As NPI Process Development Engineer, Wouter van Helvoort is responsible for the introduction of new processes, so that companies can produce first time right. Quite a challenge because the pressure to go into production quickly is often very high.

In recent years, Wouter has gained a lot of experience at various companies, in the role of Process Engineer and Process Development Engineer. What's the difference between the two? "As a Process Engineer you are usually responsible for an existing production process. In the role of Process Development Engineer, you can devise processes more independently of the operational pressure. The difference between the two is quite subtle, and I have become quite good at both, but I like it best to calmly come up with solutions to ensure that a process runs smoothly in the near future."

First time right, and fast

In the end, it is needed to go into production first time right and deliver a product of the best possible quality. There is often a field of tension there. "There is always pressure to go into production as quickly as possible. Projects often run out, but the end date does not change. If your production process is not yet optimal but your customer wants a quick delivery, that can be a valid reason to decide anyway. However, that does mean that you have to continuously fine-tune, so that the consequences are clear to everyone. At least you want that the customer can use it and that it is good. If I can't guarantee that, I become very annoying..."

In the role of Process (Development) Engineer, it is mainly about being able to understand the technology and set up a process to produce with good quality.

In the beginning it takes a lot of time to organize a process as well as possible from the start. On the other hand, with every product that you make in a similar way, you need less and less time. "You then can start measuring instead of testing. Sometimes you can be tempted to win a week by assuming that something will be good. But if it isn't good, it can eventually take you months. In time you get better at estimating whether the risk is justified if you do not go for one hundred percent perfection."

DMAIC cycle

If you want to map a process systematically, you need proven tools and methods. "There are several roads to success, but I often use a method within the Six Sigma methodology. The DMAIC cycle (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control) helps to achieve the correct result step by step from the beginning. First you determine how the process should go, how you will measure and what will happen to the end result when you turn a certain knob. Then you improve the process and produce according to the correct specifications. In the control phase you bundle, summarize and secure the knowledge in reports, training courses and instructions for operators and for engineers to whom you transfer the process."

The Define phase, the first phase, is extremely important, says Wouter. "The choice of who you may or may not have on your team. Decide what the goal is. Find out who your customer actually is. Ultimately, the sales department is the customer of the product properties, operations is the customer of the developed working methods and the logistics department must be able to receive and ship the products. But in fact, every next link in the process is your customer. For example, the operator who performs the next process step is often a customer. "

How to convince stakeholders

In order to be able to work well with all those stakeholders, you must above all be persistent in your vision. At the same time, you have to show some flexibility. "I keep learning in this. I am a data man by nature. I can read graphs and formulas as if it were a novel. It took me years to realize that this does not apply to everyone. A while ago I had a perfect solution to a production problem. Implementing that solution required a very limited investment and had a payback time of a few days. After that it would yield thousands of euros per week. It's good to take initiative, but you have to be able to convince other people that you want to do something that goes beyond the boundaries of the original assignment. In the end, I did not manage to include the right people in my reasoning. It is good to take initiative, but you must be able to convince other people that you want to do something that goes beyond the boundaries of the original assignment."

Solving complex problems in a structured way

In the role of Process (Development) Engineer, it is mainly about being able to understand the technology and set up a process to produce with good quality. That does not mean that you have to be a specialist in one particular process. "The process can be gluing, laminating, mechanical processing, assembly, you name it. As long as you approach it in a structured way: asking questions, doing tests and making plans. I have worked with equally diverse processes in very different companies: from rolling mills with large volumes to miniscule components with a complex manufacturing process. That variation taught me to look at processes in a very abstract way. If you have a lot of experience in finding the right physics and the right chemistry for certain problems, you'll get better and faster. You will also find out that the most complex new problems can be reduced to small sub-problems. That reduces the search process a lot."

Process improvement has lasting value

Wouter has been able to set up processes differently for various processes and to shorten the lead time. His favorite example is a joining process in a high-tech application with many challenging specifications and very narrow tolerances. "In the past, the company had succeeded in meeting the tolerances for a lot of products, thanks to an approach that they were able to always apply through experience. But what do you do when the people who can fine-tune the process no longer work at the company and the new products become more complex? You can't do this mainly with trial-and-error processes, it costs more and more time and money. This model ensures that you can calculate within reasonable accuracy what will happen. The application was not described before, but the fundamental physical part consists of knowledge that we have built up over three thousand years.