‘We work on the frontier of the manufacturable’

“At NTS Norma, we work on the frontier of the manufacturable. It’s so cool to see smarter and smarter technology being used. We make complex mechatronic parts with a precision of up to 1 mu for customers in the semiconductor and analytical industries. Mechatronic production involves a combination of electrical engineering and metalworking. For example, we use CNC milling and turning, but we also have many other machining competencies in-house.

We can then assemble various subcomponents in the cleanrooms into the complex products we deliver to our customers. I think it’s cool to contribute to this process where eventually, products come out that benefit everyone daily. Familiar examples are the chips in your laptop, car or smartphone. As an account manager, you are the first point of contact for all customer questions. Within the organization, you are the mouthpiece towards the customer. This means that you constantly have to balance customer demand and what the factory can deliver in terms of human and machine capacity.

I also work on improving our processes so that, even on this scale, with the growth we have experienced in recent years, we can continue to offer the quality our customers have come to expect from us.”

“I grew up in Enschede. I aspired to become a veterinarian, but for that, I needed to study physics and chemistry, and those were the only two subjects that didn’t suit me. So that dream fell apart. I ended up studying law in Nijmegen. I had a severe horseback riding accident, forcing me to stop my studies for a year to rehabilitate. During that year, I started thinking and discovered that I would not be happy with the work that awaited me after my studies: a lot of reading and not enough contact with people. I wanted to travel, so I started working in Ecuador for three months when I could. I accompanied tourists on horseback rides through the Andes. I learned a lot during that time. 

I always said I would never want to study at the University of Twente because I thought the campus was boring and drab until I heard about the International Business Administration study and attended an orientation day. I had a fantastic time there. I started working at VDL as a change coordinator and dealt with the processes of those changes. But when the biggest changes were implemented, it was time for a new challenge. I found that here!”

My husband Sjoerd and I have a common hobby: wine and port. We taste everything there is to taste and want to learn as much as possible. We love wine tours to Northern Italy, Alto Adige and Süd Tirol. Nothing can make us happier than good wine with some good food. Our hobby is getting a bit out of hand. We now have about three hundred bottles at home. I also enjoy sports: running, strength training, spinning, I like it all. Unfortunately, I have lung covid, so I’m letting sports go for now. But I still go walking and cycling.”

I pretty much grew up next to Het Rutbeek. I love going there, as well as Buurserzand, Haaksbergerveen, Twickel and Holterberg. For me, Twente is the best place to live and work. I have never thought about leaving. Both our families live here, and I need the peace and quiet and space. I love travelling and city trips. A day in Amsterdam, Rotterdam or The Hague is great, but I like to return quickly. There are far too many people in those cities on one square kilometre, which would drive me crazy. And in Twente, there are so many great companies to work for. Everything I need is here.”

According to the talents we speak to is Twente the ideal place to live and work. Want to know why? Read all the sories about life and career in Twente on twente.com/twente-leeft. Looking for a job? Look in our extensive Jobportal.