Europe. 'Being dependent on China, you shouldn't want that.'
From blacksmith to high-tech machine factory, that's the history of Van Wees Waalwijk in a nutshell. Blacksmith Frans van Wees started in 1905 producing die-cutting knives for shoe manufacturers and repairing machines. In the 1970s and 1980s, his grandsons expanded the company to other industries such as the food and plastics industries. Meanwhile, the company also does a lot for other industries, including the medical industry. Andries took over the family business 23 years ago and managed to preserve the family feeling. 'A quarter of the forty men who work here have been employed for more than 25 years. We even have two men walking around who have worked here for 50 years, which is fantastic, isn't it?'
Text: Sara Terburg
Photography: Kees Bennema
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