Tom and Simon: “At Spikker Specials, we’re secretly rather spoiled”

Tom and Simon got to know each other at the Anton Tijdinkschool in Terborg, where they took the all-round machinist training. They both started at level 2 and then progressed to level 3. For their second internship in 2014, they both chose Spikker Specials. “It was actually a coincidence that we both started at Spikker Specials,” Simon says. “Our teacher spoke positively about the company, and because I live in Didam that was attractive too.”

“At Spikker Specials I immediately felt in the right place. It felt right straight away,” Tom reflects. Neither man hesitated for a moment to complete the internship that followed at Spikker Specials as well. “The great thing was that we were offered a contract. I didn’t hesitate for a second. That also meant we immediately had a good training company for the level 3 programme.”

Discovering and experiencing

And that was the beginning of Tom and Simon’s careers at Spikker Specials. And although they went through the entire process together in the same way, their working lives still look slightly different. For example, Simon is more into milling, although he started out as a tool grinder, while Tom is into grinding and turning. “That’s based on interest. I’ve actually done everything here except turning. That’s the great thing: you have the freedom here to look in on everything. And from the organisation they also look at how broadly deployable someone is. It works very well for both sides if you can operate multiple machines,” is Simon’s experience. He has now been working for a year and a half in the EDM department as a spark erosion operator.

Developments continue

Tom works at the lathe. “First I worked briefly as a tool grinder, but the lathe interested me much more. A spot opened up, which gave me the chance to develop in that area. That’s the great thing about this company. If you really want something, the organisation often goes along with it. The nice thing is that developments never stand still—certainly not with such a complex machine as the one I work with.”

Employees come first

By now, Tom and Simon have been employed at Spikker Specials for quite some time, and not without reason. “We don’t work shifts here. That’s nice, because at most metal companies that is the case. And they don’t watch over your shoulder here. They just let you get on with it. On top of that, the facilities here are very good. The air is continuously purified and they think about employee health in every respect. Also, we don’t produce large series, but small quantities. So you don’t have to fall asleep here,” Simon says jokingly.

“On top of that, we’re well rewarded,” Tom adds. “Sometimes we don’t even realise it ourselves, but we really are spoiled in every way. We get everything we need to do our work properly. You can take courses, for example, and there’s a healthy working atmosphere. You get a gift voucher on your birthday, and we went with a staff outing to the Vrienden van Amstel Life. Fun things are organised outside of work. I don’t think it’s for nothing that people work here for a long time. I think that if you work here for a long time, you don’t even notice anymore how spoiled we actually are. But outsiders are sometimes surprised at what they do here for the staff.” Simon: “That’s right. Almost all our classmates have switched jobs. We’ve always stayed loyal to Spikker Specials. We’re really in the right place here.”

Too cosy

And although Tom and Simon’s careers seem intertwined, they don’t work very closely together now. Isn’t that a shame? “We’re in a different department, in a different hall. That’s a good thing too, because otherwise it would be far too cosy. And by not working with each other, the bond stays strong,” the men say.

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