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volume 1 | no. 2 | December 2011

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Most of you know that I am an

enthusiastic sailor. The similari-

ties between sailing and work are

striking. In sailing the circum-

stances are constantly changing so

that you are constantly changing

the direction of the sails. You

have to make sure you have set

the best course. Setbacks have to

be overcome and when you arrive

in the harbour, you feel fantastic.

In business, conditions are also

constantly changing. Economy is

like a wave rising and falling and

in recent years one crisis deve-

loped into another. Companies

that are able to adapt adequately to

these changing circumstances are

the winners of tomorrow. As long

as you have a clear vision and have

set the right course.

At the end of the year, the harbour

is coming into our sights again.

I am able to look back at the

results that we have all produced

in 2011 with nothing but satis-

faction. The figures are not

yet completely ready of course,

but we can already say that the

turnover for the whole group has

increased considerably and that

we can be proud of the results. In

this edition of Andustry news we

give centre stage to our staff: the

force behind our company. We

give you the opportunity to make

the acquaintance of a number of

employees who have been chosen

at random. We highlight their

passions and their dedication to

their jobs as well as a little back-

ground to these people. Wonderful

stories that are full of surprises.

I take this opportunity to wish you

all a merry Christmas and a very

happy New Year. I am convinced

that we will succeed in surviving

less economically favourable times.

I have full confidence in our future

and I foresee a favourable wind for

our company. I cannot think of a

better way to sign off.

Tom van Rijn

CEO

FIRMLY AT THE HELM AND FULL STEAM AHEAD

“When we have to carry out maintenance work

during a production stop, we hardly set any

boundaries for ourselves ... We just go for it. We

join our forces in a tightly knit team in order to

sort out the job. If I need some of our workers

on a Saturday night, they are there, even though

they may be off. But it’s about much more than

just working. We are also there for each other

in our private lives, in good times and bad. This

sense of camaraderie is tremendous.”

Shepherd“My alarm clock goes off at about five o’clock

and an hour later I am at work. By then I have

mostly already read the night shift reports and I

start to set up the roster for the day shift. They

start at seven o’clock. Then I am busy all day

‘rounding up my sheep’ and making sure that

the evening shift can take over efficiently. At

around half past six in the evening I head home

again … I am not allowed to stay on the >>

COMRADES THROUGH THICK AND THINDanny Palemans (45) is project manager/account manager at Gouda Vuurvast Belgium. He joined the company in 1989 as a warehouse assistant and

then worked his way up through the company. He is currently working at a large maintenance job with Total Oil Refinery in Antwerp. A job of approxi-

mately four weeks, where works continue six days a week and 24 hours a day. Danny enjoys this intensive “pushing the boat out” and the team spirit.

>> site for more than 13 hours at a

time!”

A bit of ADHDA tough day you might say. But

then you don’t know Danny yet:

“Depending on my training sche-

dule, I will then ride home on my

bike which takes me around 1,5

hours. On other days I go running,

around 15 kilometres … I am busy

preparing for my next triathlon

actually and I have to train every

day. That’s how you learn what real

hard slog is about. I recently had a

day when I didn’t eat enough and

I hit the wall. You find yourself

10 kilometres from home and you

have to go on. You know, one day

I decided, at the age of 42, to do

my first marathon (42 kilometres).

And I did. Nowadays I do one or

two a year. I am also training for a

number of different triathlons in

places like Mallorca or Lanzarote.

Taking a week’s holiday at the

same time. Brilliant. Although I

do sometimes say that when I’m

50 I’ll start slowing down. The

ladies at work are pretty concerned

about it. What will happen when

someone who is so active is

suddenly indoors all day long. But

that won’t happen. I am not made

for the quiet life.”

“Yes, really. Sometimes I’d really

like to go back there for a while.

As far as that goes I’m a bit of a

narrow-minded specialist, I can

really get pleasure out of a nice,

smooth piece of welding. I started

my training doing automobile

technology and we were sometimes

given welding lessons. That’s when

I thought: Geronimo!! That’s when

I switched to ‘metal’. And I’ve

never looked back or regretted my

choice. It’s just a shame that there

aren’t more women ready to take

this step.”

