EN18 January 2024
At AAE, technology specialist Nicky Jonkers discovered a world of freedom and possibilities. His story tells how AAE provided space for Nicky's personal growth, but also created a new position for him. In an environment where curiosity is encouraged and teamwork is key, Nicky shares his passion for solving technical challenges. Read his story here.
"Why did I choose AAE? After my PhD research within mechanical engineering at TU/e, I went looking for a position where I could combine theory and practice, and I can do that here. For me, it's really all about the freedom I experience here. If a problem arises in a particular machine or if an improvement needs to be made, I am given the space from the very first moment to get to the bottom of it, within my specialism and in my own way. I immerse myself in the literature, carry out tests and present the results of my research to the team. That whole cycle suits my approach."
Job designed by himself
Nicky shares that his current position did not exist when he started at AAE. After obtaining his PhD, he had several interviews and saw himself working at AAE, but there was no concrete position that matched his needs. Together with AAE, Nicky started looking for the right position to suit him. Ultimately, this search resulted in the 'technology specialist printing' position.
He stresses, "I know this is not done everywhere. And the freedom I now have to fill my position is very special. If an issue comes my way that I want to throw myself into, I get the chance to dive fully into the content, understand the problem and come up with a solution. It's all about taking AAE to the next level on both an innovative and technical level. This is not about a fixed number of hours per topic; it's about getting it right, understanding the problem and learning from it for future work. Or rather looking ahead to the future and working on innovations."
Teamwork
Teamwork plays a crucial role in Nicky's experience at AAE. Despite the searching nature of his position, he could always turn to his colleagues. They made time, even when they were busy, to support him and further smooth his path.
"Everyone here is open and approachable. Rarely do I get told that someone doesn't have time for me. It doesn't matter how busy they are. Sometimes it can be just five minutes, but that allows me to move on. That feeling of support and availability, I am very happy with that. In addition, everything within AAE is a team effort. For my studies, often someone has already done preliminary research, and without practical people around me I would not arrive at the research results I have in mind."
Printing & Assembly Automation
When asked what Nicky is most proud of, he is quick to tell about an ink drop project. Nicky: "I work for the business line 'Printing & Assambly Automation'. In this business line, we apply various printing techniques, including inkjet printing. When printing in a particular machine was not going as desired and the solution was not immediately at hand, we continued until we found the solution. You have to imagine: If a droplet is shot out of a print head at high speed, it may split into countless small droplets. These can end up everywhere and cause a lot of problems. Based on this, I dove into the literature, conducted extensive tests with my team to address the problem and learn from it. We are not there yet, as we will soon implement the solution at the customer's site and know if it turns out as desired. The fact that I get to do this on my own is something I find very cool."
Has this story inspired you? Then take a quick look at our vacancies and who knows, you might soon be working with Nicky at AAE in Helmond.
