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career story Pascal Frijns

FROM DESIGNER TO PROJECT ENGINEER

It was Bram Slabbers who immediately after graduating invited Pascal to ACE development & engineering in Eindhoven. “I got a message in the morning and we had coffee that same afternoon. A week later, I had my first day at work. "According to Pascal, this approach is typical of ACE: personal, direct and with appreciation. 'It was flattering that they were so eager to hire me and took the trouble to do this in such a personal way."

In addition, the work environment was also very interesting for me because at ACE you have the opportunity to do various engineering assignments for different clients. I thought I am still young, I can still browse and look around and develop broadly. '

 

All in One

carriereverhaal ACE Pascal Frijns project engineer

No sooner said than done. It was a flying start to a career as a project engineer at ACE. Pascal started on an external project at a small company in Lummen, Belgium. They manufacture machines for the chocolate industry; from small machines for chocolates to large, industrial factory machines that also make biscuits. "I was given the opportunity to do so much there. Because there were only ten of us, you didn't just have one single task. In addition to the engineering side, I also learned a lot about purchasing, logistics, and dealing with suppliers. So, the social aspect of the job came into play right from the start."

Directing your career

After two years, Pascal decided he would like to take on another assignment. "That's the nice thing about ACE development & engineering, if you have certain wishes, they really listen to them and they see if that wish is possible somewhere." Pascal has subsequently worked in various other places. Also for clients where the focus was 100% on engineering. "Then I would spend 40 hours a week drawing at the computer in CAD. That had its challenges, but in the end I missed the social aspect. "Being in contact with various stakeholders and having a guiding role in this also attracts me."

 

Technical and Social

carriereverhaal ACE Pascal Frijns project engineer

In his current role as a project engineer, that social aspect has become even more important. It is a position he can largely shape himself, thanks to the new direction ACE Netherlands is mapping out. This way of working has already been in place at ACE Belgium for 20 years. Pascal now serves as a bridge of sorts between "the way of working" in Lummen (Belgium) and Eindhoven (Netherlands). "You have to look at it this way," Pascal explains. "For 20 years, ACE Lummen has been taking on projects where they build and deliver complete machines. At ACE Eindhoven, we were more focused on supplying specific components and services used for particular machines within industrial automation."

Bringing Expertise Together

However, as a team we are also perfectly capable of devising, developing and delivering a complete machine or assembly line. In Eindhoven, we now want to develop this further with the knowledge and experience from ACE Lummen. My role is to further organize this together with colleagues.

"Shall I give an example?" There is currently a request from a company that has developed special electrical outlets for home use. They had it produced in China, but now want to do the production themselves. "The question is whether we can design a machine," says Pascal. "I will first collect all kinds of information about the product, I also want to see the product to find out what technology might be needed."

With this information in his pocket, Pascal goes to his colleagues in Lummen to come up with a plan of action. "I work there together with a project manager who has 20 years of experience in this area. Together we will make a calculation, among other things. What should be in the machine, how many hours are involved, that sort of thing. Eventually I come to a basic sketch and a project plan. I then submit all of this to the customer. I am constantly working together with a lot of people, puzzling. I love that diversity."

 

Together from A to B

At the moment Pascal is having a great time at ACE in Eindhoven and Lummen. "I am given all the space to develop myself. I can combine technical insight with creativity and work together with different parties. Because of this I am growing more and more as a person. And if you need additional education for your work, there are always options. Everyone gets a course in communication skills anyway. Precisely because the social and communicative aspect is more important than many people think. At ACE development & engineering you can always involve very experienced colleagues in your project when you have a question. Finding a solution together, discovering together how things can be done differently, that's what makes it so beautiful!

 

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