Peter Klein Meuleman will soon celebrate his 12.5 year jubilee as one of TMC’s longest standing employeneurs at the Mechanical business cell in The Netherlands. It’s a bittersweet celebration, as Peter is also leaving TMC. In this article he tells us what he has learnt and done in all of his years as an employeneur.

After having worked over 36 years in precision mechanics, the last 12.5 years as a TMC employeneur, Peter Klein Meuleman still hasn’t lost his passion for technology. Because making things together with other passionate engineers never grows boring. And if things don’t go entirely as planned, so much the better. “I feel revitalized when a problem arises,” Peter says with a twinkle in his eyes. “There’s a moment of panic, but it also leads to new ideas. And solving problems together releases pleasant chemicals in your brain.”

Peter Klein Meuleman is 63 years old today. For the first 24 years of his career, he was employed at the R&D department of Océ, the Dutch manufacturer of printing machines. After finishing a few large projects there and at fifty years of age, he found himself open to a new challenge. “My heart lies with designing and finding solutions,” Peter says. “If I wanted to continue to grow in that direction, I knew I had to go somewhere else. My long-term ambition was to apply my design experience to other industry sectors as well.”

"I feel revitalized when a problem arises. There’s a moment of panic, but it also leads to new ideas."

During that same period, he was approached by a former colleague to come and work for TMC in the new business cell Mechanical. He decided to go for it and TMC was able to offer him a great project at ASML right away. “I was commissioned to work on the design of a support structure for their EUV machine,” Peter reminisces. “It consisted of a hexapod that ensured the light source was directed to the exact correct spot. The project was successful and I was proud to have been able to determine the course in it that I had envisioned.”

The transition from his steady job to a consultancy agency was a big step, Peter says. “One of the most difficult things was writing a CV, something I never had to do at my old employer.” Nevertheless, he quickly felt at home with the Employeneurship model. “At TMC you really have the feeling that you can make a direct impact on your career. It’s a great balance between the safety of permanent employment and the adventure of a self-employed person. Moreover, TMC really cares for its people. Of course they need to make money, but if a business manager sees another position opening up that can turn a higher profit, he won’t just transfer me to that new position. Yet I’ve seen it happen to colleagues working for other agencies.”

As one of the more experienced employeneurs at TMC Peter has been able to amply fulfill his ambition to broaden his horizons. His projects varied from developing semiconductors and biosensors to building robots and designing tower cranes. He also carried out several consultancy assignments at different companies. ASML, SKF, Settels, Spiering Cranes and SPGPrints are some of the companies he worked for on behalf of TMC. Peter: “The advantage of doing many different projects is that your competence becomes visible in a wide range of environments. It has boosted my self-confidence and made me aware that what I’m good at has real value.” Peter was also active in TMC’s Excellence program, where he explored the concepts of personal leadership and career development and taught part of a Mechanical master class.

Yet after 12.5 years Peter’s career at TMC is nearing its end. The engineering firm Nobleo, where he did his last project, offered him a contract which he accepted. Peter: “Formally I have four more years to go until my retirement. If I’d stay with TMC I could have done two or three more projects, but I would also have to onboard and get used to a new environment. At Nobleo I did a really fun project and liked the team a lot, so I’ve chosen to stay here the next four years. I also want to see if I can contribute to the company by means of coaching and bringing in new clients.”

"Be enterprising and take charge of your own career path. And know that in projects you can never accomplish things just by yourself."

In his last project for his future employer Nobleo Peter built an actuator that sets mirrors in motion. The actuator will be used for ASML’s EUV machine, the same project Peter started with at TMC. “I guess I’ve come full circle,” Peter smiles.

Mechanical’s cell director Sven Bongartz has known Peter as a true specialist. “Peter is a passionate engineer and a real example of good Employeneurship. He takes things in his own hands, is involved in many different jobs and is always ready to be triggered for something new. People from other business cells often know where to find them when they deal with a mechanical problem. He always enjoys helping out and giving advice.” Although Sven is sorry to see Peter leave, he fully respects his decision.