A little time away“But I really love my job doing

works planning. It’s a job that I

would never have been able to do

if I hadn’t spent time working on

the f loor in the factory. I know

exactly what can be made on

which machines. And then there’s

another factor … I also spent a

bit of time working for another

company. In 2004 I really wanted

to do technical drawing work. I

did that for two years and I came

back here in 2006. I was given the

chance and challenge of setting

up an efficient and effective works

planning system. And I do believe

that the experience I gained doing

technical drawing work actually

put me in good stead for this job.”

Solving puzzles“Nowadays, I start work when the

drawing office is ready with their

work. I transfer the files to our

works planning software package

and I decide which parts go to

which machine. I then prepare the

parts lists and order the materials

required. The right files are then

transferred to the right locations.

For the sawing machines, the

profiles have to first be ‘nested’ in

the standard material lengths and

I have to work out the best way of

producing them. It’s really great

because I want it all to be split up

as efficiently as possible so that

there is as little waste as possible.

And steel is really, really hard.

Lots of angles and sloping shapes?

Then you have to ensure that all

the same corners are ‘nested’ into

each other. And then there’s the

machinery: you might normally

have to do something on one

particular machine, but what if

it’s busy … What do you do then?

It may seem simple when you see

it on paper, but believe me, trans-

lating a pack of drawings like this

into an efficient production run is

no mean feat.”

Exciting“I’m not such a puzzle solver at

home, where I like to settle down

to reading: thrillers in the main!

Not that I have such a lot of time

for it though because I work 40

hours a week and I have a 3-year

old son. He needs a lot of time

and attention. But I’m lucky to

be able to combine my work with

my home situation. Grandma and

daddy are there to help out thank

goodness. Plus I have a lot of

freedom here in terms of working

hours. When things are quiet, I

sometimes leave early, and when

things are busier … Well, then

we just have to work late, don’t

we? It’s not a big deal. I am in a

great place and I enjoy my work

enormously. And now that we

are part of RijnDijk Construction

everything runs like a well-oiled

machine. The partnership with

RijnDijk Construction is really

going well and things are a lot less

hectic, there is more structure in

the work f low. That’s good news

because it means I can be more

efficient with my materials!”

A TOUGH LASS IN A TECHNICAL WORLDRana Verhoeff (34) has been working for RijnDijk Construction

Noord in Schagen since 1993. She started working here as an intern

during her training as a construction worker/welder. For a long

time, she was the only woman in the workshop. An experience that

has proven to be very useful today in her role as a works planner. It

is a time that she sometimes longs to go back to …

“That’s one of the very positive

aspects of Andus Group: perfect

safety statistics. They are comple-

tely embedded in us. But when

you work with other people, you

sometimes find that they are not

as precise about personal safety

measures as they should be. Then

it’s very simple. They have to leave

the building site. I have to be able

to guarantee everyone’s safety.”

Proud of the projects Richard is now supervising a

project at Aleris Aluminium in

Duffel (B), the so-called WABS

buildings. “It’s a great project.

We are responsible every single

aspect of the job, including the

civil part. Excavations, foundations,

the 1,500-ton steel construction,

f looring, E&I, sprinkler installa-

tion, you name it. A whole puzzle

where you have to keep an overall

view of everything, be able to make

the right decisions and check

everything three times over. But

I think it’s great. I am definitely a

real project person. Building some-

thing in ten months’ time and then

moving onto the next project. It’s

fantastic don’t you think? Today

there’s a piece of bare ground and

in no time at all you’ve put up a

beautiful, completely new building.

And I helped to build it.”

Hard work“It’s pretty hard work of course. I

am in my car at half past five in

the morning and I get home at

six in the evening. But working

a nine till five job is not for me

anyway. I was spoon-fed this

attitude from very early on. My

parents had a bakery. So, when

I was young I witnessed them

working really hard. I learned

that you have to give your all, that

you have to dedicate yourself to

your work. That’s when you earn

respect and you get opportunities.

And I was given opportunities and

I grabbed them with both hands.

In 2000 I started as a mechanic

at RijnDijk Steel Contracting. I

learned the profession from an

older colleague. That’s the only

way. Have you ever actually seen

an enormous hydraulic platform

in a training course? No, you have

to learn how you work for that

kind of platform by doing it. Over

the years I have worked on some

wonderful projects in Germany,

Ireland, Spain, and Sweden. So

I had years of experience in lear-

ning things and staying abroad.

And now I have worked my way

up to construction manager and I

can go home at nights. And that’s

not bad either.”

