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ACE carrièreverhaal Nico Deprez

Career story Nico Deprez

It is 7:30 am when Nico Deprez (37), Mechanical Design Engineer at ACE (Ghent), gets behind his computer in Kortrijk. "Most of them start around 8 am, but 7:30 am is more convenient for me because of traffic jams," Nico starts practically. While enjoying a cup of coffee, Nico starts his working day by getting rid of his e-mails. "Barco, the company where I am currently working on a project, has offices in China and America from which, for example, some e-mails came in during the night. It may also be that a meeting or team meeting is planned. If this is not the case, you will continue with your task within the current project. "Nico's task consists of designing or drawing out a certain part of a machine so that others can put it together. "Do you know those Ikea drawings?" Asks Nico. "Actually, I make such a construction drawing so that others can assemble a product correctly."

Creatief en afwisselend

Drawing is not done with pencil and paper, but with specific software. "We use Creo for this, a 3D CAD drawing program. It is a program that can be used in many ways, you can build a drawing in different ways. I like that I get to know the different working methods because I work for different clients. I sometimes come across ways that do not work optimally. I can take this knowledge and experience with me to the next assignment."

 

ACE development & engineering carrièreverhaal Nico Deprez

Naast de verschillende methodes brengt het projectmatige werken ook afwisseling met zich mee in de aard van de opdracht. ‘Mijn eerste werkplek was bij een bedrijf in Frankrijk dat toeleverancier van tractorcabines is. Ik moest op basis van een grafisch ontwerp een cabine uittekenen.’ Nico legt uit dat het vaak gebeurt dat een grafisch ontwerpbureau aan komt zetten met een visuele vormgeving van een product met aan hem de vraag dit ontwerp zo dicht mogelijk te benaderen. ‘Dit lukt niet altijd. Soms is het praktisch niet haalbaar, technisch niet uitvoerbaar of gewoon te duur. Daar hebben ze bij dat grafische bureau dan totaal niet over nagedacht.’

Eigen inbreng

During his time at Mutoh, Nico worked with a team on large format printers. No home-garden-and-kitchen printers, but printers that can print huge panels and textiles. Nico's task was to optimize the hanging system - the part through which the paper or textile passes. "This assignment is an example of a project where there is less space to put in something of yourself. We were redeveloping an existing product here. As a result, you have to make fewer choices and it is more a matter of execution. I personally find this less challenging. '

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Een eerder project bij Barco op de afdeling large video walls had meer uitdaging in zich. ‘Het was een heel leuk project. We kregen een vraag van een bedrijf dat research doet naar hoe een product in hun winkelrekken moet staan. Om hier achter te komen wilden ze graag een ‘cave’ waarin je met een 3D-bril virtueel kon rondlopen in hun winkel. Aan ons de vraag om die ‘cave’ te ontwerpen in de beschikbare ruimte.’ Nico vertelt dat je hierbij een waslijst hebt met dingen waar je rekening mee moet houden. ‘In Creo teken je daarom eerst de ruimte met alles erin wat van belang is voor je verdere ontwerp. Denk hierbij aan muren, deuren, hoogte van het plafond etc.’ De ruimte waar de schermen in moeten komen is één ding, maar je moet ook rekening houden met het afleveradres van het product. ‘Soms moet het met het vliegtuig naar Brazilië. Bij je ontwerp moet je je dus afvragen of het formaat nog wel vervoerd kan worden. Je moet het wel ter plaatse kunnen krijgen.'

 

Geschenken en afdankertjes

Although Nico has a varied job by always being part of a different project team, it sometimes also makes him feel like he is not part of the organization. "The corporate culture differs very much per client," says Nico. "At one company you get the best materials to work with, at the other you get the hand-me-downs. Some companies only give a gift to their own staff during the holidays, others also involve the consultants. It happens that I am not invited to certain meetings because this is only for my own employees. This sometimes gives the feeling that you are an outsider. "Nico makes it clear that in general you are involved in the organization.

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In addition, ACE regularly organizes activities such as rafting or karting that contribute to the team spirit. Working on a project basis does not necessarily mean that you are somewhere else every six months. For example, some projects last 2 years or longer or there are several consecutive projects with the same client. "For example, I have now worked at Barco for about 6 years in total," Nico explains. 'This is nice somewhere, because you already know a number of people who know what you can do. The relationship of trust is already there and you don't have to prove yourself completely again. "

There are different phases in all projects that Nico does. He spends most of his time designing in Creo, but there comes a time when a prototype will be made. "This is when we start putting my designs together and any errors are discovered. Because sometimes it is not evident on the computer whether something works or not. Especially with moving parts. Practice must show this. "It is the supreme moment where everything comes together. Putting things together or especially taking things apart is how his fascination with technology once expressed. "I used to take everything apart to see how something works. Disassembly may well be the basis of assembly. You learn so much from that. "

 

This story was written in March 2016 by Carrièreverhalen.nl

 

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