From intern to planner and buyer at HWI
Interview Mark Mugge
“Then, as an intern, you stand behind machines that cost a few tonnes. And nobody thinks that's weird. At school, I wasn't even allowed to start them up,” recalls Mark Mugge, now a planner and buyer at HWI Machining and employed for eight years. We have a conversation about his career, with managing director Ton Wolvers next door.
“If you made a little effort, you were allowed to do all sorts of things.”
What kind of work did you mainly do as an intern?
“If you made a little effort, you were allowed to do all sorts of things. Standing behind a lot of machines and learning a lot. I stood behind machines I wasn't even allowed to start up at school,” laughs Mark. Ton adds: “At HWI, you can do anything, as long as you are a bit serious. Then we are easy. If you do your best, you can really have a fun internship period here.”
And what do you do now?
“We are in operations with a very small team, so my duties are very diverse. I deal with planning, purchasing and peripheral matters. In planning, I have a lot of contact with customers. I also help Ton more and more with preparing the quotations. Sometimes it goes better than other times.” Ton says: “We all still have to learn a bit here, but things are getting better. When things go well, we are both happy.”
“We are a very young company. The metal industry is generally quite old, so that's kind of special.”
What makes HWI different from other machinery companies?
“We are a very young company. The metal industry is generally quite old, so that's kind of special,” Mark explains. “Furthermore, we are involved in a lot of things as a team in the office. Ton is doing a lot of investing and we get to think about that. We are really taken apart to see what our ideas are: I think that's something special.”
How do you envision your future at HWI?
Market thinks for a moment and says: “I don't really know. I don't look that far ahead. I enjoy still learning a lot. As long as that continues, I'm fine.” Ton adds: “Mark has had a unique opportunity within HWI. Not all trainees get office positions just like that. He handled it well.”