“Before I started my metal trai-

ning, I worked for a while in the

building sector, but that didn’t

do anything for me. That’s when

I started welding, and yes, that’s

absolutely my thing! To create

something from a drawing, find

the right way of doing something

well, creating a beautiful piece of

welding. It’s difficult, you have

to have a kind of feeling for it I

think. And apparently I have that.

Because I am the best in my class

and I have even been selected for

the VakkanjerWedstrijden (annual

professional competition for tech-

nical students). I will be competing

with 285 other young men and

women from the Netherlands for

a place in the final. The best three

can go through to the International

Skills Competitions, EuroSkills and

WorldSkills for instance, the world

championships so to speak. That

would be amazing.”

Studious“I have to say that I have learned

a lot here, particularly from Ton

Schouten, who has just retired.

But I have only been in training

for five months and I have already

completed almost all of my practical

assignments. That means that I will

be able to finish my training early.

And then I want to go further. MIG

welding, G6, Electrode welding

level-4. I want to be able to master

it all. The bigger and more difficult

the job, the greater the challenge,

the more I like it. Such a great

profession. But I mustn’t get overex-

cited. Actually I prefer to stay in the

background. I think you have to be

able to prove things first, before you

start boasting.”

A REAL PROJECT MAN AND SCREAMING TYRES

WORLD CHAMPION TO BE?

For Richard van Gelderen (37), site supervisor at RijnDijk Construction Zuid, things sometimes can’t go quickly enough. Risks? Yes, that’s just part and

parcel of it. But, not to worry, he’s talking about his passion: Formula 1 racing. What an amazing show! “When you are standing on the side of the

circuit, the adrenaline just rushes through your body …” On the construction site however, Richard can’t run any risks at all. Safety is his main priority.

Roy Mandersloot (18) joined P&K Rail two years ago as an assembly

worker. For the last year he has been working for Asselbergs

Ventilatoren as a construction worker/welder. Roy has a ‘BBL’

apprenticeship. This means that he goes to school two days a week

to the Gildevaart ROC Midden-Nederland. He gets the rest of his

training on the shop floor. But although he is still in training, Roy

has already set the bar pretty high: he wants to become the best

welder in the Netherlands.

Sjoerd has been working at

Gouda Refractories since 1988.

A lot of his colleagues have also

been working in his department

for more than ten years. They are

hypnotised by refractory concrete:

“It is an amazingly beautiful and

complicated material that never

stops surprising you. We never

stop learning here. Every single

day. And we are also constantly

looking at how we can make

improvements. How can we do

things more intelligently and

better. It’s really like a kind of

kitchen, where professionalism

and creativity are the essential

ingredients.”

Primitive conditions“The things that fuel my drive

are: autonomy, freedom, creativity

and talent. In the years before

working for Gouda Refractories I

travelled throughout Europe for

an American engineering agency

and built furnaces and hot dip

galvanising lines. That was when

we didn’t yet have blackberries or

laptops. When you couldn’t even

organise a conference call. No,

we sometimes had to ask for an

international call via the switch-

board. That’s when I learned that

exact and detailed preparation is

half the job done and I learned

what it means to have to come up

with a solution on the spot.”

Flying and landing hardThese characteristics are present

in Sjoerd’s private life as well.

“I always wanted to f ly. And the

cheapest and most practical way

of doing that is paragliding. So,

I did that for years. I have done

at least 200 f lights, but I was

forced to stop. During a f light on

Madeira that I obviously hadn’t

perfectly prepared, I crashed and

broke my back. I was actually

very lucky, because I lived to

tell the tale and didn’t die. But I

would still recommend paragli-

ding to anyone. It is amazing!”

A young man’s dream“My other great hobby is my

old Donkervoort S7, my Lotus

7. I bought it in 1979 from Joop

Donkervoort himself as a DIY kit –

he was working from a wooden

shed in his back garden in those

days. I think I was one of his very

first clients. It was a challenge at

the time. Everything was supplied

loose in boxes and I had to work

out for myself how everything

fitted together. Even though I had

paid a serious amount of money

for it. But, it was a young man’s

dream. And you have to make

these come true!”

Sjoerd de Vries (60) is head of the Prefab department of Gouda Refractories in Gouda. He is proud of his ‘own shop’. This is where high-quality

products are made that can’t be pressed, such as different types of refractory bricks that are too big or too complicated, where anchors or frames

have to be worked into or where only a few pieces are required. It is also a development platform for the laboratory. A close-knit club of people

who are apparently mad about refractory concrete.

