“When I was told by the marketing department about the intention behind the interview, I was a bit surprised. After all, having a conversation with an employee who is about to leave isn’t the most logical choice for an interview / article focused on employer branding and working at Phoenix 3D Metaal. After a bit more background information, I understood. Obviously, I can still tell my story about Phoenix, even though I’ve handed in my notice. Especially because the ‘how and why’ is completely separate from Phoenix as an employer. On the contrary: I really enjoy it here and as a Project Engineer I work alongside really nice colleagues. Phoenix is a top employer. I want to state that for the record.”

“You are seen, heard, and helped here. It gives you peace of mind and creates the necessary confidence.”

But you’re still leaving Phoenix 3D Metaal aren’t you?
“Originally, I’m from Twente. For my studies at the TU/e, I stayed in student accommodation in Eindhoven. After completing a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Product Design and a Master’s degree in Industrial Design, I was able to start work immediately at a design studio. Nice work, but the studio was fairly small-scale. That’s why I kept on looking, which is how I ended up at Phoenix 3D Metaal. I’ve been working here for over a year now and really enjoy working as a Project Engineer, but at the same time I miss my social environment in Twente. Not returning after my studies was not part of the plan. Because of a job in Eindhoven, I stayed in my student accommodation, and I’m still there. On Thursday evenings, I now travel from Eindhoven to Twente and on Sundays I travel back. The next phase of my life is approaching: I want to buy a house with my girlfriend, and we would prefer to do that in the Twente region. Besides that, at the moment I’ve lost my social life a bit. Apart from my girlfriend, I also miss the interaction with friends and family. I now feel that I have to make up a whole week’s worth of quality time in those few days between Friday and Sunday. That feeling has only become stronger recently and that’s why I’ve raised this with management. Once again, I became aware that I’m leaving something behind here. Because they immediately started thinking about it with me: a working week up to and including Thursday, so that I can already be home on Friday. Super cool, of course, but not a long-term solution. That’s why I recently quit my job. Difficult, but sometimes you have to make choices and follow your feelings. That’s what I did. Moreover, from Phoenix there are no hard feelings at all, just a lot of understanding.”

Working at Phoenix
“My first weeks here mainly involved getting to know the company. Not only the Engineering department, but also the production. Because ‘practical experience’ – especially when it comes to the relatively unknown rubber pad forming technique – is obviously not something you acquire during a study at the TU/e. I actually worked in each department before I started in the Engineering department. That went smoothly, so I quickly asked for my own somewhat larger assignment. Before I knew it, there was an engineering problem on my desk. This was in the knowledge that I could always ask my colleagues for help. Good to know for everyone who comes to work here: the onboarding program at Phoenix 3D Metaal is well put together. You are seen, heard, and helped. This gives you peace of mind and creates the necessary confidence. The welcome here was awesome when I think about it again. What I did notice: the difference in education levels. Completely different than inside the bubble at the Uni’. Here you’re dealing with a lot of diversity and that also creates way more different insights. I don’t mean that negatively either. It often has its advantages. The colleagues in production see and approach things differently than we engineers do. Despite that, I immediately clicked with almost everyone. There’s a very pleasant, low-key sense of togetherness here.”

Project Engineer: challenging and versatile
“Speaking for myself, as a Project Engineer I have quite a lot of contact with our customers. If a request comes in, it has already been ‘checked’ by the Sales department. They assess whether the problem suits us (small/large series, ed.) and obviously whether it’s commercially interesting. They leave the manufacturability assessment to us: the Engineering department. If we are then able to put a green check mark beside all these parameters, we will work out an initial quote for the customer. After a ‘go ahead’ from the customer, we really get down to work. A final proposal will then follow, including die costs. After that, we start the complete project: from simulation to the start of production. In principle, I have a lot of contact with the customer during the initial process. As a Project Engineer, it’s important to get to know the customer and their product. I want to know what they do and what they care about. In the beginning, we also like to invite the customer here to show them how we work. I experience the customer contact as enjoyable and it makes the job very versatile. The same applies to the working relationship with fellow engineers. It’s characterised as intensive and enthusiastic. And there’s always room for humour. We share an office together and therefore spend a lot of time with each other, so it’s important that we ‘click well’. On the other hand, I also regularly visit the Sales Department or consult with our professionals in production. The lines here are short, responding quickly is always the motto. Yes, if I think about it: I’m actually crazy to leave here.”