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It may not have been planned, but nevertheless Dennis (64) and Jurgen (35) den Engelsman are currently working for the same employer. Dennis is Senior Project Manager Engineering and Jurgen is Engineer Combat Systems at Damen Naval. Although they both work in Engineering, their work is only indirectly linked. Both father and son prefer to walk their own path.
Dennis den Engelsman (64) has been working for Damen Naval for 37 years; he started in 1979 but made a move to another company between 1990 and 1995. Son Jurgen den Engelsman (35) was looking for a new challenge after eleven years with the Royal Netherlands Navy when an opportunity suddenly presented itself at Damen Naval two and a half years ago.
“When I graduated from the higher technical college (HTS), there were not many opportunities in Zeeland. So, I applied outside the province at Holland Signaal and Philips, but also at ‘De Schelde’, which was much closer to home,” says Dennis. “I went for an interview for the position of calculator in the boiler construction department. But it wasn’t really something I was interested in. I would have rather done something in engineering or, as it was still called back then, in the drawing room; something to do with shipbuilding. Fortunately, they needed people there as well and during a second interview it was quickly settled. Although Philips was also interested, I lived in Middelburg and it was a logical choice to work in Vlissingen.”
"I went to the job interview at Damen Naval without telling my father, I wanted to do it under my own steam." Jurgen den Engelsman
Son Jurgen grew up hearing his father’s stories about his work at the largest shipbuilder in the province, but he had other plans. After training in IT, he started as Sailor First Class in the Weapons Technical Service for Ship Systems in the Royal Netherlands Navy, working his way up to sergeant, responsible for the Combat Systems onboard minehunters, criss-crossing Europe. “I was in the Navy for eleven years, nine of which I sailed. I was away a lot, based in Den Helder during the week unless I was at sea. That was fine for a bachelor, but with a relationship and later a baby, it was increasingly hard to be away from home so much. My daughter was just three months old when I was deployed for four months and when I came back, she had to get to know me all over again.”
The POLA SIGMA project was built and delivered in the record time of just three years.
Because a number of minehunters were being decommissioned, the frequency of longer voyages increased and when Jurgen heard that he had to make another long voyage the following year, he realised that it was time for something else. “I first planned to go back to into IT, but within the Navy I couldn’t really find something I liked. An office job with the Ministry of Defence would also mean moving outside the province,” says Jurgen. “I was on the train to Zeeland when I got a call from employment agency Brunel; they had seen my CV online and asked if I had ever heard of Damen Schelde. They were looking for people for Engineering Combat Systems; this fitted in very well with what I had done in the Navy. I thought: I can probably go and talk to them, so I made an appointment without telling my father. I wanted to do it under my own steam.” He continues: “I was a bit nervous walking into the head office in my nice suit at lunchtime. My father would usually take a walk at lunchtime so, if I had run into him, I would have had some explaining to do. Fortunately, that didn’t happen, and I had my interview with Pim Rozendaal. Recognising the name, he asked whether my father knew I was here. That’s when I decided to go by my parents’ house in the evening.”
Dennis adds: “My wife told me that Jurgen was coming by to tell us something. At that moment, all sorts of scenarios go through your head, but I had not considered this. It was a complete surprise, but a nice one. I had actually never considered that, with his background and experience, there might be possibilities for Jurgen at Combat Systems at Damen Naval.”
In his relatively short career at Damen Naval, Jurgen has already had the opportunity to work on several large projects. “Fortunately, I still get to travel; not as often and for so long, but I do like the fact that I can see a bit of the world and get away from the office every now and then. That was also the reason why I joined the Navy, although I was mainly working in Europe. Now I can go much further. I’ve been to Indonesia and now I get to go to Dubai; I also go to suppliers all over Europe.”
"During projects, I think it is important that there is good communication with the client and an atmosphere of trust.” Dennis den Engelsman
In his almost four decades of service, Dennis has built up an impressive track record. He started as technical coordinator for the gas turbines on the S-frigates and had to maintain close contact with Rolls Royce in England. After that, he was involved in developing systems such as hydraulic remote controls, pneumatic control systems for gearboxes and even windscreen wiper systems that were developed in-house for use on naval vessels. “This was a special time,” Dennis recalls. “We had a young and ambitious boss, and he gave us the freedom to improve existing systems. Eventually I became team leader of the development team, but by the end of the 1980s I wanted to develop further and see how my career could progress.”
Dennis found a job at GTI Mechanical in Bergen op Zoom, a smaller company that specialised in technical services for the installation of pipeline systems. “It was an interesting period that showed that working for a smaller company in lesser economic times can also be very exciting.” When ‘De Schelde’ came calling to find out if he would consider returning, the lure of a shorter commute and more time with the family proved decisive. “Since then, I haven’t had the urge to move, both in respect to the company and to engineering. I first became the Tech Spec Coordinator for the LCF project and then worked with Swan Hunter on the two Landing Ship Dock (Auxiliary) Enforcer ships built in Newcastle. For this project, I was stationed in Newcastle for a few years. When I returned in 2005, I was able to start work as a production coordinator at Vlissingen-Oost for the final part of the delivery of the last LCF frigate.”
Both Dennis and Jurgen have worked on the Indonesian PKR SIGMA vessels: Dennis als Project Manager Engineering while Jurgen has been involved with the combat systems.
After a brief return to Newcastle to Swan Hunter for the LSD(A), Dennis went back to work in the Engineering Department. He rose to the position of Project Manager Engineering and in that role was involved in several projects: the Swedish Coast Guard project, modification projects of the LCFs and the M-frigates for the Dutch Navy, the PKR SIGMA ships for Indonesia, and later the POLA SIGMA for Mexico. “The PKR project was very nice to work on because it was the first time we had done a fully modular build. The POLA is a good second. It was based on the PKR, but with a totally different Combat and Communications suite. We were able to deliver that ship in a record time of three years. In both the Indonesian and Mexican projects, there was always close contact with the clients. I think it is important that there is good communication and an atmosphere of trust. That was the case here and that’s what makes these such great projects.”
While father and son do not work together, they are both working on the same project. And occasionally Dennis checks to see how Jurgen is doing. “In the beginning I sometimes asked a senior Combat colleague in his department how he was doing, and the answer was always positive. I was very proud when he got his permanent contract after a year. I like the way things have turned out. I am convinced that this is a good place for Jurgen.” He adds: “When I started at ‘De Schelde’, it was a cumbersome, bureaucratic organisation and it didn’t feel like your daily efforts could change anything about the final product. Now it’s a completely different company where you do have direct influence on the end result. Your contribution matters and there are great opportunities for self-development.”
Jurgen concludes: “We don’t often reflect on the fact that we work for the same company. For example, we rarely talk about it at home. But I do think it’s special that I ended up here of all places. It was a good decision; I am really enjoying it.”