After secondary school, technical college and various jobs in the electrical engineering sector, Gerrit joined Piet Brouwer Electrotechnology 22.5 years ago. “I felt right at home from the day I started.”
As project manager for Land Installations, Gerrit is mainly involved in the calculations and preparations for and management of non-maritime projects. He is also one of the project managers at the Power Solutions department, which involves similar activities but mainly for work abroad.
One of the reasons why Gerrit still enjoys working at Piet Brouwer Electrotechnology is the diversity: “Every day is different. In addition to calculations, drawings and preparatory work for projects, I regularly travel for a site visit or visit engineers at ongoing projects. I’ve always held the same position at Piet Brouwer, but the challenges have evolved and become more substantial. The work at Power Solutions has especially enhanced the variety of my tasks. I regularly travel abroad for Power Solutions to assess or finalise projects. In all the years I have been at Piet Brouwer Electrotechnology the company has continued to develop: Almost 23 years later I’m still involved in inspiring projects.”
The one Gerrit remembers most is the expansion of the Parbo brewery in Suriname. “It was my first project abroad and the first time in the Tropics. I still have regular contact with the people I met there.”
Around the time that Gerrit joined Piet Brouwer Electrotechnology one of the engineers had to travel to South America for a project on a ship. “This was so unusual back then that we considered informing the local newspaper. Now colleagues are traveling abroad every week. I never expected to be flying out to places such as Suriname, Panama, Haiti, both Congos, Burundi and Malaysia for work. I particularly enjoy working with the locals – it is an enriching experience and gives you a broader world perspective.” Gerrit describes Brouwer Electrotechnology as an honest, cooperative and responsible business. “It always strives to find the best solution for clients in an honest way. We do this together: from management to the engineers on the work floor. There is an enormous sense of solidarity within the company so you know you’re never alone.”
