Innovation is more than just engineering, there needs to be a business opportunity

Creativity meets technology

Paul has always been particularly passionate about the intersection between creativity and technology: “I love to think of creative solutions for complex problems and then turning them into reality.”

After obtaining a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, Paul realized that not all technical jobs offer the amount of creativity that he is looking for in a job: “I started working in a project preparation role. It wasn’t as challenging as I hoped it would be, because it lacked a creative element. That is when I made the decision to enroll in a technical university for a master’s degree, that could open the door for opportunities in the high tech industry.”

While graduating from university, he already had a conversation with TMC about a job opening: “There were two aspects that immediately stood out during the first conversations here,” Paul says. “First, I liked the fact that as an employeneur at TMC, you are actively involved in the selection process for new projects. I think it is super important that there is a strong match between what you have to offer and what a potential customer needs. TMC invests in the long-term relationship by offering you a fixed contract, which means that there is a strong incentive to find the right project, where you can flourish. Second, I found the idea of the Entrepreneurial Lab truly inspiring.”

A mini generator that works on fuel

In his first assignment, he was part of a team that developed a lightweight power generator: “Military personnel often use batteries when they are in the field, for example, to charge radios and laptops. When they are on a mission for several days, a mini generator is much easier to carry; it is lightweight, runs on locally available fuel such as vehicle diesel or kerosene, and is easy to maintain.”

At another project, Paul worked on a technology to determine the gender of chicks while they are still in the egg. “This technology can put an end to what is called chick culling: often, male chicks in the poultry industry are killed shortly after hatching. With this technology, they can determine the gender of an egg in less than a second on day 9 of the incubation period. This ensures that only females are hatched.”

His most recent project was for a nuclear fuel consortium that has several uranium enrichment plants. “I was responsible for managing several projects, including the installation of nitrogen pipelines on the roof of a plant, a truck marshalling yard and a sustainability upgrade of a conference building and a wind tree.”

Retrofit solution

At first, the team is building a so-called retrofit solution, to ensure compatibility with existing e-bikes. “Eventually, it would be great if e-bike vendors could integrate our charging solution in their models. But of course, this is a complex trajectory, which requires standardization of technology of both e-bikes and racks. This makes the market research even more necessary; we need to make sure that both consumers and producers see the benefits of it.”

The opportunity to work on such divers projects and develop an innovative idea in an actual lab is unique to TMC, Paul concludes: “What is so special about this organization is that you are always encouraged to take initiative. When you have a good idea, people are open to explore how to make it work. Also, despite the fact that most of us are working at projects for customers, it still feels like TMC is where I am at home. Colleagues feel like actual colleagues, here.”