EPS Young Talent: Wouter Wolters

Talent cannot be taken for granted, every organization wants to connect with talent. It is not without reason that we are very proud that we even have a group of talents at EPS! That is why we will introduce an EPS Talent to you every week in the coming period, in random order. This week our HBO intern Wouter Wolters is speaking.

How did Wouter end up at EPS? “For my HBO Technical Business Studies I needed a third year internship in which I design and implement process improvements. Well, then you start looking. So first I asked around in my immediate environment if there was anyone who could help me with this. I am acquainted to the Director-Major Shareholder (DGA) Coen van Linden and I explained to him what the assignment is that I have to carry out during my internship, he thought that was a very good idea for the company. The industry also really appeals to me and I already knew a number of employees. After a conversation with the General Manager, it all went pretty fast.”

Doing an internship is one thing. But giving substance to that is something else again, after all, it must yield something for the company, for school and for yourself. Wouter continues: “From school I have been assigned to implement one or more process improvements. That starts with identifying a desired improvement and then I have to ensure that this problem is solved using, for example, the A3 method. This way, the flow between the technicians and work preparation/planning can be improved, because there are still too many questions from the technicians about the work they have to carry out. My assignment is to optimize the flow and make the work easier for the technicians, so that they work faster, better and more fun. At the moment my project is going very well and we already started implementing the solutions this week”.

And, how do you like it? “I receive a lot of appreciation for the work I have done so far. I also get the freedom to try things out myself. It’s nice that something will actually be done with my ideas and solutions. That motivates me even more to do my best for EPS!” It almost sounds like everything goes smoothly during his internship. Wouter thinks about that for a moment, and he says: “What sometimes makes my project quite difficult is that I introduce a change in working methods, especially for the mechanics. Any change is always difficult, I think. I expect that many questions will arise from the mechanics in the beginning. But I am sure that when they eventually get used to the new working method, they will be very happy with it.”

In this interview series with the talents at EPS, we also ask for tips. What does Wouter advise to people like himself who are looking for an internship or an employer? “First see which sector you like. Then compare companies and speak to them. I think you will soon feel which company you would like to join. That’s how I felt at EPS. I find the industry in which EPS operates interesting and I got to know the people so I knew almost immediately that I would be in the right place at EPS. And I’m having a great time!”