Education: LTS (Vocational Technical School) / MTS (Technical
Secondary School) and H.P.S Mechanical Engineering
Age: 63

What does a lead piping designer do?
I make calculations for pipelines. They might be pipelines for offshore and onshore platforms, but also pipes for storing oil or gas. We produce the designs using 3-D computer programs, taking into account factors such as high temperatures (from 500 to 600 °C), sea depth and volume. Sometimes I work on large projects and coordinate the work of an entire team. At other times I work on smaller projects and I produce the designs myself.

How do you look back on your career at Iv-Groep?
I've worked on fantastic projects at Iv-Groep, mostly abroad. The engineering challenges are the first thing that spring to mind when I look back. But my career has also meant a lot to me on the social front. The people you meet, the languages and the cultures are added factors that make the work complex but at the same time also very interesting. You could say that my life has acquired an extra dimension. And for the record, I've no plans to stop at retirement age, because I enjoy my work far too much to give it up!

What was the finest project you worked on?
A gas lift compression plant in Libya, the As Sarah Phase IV Project. Iv-Oil & Gas was the main contractor with overall responsibility for the project. In a gas field in the middle of the desert there were 19 wells and we had to lay pipelines 30 km long. The location made the job very difficult, but at the same time unique. In the desert we had to make do with little or no facilities, and temperatures of 50 to 55 °C made the local working conditions very difficult.

Would you recommend Iv-Groep as an employer?
Yes. My experience is that Iv-Groep is an excellent choice, not just for young people who have just graduated, but also for engineers ready for the next step in their careers. Iv-Groep is an attractive company for them because of the wide range of interesting and complex projects and because the level of expertise here is so high. What's more, Iv-Groep is expanding rapidly and there is a huge demand for people who are knowledgeable and skilled in project management.

“You could say that my life has acquired an extra dimension.”