July 2, 2021: After finishing his intermediate vocational technological education (MTS), Cees de Vries started as first mate and engineer in the inland shipping sector at 21. He continued his career as a professional in the Navy, serving as an electric technical services officer until 1999. During this time he also started working for Piet Brouwer Electrotechnology as a technician. In 2001 Cees started his own business, working for clients such as the Feadship Makkum yard as a Project Manager. In early 2020 he was approached by Piet Brouwer Electrotechnology to jon the team as Power Solutions Sales Manager.
Cees starts his working days at 07:30 with a cup of coffee and responding to email. One of his regular activities is realising tenders for clients. To do so, he carefully reads the bid book to ensure he understands exactly what the client wants. Based on this orders are placed and prices requested from suppliers. Cees then discusses and distributes the relevant tasks among the team and, once all the information has come in, summarises it in the scope of supply. In addition, Cees is involved in marketing and social media activities for Piet Brouwer Power Solutions.
“As a relative newcomer, I was given a blank slate at Piet Brouwer Power Solutions and all the space I needed to optimise existing processes and establish new policy on a strategic and operational level.” Where most current commissions for Power Solutions are currently in Africa, South America and Asia, Cees is working on expanding the client database in Europe, too. “It is a challenging process that demands a lot of time and patience, and requires us to build relations and trust.”
Cees started at Piet Brouwer Electrotechnology in March 2020, the month in which the Netherlands and much of the rest of the world went into lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. His workdays therefore mainly took place at the head office and via Zoom meetings. In the coming period Cees hopes to visit more clients and suppliers, both in the Netherlands and abroad.
Cees describes Piet Brouwer Electrotechnology as a “true family company with a clear focus on the wellbeing of staff, personal attention and engagement. What also makes the company special is that it’s not afraid to take on a challenge and we are always moving full speed ahead. Everyone constantly supports clients while maintaining an honest and critical attitude. The chance that we’ll say something can’t be done is pretty small.”
