Informal atmosphere, great colleagues and focus on development at Sigmax

Twente Lives

This article is part of a series called “Twente Leeft!” (Twente Lives!). You can read personal stories here about living and working in Twente. Twente is a nice place to be, according to the talents we meet. The beautiful nature, space, the down-to-earth mentality; they all characterise Twente. There are also plenty of career opportunities! Twente has many innovative, international and future-proof companies that are desperate for staff. Want to know what Twente has to offer? You can find Rick Scherphof's story below.

He started looking for a job in Enschede and found one at Sigmax. He has been working there for 14 years and enjoys his account manager job. His department takes care of Connect, a field service solution that supports field staff in various industries. It ensures that they can complete service assignments properly at the push of a button.

His work takes him all over the country, as far away as Terneuzen. “I have a lot of contact outside the company as an account manager", says Rick. "I talk to customers about their working methods and what they want to do in the future. That is how I find out what solutions they need to grow and make their work easier and more efficient through automation. An example? We developed a commercial module for one of our clients so that their mechanics can immediately show their clients what sustainability options they can offer. This was not part of the mechanic's job before, but this is different nowadays." Sigmax also deals with digitalisation in other industries, such as care aids, installation technology and coffee systems. "We solve different problems for each customer to help them grow in the future. That never gets boring.”

Rick loves his job at Sigmax because he can help other companies, but his team makes it even better. "There is room for personal development, the atmosphere is informal, and colleagues can rely on each other."

The latter is important to him, also in his private life. “I am a board member at my tennis club and am an assisting parent at one of our daughters’ handball club. Club life binds people together. It is nice to see that people are there for others, and you meet many people by doing things like this. That can come in handy for business.” And it’s fun, too. “One of the friends I play tennis with lives in The Hague and only travels to Goor to play tennis every week. That’s great, isn’t it? It shows how strong the bond with Twente still is. You can also see this at FC Twente’s football matches, for which I used to have a season ticket. Many Tukkers who no longer live here still come back for every home game.”

Rick likes eating out in the area with his daughters, Lotte and Liz, and his wife, Nadine. Some of his favourites are d'Olde Smidse in his hometown, Het Witte Paard in Delden and the pizzeria in Markelo. Rick and his friends take one weekend every year to travel to unique restaurants. They’ve been to Las Palmas in Rotterdam, operated by top chef Herman den Blijker, and to noteworthy restaurants in Amersfoort and Haarlem. But even though Rick likes to travel throughout the Netherlands for work and in his spare time, Goor remains his home. “People know each other there, which is a nice feeling.”

Twente is the ideal place to live and work, according to the talents we meet. Want to know why? Read personal stories about living and making a career in Twente on twente.com/twente-leeft. Want to look for a job immediately? Then take a look at our extensive job site.