René - Pre-Assembly Coordinator

“At Houdijk, you have to like working with machines, finding out how things are put together. That is how you develop a bond with the products you make.”

I have worked here for over 40 years. After my training in precision engineering, I wanted to be a Metalworker. During the summer holidays, I was approached by Joop Houdijk, father of the present director Bart Houdijk, and asked to come and work here. I soon got the feeling that I could learn the trade properly here and the choice was quickly made. The job of Metalworker no longer exists here. Formerly, the system components were assembled from A to Z, but nowadays most parts and sometimes even entire system components are ordered from our suppliers.

Everyone who works at Houdijk Holland has extensive interest in engineering. In the pre-assembly team, you have to like working with machines, finding out how things are put together. That is how you develop a bond with the products you make. I have noticed that there is a great difference between the current training courses and those of the past. New colleagues still have to acquire considerable practical knowledge. The materials knowledge of school leavers is not always ideal, but that is soon solved here. I am very pleased to transfer my knowledge and experience to colleagues in workshops.  

In the last decades I have seen Houdijk grow, but despite this growth, the colleagues all know one another. It is a family business where people fortunately still care about their employees. We are glad to help each other here. I consider this a special quality of the work and the employer.