Stephan van Endert, CNC milling machine operator/programmer from Lommel, Belgium
It’s been nearly 26 years since Stephan, thanks to his brother, first stepped into Lemmens. Before joining Lemmens, he already worked in the metal industry, but in the production of windows and doors. He initially started as a milling machine operator. At the time, he was already programming, but this was still done directly at the machine. Over the years, he developed his skills in designing and programming on the computer. These days, you’ll find Stephan behind the milling machine far less often: “If new products need to be set up, I’ll take care of that. But once production is running, I hand it over to a colleague,” says Stephan.
After 26 years, Stephan has become an essential part of the programming team in Bergeijk. According to operations manager Leon van Leeuwen, he’s even described as “one of our best people.” What Stephan enjoys most about his work at Lemmens is designing a new product from scratch: “We create new products entirely in-house, from the molds to the final result. I especially enjoy working on large-scale projects. During the development process, I stay in close contact with our engineering department and sometimes directly with the customer. It’s a great feeling to see a product I’ve designed come out of the machine for the very first time. We work on very large components, and sometimes it takes a whole month to complete one, from fixture to final product. That makes the challenge both literally and figuratively huge.”
What Stephan values most about the company culture in Bergeijk is the freedom: “There’s a lot of flexibility here. You can choose your own hours, and if you really want to learn something, you’re given the chance and the trust. In 26 years, I’ve worked under three different owners, but the company culture has stayed exactly the same since I started. That’s what makes me feel right at home here.”
Curious about more stories from colleagues? Check out our other interviews here.