Project mechanic, guitar enthusiast, and master of improvisation
René's story
Project mechanic, guitar enthusiast, and master of improvisation
Give René a situation that is just slightly off, something that does not go as planned, and he feels right at home. No panic, rather the urge to solve it. “Some take a step back when things get tense. I take a step closer.” He is a project mechanic at Niverplast. Since May 2011. And no, he does not count the years, but by coincidence, it has been fourteen.
The automotive world
René started out in the automotive world. He could handle the tools, but all the hassle around it drained his energy. After posting on a job board, he received a call from Jan Manenschijn. It was quite a leap, because the project department was still in its infancy. Now many years later, his work is still not set in stone. And that is exactly why he has stayed.
Making it work
“Projects? They demand sharpness. You step into a situation and it turns out to be slightly different than expected. You adjust and you solve it. Once, we were already halfway to Austria when we received an email: ‘The customer is not quite ready yet.’ That ‘not quite ready’ turned out to be an understatement. There was nothing. We solved it all together right there. Just being creative and pushing through.”
Traveling comes with the job. And yes, physically it is demanding. ‘Just putting a machine in place’ it sounds, but it requires experience, strength, and oversight. Still, René enjoys traveling: “A small task where experience really counts? Bring it on.”
A tattoo with a story
On René’s arm shines a large, colorful tattoo: a classic rock ’n’ roll guitar protected by a dragon. That is no coincidence. “My mother was into rock ’n’ roll, she still is. We played LPs, listened to radio shows. Music from 1955 to 1965, that is my favorite era.” In the 1980s, when René was growing up, there was a revival of this music. “In the TV show Toppop, I saw the band Stray Cats. With tattoos, with that guitar. I thought: I want that too. First I bought a copy, later the real thing. A Gretsch from the 1950s. It is a wonderful guitar. Not only does it play beautifully, it sounds amazing, and it looks fantastic. In the fifties, some of the greats played on it as well.”
Priceless
For his 12.5-year Niverplast anniversary, René did not want a BBQ or a painting. Inge asked: a tattoo then? That was a brilliant idea. He created the design together with a well-known tattoo artist. Guitar, dragon, everything was right. “I told him: ‘Send the bill to my boss.’ The tattoo artist looked at me as if he had not heard it correctly. ‘What did you just say?’” Laughing: “That look was priceless. He had never experienced anything like that before.”
Keep thinking
“At Niverplast, they assume you know best what you need. The boss trusts that. And it works. Of course, sometimes things go wrong. But that happens everywhere. You are working with people. Everything can be solved, as long as you keep thinking.”