YOU HAVE TO MAKE YOUR DREAMS COME TRUE

“Life in Romania was dreadful.

We had nothing. We lived in

constant fear, you couldn’t talk to

your neighbour for fear that they

were in the Secret Service.

In 1984 I decided to escape with

a friend, leaving my wife and son

behind. We got a long, long way.

But five metres from the Austrian

border we came upon a cordon of

Ioan Szekely (56) is team leader in the production department of FIB Industries in Leeuwarden. On 3 November of this year he celebrated his

25th anniversary with the company. So many years of loyal service is always special. But for Ioan, it had an even greater significance. This anni-

versary was also an anniversary of his freedom. Because in 1985, a 30-year old machinist Ioan Szekely – Romanian Kayak champion in the 500 and

1,000 metres and premier division handball player – fled his country and Ceausescu’ s reign of terror. After a great deal of hardship he was finally

accepted in the Netherlands. His first job in freedom: production worker at FIB Industries.

JUST THINK ABOUT HOW RICH YOU ARE

“My greatest challenge so far?”

There is silence for a moment.

“Yes, sorry, but I don’t think in

terms of challenges and pitfalls.

I like it when things are compli-

cated, if they are complex and if

they are large-scale. And in that

respect I am in absolutely the

right place. But to call that chal-

lenging? It’s just really great work.

Because it can also sometimes be

tense. Will I succeed in getting

everything done in time? Will

we make money out of it? These

questions are essential in my job.

Because when the purchase order

is signed, things are often far

from being crystal clear. That’s

when the adventure begins.” Okay

Gijs, we won’t call it a challenge.

A jack of all trades“Yes, my work is very varied,

very hands-on. Sometimes I’m

a project manager, sometimes I

am a tender manager, and then

again I put on my deputy mana-

ger’s hat. Or you might find me

on the top of a platform taking

measurements. And what I like

best of all? The people. The people

who work in our company, the

clients, subcontractors, suppliers.

Just name it. They all differ in

the things they want and demand

from us. We supply fantastic

products of course and that’s

important. But the work is always

carried out by people. And that is

an important aspect that needs to

run smoothly.”

Nice workAnd if you ask Gijs about memo-

rable projects, a couple spring

immediately to mind. And they

confirm his subconscious focus

on the people aspect: “The Clyde

Q4C platform. Just brilliant.”

Why? “Fabulous relationship

with the client. Everything went

perfect, but particularly because

we did an extraordinary job with

a very large number of people.

Or the Bernhard shiplocks. This

job may not have run as smooth

as we might have liked, because

we had serious discussions with

our client... But in the end we

managed to sort it out and we

got a lot of pleasure out of of this

project. And then of course there

is a small personal success story …

a movable bridge ‘somewhere’ in

the Netherlands. It was a tender

with an architectonic design.

I made a quick sketch myself

and submitted it. And I won the

tender. Together with a retired

architect we defended the project

pro forma before the Amenities

Committee and it worked out

fabulously. A great job because

the municipality gave us the ultra-

simple comment: ‘Just do it. The

bridge has to work and it needs

to look like it does on the design.’

That was it. When someone calls

on your professionalism and has

confidence in it – it’s a really

rewarding way to work.”

Gijs Kaashoek (44) started work at HSM in 2000 as an engineering manager. He has been director of operations and deputy manager for six years

now. His job? It’s very varied. And his private life? What he loves most is his family life, running along the beach and cooking. “No, I’m afraid I

don’t collect cuckoo clocks. I just love peace and quiet …” And that is exactly what he exudes. You don’t drive Gijs mad.

CALMTH, WORKING WITH PEOPLE AND A QUICK SKETCH

soldiers: we had set off an alarm

somewhere. We were sent back

and ended up in the prison as trai-

tors. Fortunately an amnesty law

was passed not long afterwards.”

Slave work“In 1985 I made a second attempt

to escape. This time I ended up

in Yugoslavia – in prison again.

I was locked in a cell together

with 60 other Romanians. It

was terrible. From morning to

late in the night we worked like

slaves. All because we wanted our

freedom … But, to cut a long story

short, we were finally recognised

by the UNHCR as refugees. A

committee from the Netherlands

comprising a psychologist and

people from the Ministry of

Foreign Affairs and the Ministry

of WVC came to assess us. It was

like a discussion to apply for a job.

40 of us were invited to come to

the Netherlands. The specialists.

