Wouter van Gerwen of Bilfinger Engineering: 'Techport continues to inspire me'

Together with all the more than 100 member companies, schools and governments, Techport has worked over the past decade to create a strong and sustainable region. Someone who was there from the first moment is Wouter van Gerwen of the company Bilfinger Engineering. Within this multidisciplinary consulting and engineering firm with 4,000 specialists, he is value engineering facilitator. In that position, he is very busy with innovation and new services and as far as he is concerned, everything he does with Techport and GO! NH does comes together.

Techport partner of the first hour
We were already Techport partners before Techport officially existed. The main reason we joined as Bilfinger Engineering was to see what we could do in terms of innovation. What also came into play was that Tata Steel and a few other big engineering companies here in the region, also joined Techport. That was very significant and progressive at the time. That certainly helped to professionalize and accelerate the sustainability of the region.

From mechanical engineer to value engineering facilitator
Over the past decade, we have done several things with Techport, such as participating in the Techport Innovation Tribes and participating in the Hydrogen Learning Community. Originally, I'm a mechanical engineer. I look at how things work and how things can function better. For the past four years, in addition to the duties I have as a value engineering facilitator, I have been working a lot on innovation and new services. And in that role, for me, everything I do with Techport and GO! NH do come together.

Through Techport in contact with GO! NH
It started when I won a challenge through Techport in 2019 and got to attend the accelerator program at GO!-NH. They, in partnership with the Province of North Holland, offer a series of growth accelerator programs that support startups and SMEs in bringing sustainable innovations to market and scaling them up. After that challenge, I stayed involved with GO! NH as a coach.

My work I sometimes call "kissing frogs.
I help kleine start- or scale-ups explore whether what they want is feasible and scalable. Via GO!-NH I get in touch with them and then I invite hen out to make their case in the onboarding program of Bilfinger Engineering explain. New colleagues attend an induction program in Zeist for three days. In the past did they bow then itself about a fictional case, but nowadays let's let them to a échte case look. That is very interesting, because mens from many different disciplines view then the case of a company. A huge symbiosis then develops. Samen then we look at whether these frogs, as I call them, the have potential to grow into true princes When I kiss them. Or that them after such a session frogs remain. For example, I expect a lot from Seaweed. They make, from seaweed, dyes for coloring textiles. That would be fine in this region.

Techport is the great connector and bundler
I think it's important to connect things together. Techport is a master at that. They connect everything and everyone here in the region. They are the bundler of all initiatives. Techport has grown enormously in its role over the past decade. It has become much more professional and has gained a certain status as a result. I continue to be amazed at how many companies and schools are affiliated with Techport and how the network continues to grow. At networking meetings, I am still surprised by the new companies I get to know. Organizations that I had absolutely no idea are based here and are so big and leading in their niche. Techport continues to inspire me!

Introduction
Name: Wouter van Gerwen
Works as: Value Engineering Facilitator
At: Bilfinger Engineering (formerly Bilfinger Tebodin)
Since: For 35 years, of which the last 4 years in New Business & Innovation

Was/is before:
Studied Mechanical Engineering and actually planned to stay with Bilfinger Engineering for only a few years.

Connection to the IJmond region:
Lives in Haarlem, but has developed a connection with the region in recent years.

Wish for the next ten years 'together towards the first green industrial zone of the Netherlands':
'My wish is for a network for innovation. A lot happens virtually now and I would like to make that physical. I would also like to see everything in the region built modularly. That means if a factory stops working, you can move it to another area. Or can dismantle it so you can reuse larger parts'.