Van de Kar Electrical Engineering – Greater efficiency and depth with customized training

Van de Kar Elektrotechniek has had a relationship with itsme since its inception in 2003, for the supply of materials and also for Siemens training. This spring, a customized in-house training program was offered for the first time. "That's more efficient. Our staff already have a specific background, allowing them to skip basic topics and delve deeper into specific areas."“

Van de Kar Elektrotechniek in Roosendaal was founded in 2003 by Jan van de Kar. His partner, Werner Zandbergen, an employee from the very beginning, joined as co-owner two years ago to ensure the company's continuity. In addition to their management responsibilities, they both also serve as technical project managers. Van de Kar Elektrotechniek now has 35 employees and focuses on industrial automation for specialty machine construction and the process industry. "We provide electrical engineering, control systems, software development, installation, and commissioning—complete projects from start to finish."“

Siemens training courses

Besides new construction, many projects also involve upgrading existing installations. "The mechanics remain, but the machine or installation must meet the latest requirements and standards and current state of the art. This covers all aspects, from cybersecurity, machine safety, and traceability to old control components that need to be modernized due to declining availability." In most cases, these are Siemens controls. "Provided it suits the application, we often choose Siemens for new projects as well. Sometimes a different control system comes up. We have five programmers, and each of them is familiar with every control system, but some have more knowledge of a particular brand or application than others. That's why they help each other out, and there's a lot of cross-pollination."“

“Our five programmers help each other and there is a lot of cross-pollination.”

With Siemens specialist itsme as a supplier, the relationship has been a "common thread" throughout the company from the very beginning, says Van de Kar. "To our satisfaction, from day one; our first purchase from Ehrbecker Schiefelbusch (itsme's predecessor, ed.) was a Siemens PG (Programming Device, ed.)." Special arrangements were made for the delivery of components. When Van de Kar Elektrotechniek moved to its current premises in 2012, itsme set up a kanban 2BIN system in a separate room in the warehouse. "Every week, an itsme employee comes to scan our floor inventory and put away the previously ordered parts." Van de Kar Elektrotechniek also regularly uses itsme for training courses. "That's for Siemens training courses and has been running from the very beginning."“

Latest state-of-the-art technology

This spring, for the first time, a customized training course was held on-site in Roosendaal. It was the TIAP-UNIFIED training: HMI Unified Comfort Panels with TIA Portal. "It covered the new HMI panels that Siemens has launched. When something new comes out, we want to get on board as quickly as possible. We always build according to the latest state of the art," explains Zandbergen. "We've now completed our first projects using the Unified screens. They offer a wealth of additional functionality to make screens more readable and understandable for the operator. Graphically, they're also much more robust than the previous generation."“

“With in-house customization you can go through the introduction much faster and go into more depth.”

So, four programmers first took a course – in-house. "That's more efficient," says Van de Kar. "Our guys already have a certain background, so they can skip the basics and delve deeper into specific areas. If they were to attend a multi-day course externally, they'd be looking around on the first day, wondering, 'What am I actually doing here?' With in-house, customized training, you can get through it much faster and gain more depth." Discussing concrete case studies from their own practice during the course is another advantage, he sees. The training was highly appreciated by the participants. "They were very satisfied with the content and the interaction and pleasant collaboration with the instructor, Kevin Valkestijn."“

If training is provided internally, wouldn't it be tempting to pull a colleague out of the training course in the event of an urgent question or emergency? Van de Kar: "No, we're strict about that. While they're in training, they're here in our building, but they're essentially working for our organization outside. There are always others who can address a problem."“

Stay up to date

There are no concrete plans for a subsequent training course yet, Zandbergen reports. "That's up to the software programmers themselves. If they feel they're lacking in something and want to be updated, we hear about it. Then we look for a suitable course." Van de Kar: "We don't set an annual budget for that. If it's necessary, we just do it. Over the year, that means quite a few courses, for software and hardware engineers, and for operational technicians. If we can add knowledge, we do. Our people also take various training courses to stay up-to-date with standards and regulations."“