“Don’t be too shy”
After completing her higher professional education (HBO) in process technology, Nikki took an instrumentation course and completed a corresponding traineeship. She also had considerable secondment experience before coming to Improvia. So, what kind of person do you need for a successful secondment? “You have to enjoy visiting clients and therefore be able to adapt easily. Also, don’t be too shy. Don’t be afraid to voice your opinion; clients expect it from you. That’s what benefits both of you most.”
Process technologist Nikki (34) has been working for our company since May of this year. She enjoys making the world a better place, which is working perfectly with her current secondment assignments. “These projects require innovation.”
Always the same work, at the same location for years? Nikki doesn’t want to think about it. Her work should primarily offer a challenge, combined with sufficient variety. “I want to prevent my work from becoming boring, and I especially enjoy getting to know new factories. That’s why I enjoy secondment so much.” I learn a lot in a short time from assignments like those through Improvia. I’ll take all that knowledge with me to the next project.
Insight into the factory
Take, for example, Nikki’s current assignment in Lopik, at Lekkerkerker. This company overhauls and sells dairy machinery and recently acquired new software for P&IDs (Piping & Instrumentation Diagrams). The technical diagrams provide insight into the company’s own factory processes, meaning the software must operate as efficiently as possible. “So I’m setting up a database for this, in which symbols and rules quickly provide the correct information about valves and instruments.” Nikki is trained as a process engineer; a data management job isn’t exactly her core business. “Still, I find it interesting to carry out a project like this. As a process engineer, it’s useful to know how such a database works.”
Exploring process technology
Nikki’s work in Lopik is 20 hours a week; the other half of the week she is seconded to Waternet in the Amsterdam region. Here too, her work revolves around P&IDs, where Nikki checks, among other things, whether the drawings match the information that the water treatment plant operators see on their screens. Once the checks are complete, Nikki’s next project awaits. “I don’t really have a preference, although I do want to contribute socially. And that’s possible at Improvia. Lekkerkerker recycles, and Waternet makes water as clean as possible. That requires innovation, a desire to improve processes. I’m happy to use my knowledge for that.”
That one day already makes a difference
Her two current assignments are manageable in terms of travel distance, says Nikki. She has a company car, and she can also work partly from home. And what she also likes: every two months there’s a follow-up day at our location in Hoofddorp. “In my first few weeks at Improvia, I wasn’t working for Waternet; I was regularly in the office back then. That’s how I got to know our company better, although I talk to my colleagues a lot less now.” Working with your colleagues on a refresher day is really rewarding; it makes a huge difference. Moreover, Improvia regularly checks in with me to see how things are going. So, that kind of engagement from the company is definitely there.
