managing projects from sales to handover

Project Management

Whether it is a small machine for a one-man business or integrated systems for a multinational, in either case it is a substantial investment. The Project Management department is responsible for ensuring this process runs smoothly. Their main task is to get the customer's expectations in focus and monitor them throughout the process. They are not satisfied until the machine works optimally and the machine works exactly as the customer envisioned. This is why the Project Management department has short lines of communication with all the departments involved in the production and installation process. And there are many; our Project Managers can be found in many places in the organization.

Once Sales has sold the project, it is transferred to the Project Management Department, which remains involved until the end of the project; the handover of the machine. Our Project Managers build good relationships with the customer, because they are the contacts our customer can always fall back on. As a Project Manager, you can listen well, are flexible and think in terms of solutions. Our Project Managers have knowledge of the entire process because they guide every project from sales to installation at the customer's site. Team Project Management knows that smooth cooperation is the basis for a good result.

So, they ensure that everyone is on the same page, they know how to motivate employees and are responsible for ensuring that all disciplines and knowledge comes together on time. How do they do that? In that, the team is free. Because at Voortman we are convinced that this increases job satisfaction and leads to the best results. Working in the Project Management department is very varied. It could not be otherwise, because as a Project Manager you are responsible for an average of 30 projects that are all in different project phases: from kick-off to hand-over to the customer. With each project the client, size, complexity and international context are different.

TEAM

Team Project Management consists of several Project Managers who periodically visit each other in the Netherlands, France or the US. These visits are often combined with customer visits in the region. They help each other, share their knowledge and keep each other on their toes. Together they ensure that all customer projects are made a success. While working, there is of course room for fun and laughter, and departmental outings are organized regularly. Because the best results come about when you have fun at your work and with your colleagues!

"My workday is never boring! That's because we have all kinds of projects that are in different phases. And of course, as a Project Manager, you have a lot of contact with customers abroad, whom we also visit."

That's what Jessie Muller - Project Manager at Voortman - answers when asked "why do you like working at Voortman?’ Jessie has worked at Voortman since 2017 and started as Mechanical Engineer Projects. After a year and a half, he grew into the position of Project Manager. "It's very nice that you get the opportunity to grow here. And opportunities are there for everyone within Voortman!"

Want to know more about the role of a Project Manager at Voortman? Watch the video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M14bV_nQSVE

"WE ARE ENTREPRENEURS, INVOLVED, DOWN-TO-EARTH AND WE LIKE CRAFTMANSHIP AND TECHNOLOGY"

Life at Voortman

PROJECT MANAGEMENT:
AN INDISPENSABLE ELEMENT IN OUR PROJECTS

THE LARGEST AUTOMATED VOORTMAN SYSTEM EVER

J&D Pierce Contracts Ltd. is a large structural steel fabricator based in Glengarnock, United Kingdom. Pierce invested in the largest European fully automated Voortman system. Due to the size of this immense project, the system was on forehand determined and designed based on real-time simulations.

Derek Pierce, CEO van J&D Pierce, explains: “I did expect quit a few glitches with the total automation and the load balancing and there were very few problems which I was incredibly impressed with. The system is a large system and it has a tremendous amount of automation and they all worked almost perfectly first time which I was incredibly impressed with. We can do 200 tonnes per day without any issue at all. The facility is more than capable of doing way over 1.000 tonnes per week."

Want to know more? Watch the testimonial of J&D Pierce.

THE JOURNEY TOWARDS EFFICIENCY

Ian Cahill, managing director of Cahill Structures, based in England, is a testament to the transformative power of the right machinery in structural steel fabrication. "The industry we're in is a very competitive industry. Everything's about being efficient."

In the pursuit of efficiency, Cahill found himself on a quest for quality machinery to reduce man-hours and increase production capacity. This led him to Voortman. With Voortman's machinery, Cahill Structures has seen a significant reduction in man-hours by an average of 25 to 30% per ton. Cahill states, "We can run both machines load and unload and start the steel with two people." The company now handles projects well in excess of £7 million, a far cry from their early days of £50,000 projects. “The machine can do the work of five or six men running a day.”

Curious? Discover the story of Cahill structures.