Since Shapeways is on the journey of ‘coming house’, 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 staff 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, bettering and supporting one another. This week we caught up with Tistou Geenen, our ‘Steady Enchancment Engineer’ to search out out what he does, what motivates him and what he thinks makes for an incredible 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 attention-grabbing is going on, then that will likely be my focus for that day.”
Tistou (or as everybody calls him, Ties) performs a singular function at Shapeways. Formally, he’s a staff of 1. Unofficially, you’ll discover him wherever and in every single 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 staff that’s already doing that course of… so in observe, there’s plenty of teamwork.”
Defining steady enchancment
At its coronary heart, his function is about ensuring the processes within the manufacturing facility run as effectively as potential. That may imply automation, information visualization, or high quality assurance — and infrequently all three in the identical day. “The tip product that we produce is the results of the product going via a set of processes,” he says. “So making these processes go sooner, extra effectively, or ensuring that they’re extra constant or extra prime quality will all immediately impression the top product.”
However what stands out in dialog with Tistou isn’t simply what he does, but it surely’s how he does it. His technical mindset is matched by a transparent respect for the folks round him. “In my expertise, the staff normally 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 staff… they’ve at the least 10 the reason why it’s not a good suggestion!”
These interactions usually are not roadblocks, as a substitute Tistou sees them as the trail to higher options. “Ultimately you come to a course of enchancment or an automation that basically works. So it’s tremendous beneficial to incorporate the staff within the course of as nicely.”
Observe 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 provided the possibility 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 stated, ‘hey, we predict you’d be a very good match for this’… I had no thought what being a steady enchancment engineer would entail or how that will look. So I wanted plenty of steerage in the beginning. However I positively received it.”
Since then, he’s grown into the function and made it his personal. “I believe you actually must be versatile. Since we’re working within the additive business, on daily basis is totally different. Daily you’ve totally different fashions for various prospects that pose totally different challenges. That may be tremendous thrilling, and that additionally implies that you actually must be in your toes.”
He thrives on it. “I’ve somewhat little bit of a aggressive nature,” he says. “So I may also be aggressive towards the method. I actually like if a quantity goes up… actually seeing that impression, and having the info to see if that is really working — that’s actually a giant driver for me.”
One in every of his proudest examples? “We now have some processes that we began work on three years in the past… that have been carried out on daily basis by 4 folks. It was additionally possibly not probably the most enjoyable work. For those who take a look at it proper now, the identical course of is finished by one particular person in half a day, and it’s pretty gratifying. And people 4 folks can now concentrate on one thing else that basically drives us ahead.”
Progress have to be aligned with folks
It’s simple to imagine steady enchancment is all about velocity and effectivity, however Tistou’s method can also be about tradition and expertise. “It’s a driver for me, however I believe it’s a driver for the staff as nicely. There’s a lot of days that I’ll simply placed on my work sneakers and go and work in manufacturing… to get a superb sense and a superb understanding of what’s working nicely, what shouldn’t be working nicely.”
“There’s no person telling anyone, ‘hey, that is the way it’s carried out and there’s no room to have an opinion’. It’s mainly the opposite manner round… we would like the folks which can be 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 though you is perhaps a small piece of the puzzle… if push involves shove, and we’d like you to do one thing else for a day to be sure that we meet our promise to the client, then we now have to work as a staff and be sure that we modify issues up.”
So what sort of particular person thrives at Shapeways?
“I believe you should be very enthusiastic and pushed to need to study as a lot as you’ll be able to,” says Tistou. “In fact your function is essential… however the folks that basically thrive are the folks that additionally suppose ‘what’s adjoining to my function, and the way can I find out about these processes as nicely?’”
Daily may look totally different for Tistou, however the aim stays the identical: assist the staff ship higher components, sooner, whereas making the method extra rewarding for everybody concerned. “If you will discover one thing that delivers a greater product to the client sooner, but additionally makes the entire manufacturing course of extra gratifying… then the staff will likely be totally behind you.”
You’ll be able to observe together with the Shapeways Staff Highlight collection to search out out extra in regards to the staff behind the scenes.
