Erwin de Geus leads the Engineering team at Gpi Tanks XL. In his role as Leading Engineer, Erwin is responsible for both the initial and final conversion of the customer-specific requirements for on-site tank constructions into a detailed 3D design blueprint. With age 38, Erwin has been working in tank construction for an extensive timespan meanwhile. Before Gpi Tanks XL, he worked for seven years at a fellow tank manufacturer where, in addition to engineering, he fulfilled various roles from planner to purchase and sales. Before that, Erwin worked for a manufacturer of industrial chimneys as a draftsman, where, in the evening hours, he successfully completed his bachelor mechanical engineering within three years. Erwin joined Gpi Tanks XL in May 2021. The opportunities that Gpi Tanks XL offered him, the organization’s intended growth plans and the multidisciplinary work in an enthusiastic and involved team really appealed to Erwin.
Knowledge and quality
“As lead engineer, my goal is to ensure the highest quality in the team and our output,” Erwin says. He explains “Creating designs that are easy to implement. In the team, I mainly take care of control and cost monitoring. “Erwin believes it is important the people in his team are willing and able to bear responsibility. “In the engineering team I monitor the planning and quality.” Erwin likes to keeps his hand in all Gpi Tanks XL projects. Monitoring of what has been agreed, in terms of time and quality, is his top priority. In addition, Erwin considers the transfer of knowledge and experience in his work as Engineer Lead very important. That is why he spends a lot of time on knowledge transfer when it comes to relationship management, communication and quality assurance. “The most important question is: How to start the project? I think it’s important that my team knows what the specific use of the tank is and what risks are involved,” Erwin emphasizes, “Our people must be well informed about all aspects of the product. In addition, I want every deviation to be documented in a procedure and a drawing. In Erwins book revision management is key.
A perfectionist in heart and soul
What Erwin finds very important is that Gpi Tanks XL’s meets the very highest quality requirements. He believes, such starts with the internal processes. From the purchasing process to the actual construction of the tank, Erwin is committed to recording information in detail. He states: “Revision control and proper engineering documentation is essential to ensure we only manufacture quality products for our customers. It allows us to manage changes over time. Revision documentation is extremely helpful and in fact, a crucial step in purchase, planning and securing overall quality. In addition, the supervisor must be able to start work immediately and, basically, should not have any questions about the drawings.” Erwin emphasizes: “We aim to deliver no less than the absolute best to our valued customers.” Therefore, Erwin and his team ensure that the tank to be built is described down in the smallest detail. All drawings and specifications are reviewed to ensure they properly relate to the estimate.
Multidisciplinary collaboration
Erwin is very involved in his work as Lead engineer at Gpi Tanks XL. Especially the multidisciplinary character of manufacturing large stainless steel tanks on location suits him very well. “I regularly accompany the project managers and sales colleagues to visit the client or the construction site. A site visit during the sales process contributes to knowledge transfer and provides a lot of relevant information for the use and purpose of the tank.” Erwin indicates that he regularly connects with colleagues to stay informed on ‘his’ running projects and whether they run according to preset planning and agreement. At Gpi Tanks XL each project is evaluated afterwards with the whole team. Erwin also actively participates in these evaluations. For as much as it is good to hear what goes well, Gpi finds it even more important to learn what can be improved. “Collaboration is essential to do our job well. If we do what we promise, also internally, it shows in the quality and reliability of the organization” says Erwin. “The team at Gpi Tanks XL is close-knit and we are all very involved in our projects. It’s an ambitious team with great potential.”
