Meet Renso

Renso Strating was born in Pamplona (Spain) and moved to the Netherlands when he was 5 years old. Renso is now 28 years young and lives in Tiel. He has now been working at Paul Meijering for four years and ended up here through colleague Benny Boskamp (logistics employee). They knew each other from a work-study programme. Benny had given a presentation on Paul Meijering and immediately caught Renso's attention. A week later, Renso came to Zaltbommel to meet him.

He liked the visit so much that he started talking to Paul Meijering and got the chance to start immediately as a salesman in the customisation department. However, he thought this was too fast, as he did not yet have any experience with sales and with the products. Therefore, Renso started as a machine operator and then moved on to sales after a year and a half.  

As the customisation department had just started a year, Renso was able to take on many tasks. Preparing work, arranging the logistics of orders to the main location and selling. He found this very instructive to do, as it allowed him to learn the practical side of his work.

                Renso and his wife   Renso and Benny

How did Renso learn to sell?

Renso had no training for it, but Ruud van de Mortel taught him all the tricks of the job. He also gained skills during the sales training courses offered. Renso is an easy talker and he has no problems to communicate with customers.

He really enjoys selling and finds that it becomes even more enjoyable as the years go by, as he learns the intricacies of the trade. Renso has ambitions to grow further, but says he mainly wants to learn a lot now.

What is the progress of the customisation department when you just started and now?

The progress is huge according to Renso, the department started 5 years ago with a machine from Bodor. He says that to start with they are fine machines as they are easy to use. But with the growth of the department, one machine was not enough , so in recent years there has been a lot of investment in new machines. Two sheet lasers, one press brakes, a tube laser, various machines for finishing products and the automation of various processes. A lot has already been invested and the processes are getting better and better.

Further automation means faster quotations and machine control from the office. This makes work easier for the sales staff and improves efficiency in the warehouse.

Together with Utrecht-based business partner Fizor, the links between the systems are now being worked out in more detail.

Which do you like more in your job, the technical part or sales? Why?

Renso would not be happy with just selling, in fact he likes the combination best. He likes it because it requires more thinking, looking at the drawing, the customer's requirements and how the programmes work. 

Now, a programme is used that can dissect a drawing down to every nut, bolt and screw. This is a big change from five years ago, back then the department did not have such programmes. So they didn't actually know exactly what they were machining until the product was ready. So it could be a part for anything; you never know at Paul Meijering 😉

                                                   Renso checks materials

Can you give an example of an interesting project you have completed? What challenges did you encounter and how did you tackle them?

The project that Renso has remembered most is one where the parts had to be delivered for mobile stairs used at Schiphol Airport. To complete the project, they had to use the press brake, tube laser, plate laser and the Timesaver. This allowed all machines to be used in full.

This was a nice challenge because the customisation department had to determine whether everything was going to work. To realise this, extensive discussions were held with Ruud, Jan Willem (production) and Renso. After this conversation, it was decided that the customisation department could handle this project and a start was made. Eventually, all parts were machined, packed and delivered.

How do you like the new purchased machines?

They are very happy with the new machines, as Renso says: 'we went from a little Fiat to a Lamborghini'. The new machines are a world of difference, this is because these machines are made in Europe and brands like BLM and Bystronic already have a lot of experience in producing such machines.

How do you see the future of custom-made stainless steel products? Are there any new trends or developments you are excited about?

The future of customisation in stainless steel is automation. Renso visited Bystronic in Switzerland and was amazed. Even picking the products to take to the machines is done by robots; it was an impressive and educational experience.

How do you envisage the future of the customisation department at Paul Meijering?

Processes will be further automated, such as the plate storage system. This can be linked to the plate laser, an arm would stick the plate, lay it on the plate laser and be processed. Settings would be set from the office and machines would work automatically.

However, these are nice future plans, now the department needs to grow further. In the future, the department will undoubtedly expand to include more sales and production staff.

What do you like to do in your free time?

Renso loves nature, he likes to travel with his camper van, his wife and dog to the most beautiful places in Europe. He has also been to Sweden, Denmark and Germany and has plans to go to Spain.

Besides nature, Renso's hobby is bouldering, now he does this indoors. Who knows, maybe we will see him climbing the French Alps in a few years, as we are not surprised.

                                                        Renso on holiday