Our Research & Development (R&D) department is undergoing rapid development. And R&D Manager Thijmen Miedema has plans to substantially expand his team. ‘The interesting thing is that we work with the latest technology and management is investing heavily in innovation. If you have good ideas and show initiative, you’ll have plenty of opportunities here,’ he says.
In 2015, Thijmen joined the former Fullwood Packo as an intern. As a farmer’s son, he liked the idea of working for a company linked to the agricultural sector. His talent was quickly noticed when he was working on his graduation assignment there. ‘They told me I should definitely come back when I finished my degree. And I did. I was very happy there in the role of Project Engineer.’
However, partly due to relocating, Thijmen chose to leave Fullwood Packo after 3.5 years and work for another company. But when JOZ acquired Fullwood and continued as Fullwood, Thijmen was approached about working there again. ‘The CEO, Arend Kuperus, messaged me asking if I would like to come in for a chat. The timing was perfect because, at the time, I was considering what I still wanted to accomplish in my career. And going back to working in an environment where the focus was on farmers and their animals really appealed to me.
Thijmen was hired as the R&D Manager and is now responsible for the department’s performance. ‘It’s a very varied role in which my main objective is making sure the department runs as efficiently as possible. It’s also important to me that the team enjoys working together and that they’re given the freedom to develop and show initiative. I also act as the filter between what other departments want and the projects that have priority for us. That’s something I really enjoy. Setting and monitoring priorities, and explaining to others why you can or cannot take on a project quickly. That role suits me well.’
Besides inventing and developing new solutions, the engineers are also committed to improving those that already exist. That can range from something as small as coming up with a solution for a cable that is no longer available to innovations that take more than a year to complete. This means working in close cooperation with other departments.
‘For example, the Sales Department wanted to launch the M2erlin robot on the American market. That’s fantastic, of course, but from a technological perspective, there’s a lot involved in making it happen. The regulations are different in the USA, so the robot has to be adapted to comply with them. It’s not a matter of changing two or three details. There’s so much more to it. So we’ll be especially proud if we succeed in adapting the robot to comply with American regulations within a year. That will be a great milestone, not only for sales but also for our department.’
And celebrating milestones is something that Thijmen does a lot. ‘Our R&D department has already achieved many great things since the transition to Fullwood. The new FULLSENSE software has been launched, we’ve developed a new arm controller and we’re continuing to work on batch milking. So I want to express my enormous appreciation for my team. This is why we do what we do.’
Thanks to the innovative strength of Fullwood, the R&D department is looking for talent. We’re looking for people who are enthusiastic about working with the latest technologies and can show initiative. ‘We are a relatively small department, which means there’s a short chain of command and you have a lot of freedom. So if you’re self-driven, engaged and enthusiastic, and keen to take responsibility, you’ll really enjoy working here. We’re a forward-thinking organisation and we’re investing heavily in the future, which opens up a lot of possibilities. And our ambitions make working in the R&D department very inspiring.’