Working at HWI: International colleagues and an efficient production process
Indian, Dutch, Hungarian, Polish. At HWI, we have many international colleagues. One of them is Mohan Raj Radhakrishnan. Mohan trained as an engineer in India and now works as a CNC milling machine operator. How did he join HWI and how does he like working in our machinery?
What is your educational background?
“In India, I was trained as an engineer. At the same time, I was working as a trainee in a large manufacturing company. When I completed my studies, I was offered a job as a CNC router. That's how I got into the profession.”
I started looking for a new job and then came across the same position via-via, but in the Netherlands.
How did you end up at HWI?
“After working at the manufacturing company in India for almost five years, I wanted to work somewhere else. I started looking for a new job and then came across the same job via-via, but in the Netherlands. That job was at HWI. I have now been working here for almost two years. That's not that long yet, but I like it!”
What exactly does a CNC milling machine do?
“As a milling machine, you turn raw materials into a particular product. To do this, you use a milling machine. This is a big machine in which you can hang all kinds of tools. You can make the milling doing it manually or computerised: that is CNC milling. For that, I write a programme on the computer explaining how the machine should work. Then I load the tools and the machine goes to work.”
It really is a creative profession, which is also subject to innovation.
What do you find interesting about your work as a milling machine?
“Working with machines. I find it challenging to see how to write the right programmes every time. So that everything goes well and you can make good parts. It really is a creative profession, which is also subject to innovation. At the moment, many things are still done manually, but at HWI we also work with robots that help with loading and unloading the machine. This makes the work more efficient. Hopefully we will see that more and more in the future.”
Is the production process in the Netherlands different from that in India?
“Yes, very different. In India, we work in shifts. This means that several people are working on the same product. You can work faster this way, but things sometimes go wrong. For instance, because of a lack of communication. At HWI, I myself am responsible for the product I produce. If something goes wrong in the production process, I know exactly why. It's a nice way of working.”
What do you like most about HWI?
“The work itself and, of course, the colleagues. HWI employs people from many different countries. We have Dutch colleagues, but also employees from Hungary, Poland and even the Philippines. So at this company I have already met many different people, from different backgrounds. Everyone is also very helpful. If I have any questions, I can always go to my colleagues.”