On 11 February 1986 I landed

in Schiphol and was taken to

the refugee centre in Apeldoorn.

Everything I owned was packed

into one plastic bag.

Keeping the balls rolling“I started integrating into Dutch

society, but I wanted to do some-

thing! >>

Vincent van Dinter (28) has only been working at HSM for four years, but he already has a whole career behind

him. From his first internship in Norway (“the coldest winter in 40 years”) to works planner, from project engi-

neer (Gaz de France) to construction supervisor and now construction manager. He’s clearly got the wind in his

sails … And that also gives Vincent the chance to be one of the few remaining active millers in the Netherlands!

PLATFORMS AND MILLS HAVE TO KEEP TURNING

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“Yes, I have had an enormous

amount of luck here. A fabulous

company with a great mentality

where everyone is committed to the

people who have to do the real, heavy

work. Extremely business-like and

practical, but with a strong bond

between us. It’s no surprise therefore

that we have a sort of HSM motor-

bike club here. Each year we go for

a week-long tour through France,

Ireland, Italy, England or Scotland.

Looking at beautiful things and

getting to know each other better.”

What stress!“It’s good to take a moment to relax,

because there is sometimes a certain

amount of necessary stress that

goes with the job. After you have

built such a stunning platform for

instance, there is always another

phase following on its heels. And

that’s perhaps the best part. The

transport to the North Sea and the

installation. You have 24 hours to

get the platform up and running

safely so that the helicopters can land

on it, you have to make sure all the

lights work, etc. Everything has to

be connected up and tested. That’s

pretty hectic. There is not a single

minute to stop and breathe. Its go,

go, go. Pretty exhausting. But you get

an enormous kick when a monster

like this, out in the middle of the sea,

works exactly the way it should.”

A great piece of heritage“So, it’s just heaven when I can go

to ‘my mill’ during the weekend.

A corn mill in Puttershoek that

dates back to 1836 and is one of

the 1,100 mills still in existence in

the Netherlands out of an original

11,000. I am the manager of this

mill and every Saturday you will find

me in the mill. It all started actually

when I was 11 and I visited a mill

in Maasdam with a friend. I hung

around, gave them a helping hand,

and learned how a mill worked.

When I was 16, I started training

to become a voluntary miller and

when I was 18, I passed the test.

I was allowed to operate the mill

myself. But, I had no mill of my

own. Until I came to Puttershoek.

After an application procedure with

the foundation that owns the mill, I

was able to start. I have been doing

it for ten years now and it’s fantastic.

I am busy renovating the mill and

restoring it as much as possible to

its former state. I am always busy

working outside on it and I love

being out in the elements. But I also

find it very important to be keeping

a part of tradition alive, a tradi-

tional craft. Something we should

never lose. Mills are our roots, the

economic engine of the Golden Age!

That’s why I am a member of the

Board of the Guild of the Voluntary

Millers. In order to generate enthu-

siasm among more people and

to help them with their training.

But we should take note: there are

more mills standing still in the

Netherlands than there are that turn.

And that’s a terrible shame!”

>>

Because I had played handball in

Romania, I asked if there was a

handball association. Yes. I was

able to play with Achilles and we

immediately became champions.

Leeuwarden was then ready to

take on our group with A-status.

We were given an appartment

and were able to apply for an allo-

wance. In the evening I studied

Dutch because I absolutely

wanted to be able to speak the

language. I had started applying

for jobs – I have still not received

a reply from most of the compa-

nies I applied to – and I travelled

to and from Apeldoorn for my

handball. My travel costs were

paid. Until the Hellas ’57 asso-

ciation from Leeuwarden heard

about me. I was invited to do a

test and I transferred to them.

There I met someone who put in

a good word for me at FIB. And

that’s when my freedom really

began. And I was able to bring my

family over.”

Moving“All in all I was given a new life

25 years ago. I want to forget the

first 30 years. The Netherlands

and my colleagues at FIB have

given me a wonderful welcome.

Dutch people are very helpful in

all respects. But they perhaps do

not realise just how rich they are.

My mother still lives in Romania.

She is 87. She has been to the

Netherlands twice. The first time

I took her to the supermarket

and she couldn’t stop crying. It

was as though she had arrived

in paradise. A whole store full of

things! And so many different

types of cheese. But that’s not

what this wealth is all about. It

is the freedom to think and say

what you want, to go and stop

where you want, to live the way

you want. That is what being rich

is about.”