Since Shapeways is on the journey of ‘coming residence’, we wished to get to know the folks that make the magic occur right here in Eindhoven. Each couple of weeks we’ll be talking to one of many workforce throughout the enterprise. Some have been right here for a few years, others are fairly new however all of them share a ardour for making, enhancing and supporting one another. This week we caught up with Tistou Geenen, our ‘Steady Enchancment Engineer’ to seek out out what he does, what motivates him and what he thinks makes for an excellent Shapie!
“There’s no such factor as a typical day,” says Tistou, Steady Enchancment Engineer at Shapeways’ Eindhoven facility. “Daily begins with a team-wide assembly… if one thing fascinating is going on, then that shall be my focus for that day.”
Tistou (or as everybody calls him, Ties) performs a novel function at Shapeways. Formally, he’s a workforce of 1. Unofficially, you’ll discover him wherever and all over the place.
“I’ve the liberty to prioritise the place to check out a course of or see if we will make one thing extra environment friendly or automate one thing,” he explains. “However as quickly as that call is made, I’ve to work along with the workforce that’s already doing that course of… so in follow, there’s loads of teamwork.”
Defining steady enchancment
At its coronary heart, his function is about ensuring the processes within the manufacturing facility run as effectively as doable. That may imply automation, information visualization, or high quality assurance — and sometimes all three in the identical day. “The top product that we produce is the results of the product going by way of a set of processes,” he says. “So making these processes go quicker, extra effectively, or ensuring that they’re extra constant or extra top quality will all instantly affect the top product.”
However what stands out in dialog with Tistou isn’t simply what he does, however it’s how he does it. His technical mindset is matched by a transparent respect for the individuals round him. “In my expertise, the workforce often is aware of greatest,” he says. “We’ve had a number of situations that data-wise one thing appeared like a good suggestion, however then as quickly as you speak with the workforce… they’ve no less than 10 the reason why it’s not a good suggestion!”
These interactions will not be roadblocks, as an alternative Tistou sees them as the trail to higher options. “Finally you come to a course of enchancment or an automation that basically works. So it’s tremendous useful to incorporate the workforce within the course of as properly.”
Follow makes progress
Tistou began at Shapeways whereas nonetheless in class, working in manufacturing. After ending his research in utilized arithmetic, he returned full-time and was supplied the prospect to attempt one thing new. “I didn’t actually acknowledge the chance that was right here for me. It was actually the administration that reached out and mentioned, ‘hey, we predict you’ll be a very good match for this’… I had no concept what being a steady enchancment engineer would entail or how that might look. So I wanted loads of steering in the beginning. However I undoubtedly acquired it.”
Since then, he’s grown into the function and made it his personal. “I believe you actually need to be versatile. Since we’re working within the additive trade, on daily basis is totally different. Daily you could have totally different fashions for various clients that pose totally different challenges. That may be tremendous thrilling, and that additionally signifies that you actually need to be in your toes.”
He thrives on it. “I’ve a bit of little bit of a aggressive nature,” he says. “So I will also be aggressive towards the method. I actually like if a quantity goes up… actually seeing that affect, and having the information to see if that is really working — that’s actually a giant driver for me.”
Certainly one of his proudest examples? “We have now some processes that we began work on three years in the past… that have been carried out on daily basis by 4 individuals. It was additionally perhaps not essentially the most enjoyable work. If you happen to have a look at it proper now, the identical course of is finished by one individual in half a day, and it’s pretty fulfilling. And people 4 individuals can now deal with one thing else that basically drives us ahead.”
Progress should be aligned with individuals
It’s straightforward to imagine steady enchancment is all about pace and effectivity, however Tistou’s strategy can also be about tradition and expertise. “It’s a driver for me, however I believe it’s a driver for the workforce as properly. There’s a lot of days that I’ll simply placed on my work sneakers and go and work in manufacturing… to get a very good sense and a very good understanding of what’s working properly, what just isn’t working properly.”
“There’s no one telling anyone, ‘hey, that is the way it’s carried out and there’s no room to have an opinion’. It’s principally the opposite manner round… we would like the individuals which are within the course of on daily basis to face up and say, hey, I believe we will do that higher.”
That sense of shared goal runs all through the Eindhoven website. “We share this large duty of getting the product out to the client on daily basis,” he says. “So despite the fact that you is likely to be a small piece of the puzzle… if push involves shove, and we’d like you to do one thing else for a day to make it possible for we meet our promise to the client, then we have now to work as a workforce and make it possible for we modify issues up.”
So what sort of individual thrives at Shapeways?
“I believe you have to be very enthusiastic and pushed to need to study as a lot as you may,” says Tistou. “In fact your function is vital… however the individuals that basically thrive are the folks that additionally assume ‘what’s adjoining to my function, and the way can I find out about these processes as properly?’”
Daily may look totally different for Tistou, however the aim stays the identical: assist the workforce ship higher elements, quicker, whereas making the method extra rewarding for everybody concerned. “If you could find one thing that delivers a greater product to the client quicker, but additionally makes the entire manufacturing course of extra fulfilling… then the workforce shall be absolutely behind you.”
You possibly can observe together with the Shapeways Staff Highlight collection to seek out out extra in regards to the workforce behind the scenes.
