9 May 2024
Over the last three decades, Jos Hubers has built a remarkable career at AAE. He started his career in 1991 as an engineer and has since held a variety of positions, leading to his current role as account manager at AOS, one of our three Business Lines. In this blog, he reflects on the different positions he has held, his passion for AAE, and his dedication to the Emergency Response Team!
Jos' story begins at our Engineering department and after a few years he became one of the first project managers at AAE. More than once, he took on some account management responsibilities as well. Jos reflects, "In 2008, I started as a coach in assembly. At that time, we were in the midst of a crisis, which caused my work as a project manager to decrease. The departure of the former coach led me to move to the shop floor.. I stayed there for 8 years. In 2016, I made the move back to my old job, then exclusively focused on account management. And that's, to this day, my line of work at AAE.”
Continuing to pass on knowledge
His decades of experience at AAE give him a great advantage in his current position. "I've been involved in projects for 25 years and have seen and experienced a lot. This allows me to quickly move things around," he says. "I know all too well what AAE can and cannot do, and therefore advise very specifically. I can point out the sore spots, and that is important for our customers. For new colleagues, this is naturally more difficult, as they have not been working at AAE for 33 years. Therefore, I find it very important that I pass on my experience and knowledge, but passing on knowledge goes both ways. I learn a lot from my younger colleagues ass well.."
The best thing there is: customer contact
"In engineering, you're close to the details but it turned out that wasn't quite where my heart was. Hence, my switch to account manager wasn't a surprise at the time." Regarding his current role as account manager, Jos clearly identifies his motivations: "I particularly enjoy customer contact," Jos says. "To have good customer relations, a lot of interaction is necessary: what's going well? What could be better? Where do we stand exactly? Where are we heading? With some customers, we are very busy at the moment, running several projects simultaneously. With them, we have frequent discussions. It could also be that things quieted down a bit for another customer, then it's especially important to maintain good contact."
Every day looks different for Jos, but he can describe his work in general terms: "I work a lot in project teams and discuss the projects with the client. We make calculations and quotes, which requires a lot of time and diligence. Everything must be accurate and ready on time. A clear action plan is important for a good quote and forms an important part of my work," continues Jos.
Transformation in work methods
In recent years, AAE has grown significantly, something Jos also sees on the shop floor. "The teams we work in have grown over the years. People from many different departments are involved in our projects. As a result, we work in larger teams than a few years ago. If all people are in the right place in the project and everything fits, then the train gets going and the process runs smoothly. These large teams can also pose challenges, but it also makes my job super cool and easier at the end. We achieve very beautiful things," says Jos proudly. According to Jos, the accessibility of everyone within AAE contributes to good collaboration. "Despite all the growth, the feeling of a real family business is still strong. Everyone is ready for each other and wants to help where needed. This together makes it possible to achieve beautiful results," he emphasizes.
Jos Hubers: head of the emergency response team
In addition to his duties as account manager, Jos is also head of the Emergency Response Team. An active group of emergency responders who are committed to safety within AAE. Jos says, "I started with the emergency response team 15 years ago. Nowadays, I manage everything that comes with it together with the team leaders, the responders, and also Building Management. We have many emergency responders across our two locations. Regularly we have exercises and training to keep all the knowledge and skills fresh. This makes us an active group. Safety and continuity are of course very important at AAE. We can't work if we can't do it safely. I spend several hours a week to maintain our safety. A good emergency response team is very important and I am happy to commit myself to it." Jos concludes with pride.
Want to read more about working at AAE? Check out the blogs from Jos' colleagues here.