“What I like most in my job is that I get paid for ‘cheating’. Part of my job is to save time, either by reducing the time taken to implement something or by speeding up the software itself,” says Rick. “We recreate the behaviour of our system digitally, but we don’t need to get all the details right, only those that matter.
“We then need to analyse the model’s behaviour and recognise situations that are not correct. I always compare it to the RollerCoaster Tycoon game: the conveyors are like rollercoaster tracks and the capacity of the system is the excitement rating.”
“I joined Vanderlande as an intern – but I didn’t feel like one. Everyone is very open and willing to help each other, and that’s why I decided to stay when I graduated,” says Vi, who compares her current job to solving a complex puzzle. “I work on creating predictive maintenance for our systems. One of these solutions uses the data cameras and sensors on the sorter that can check the status of parts 24/7.
“Thanks to machine learning models, I am able to make the system smarter so it can recognise the need for maintenance without any manual human inspection. Reaching 100% precision is a challenge, but I like to improve our method time after time. All the pieces need to fit just perfectly.”
Developing your career
Vi and Rick agree that there are many benefits to being a young professional at Vanderlande. “I enjoy personal growth thanks to the Academy’s training offering,” explains Vi. “Next to that, Young Vanderlande recently organised an event about developing your career at the company. This was very inspiring and shows that there is a place for your wishes and needs as you develop yourself.”
“Our team leaders pay special attention to not only developing your hard skills, but also your soft skills,” adds Rick. “Within Vanderlande, I see an open community of people from all over the globe. There is no competitiveness: everyone is very cooperative and strives towards the same goal, which is adding value to our customers in the warehousing, airports and parcel sectors.”
Vi firmly agrees: “Our products are tangible and can easily be explained to others. We work on products that have an influence on people’s daily lives. Together we feel responsible for improving our systems every day. I cannot imagine a better way to tackle a challenge.”