"I wanted to write my graduation thesis at a company. I already gained some experience in a small company, so a large and international company would be the right choice for me. Besides, I was born next to the DAF test track, so I knew DAF from an early age," says Arjan enthusiastically. "At the end of my assignment, I looked at the possibilities with Jimmy Baens, the Campus Recruiter. The position of Logistics Engineer was a good match with my interests and in line with my study Operations Management & Logistics.”

Importance of data
"As Logistics Engineer I support the logistics teams within the truck factory. Usually, I start the day by joining the daily team meeting of team leaders and supervisors. In this way, I am kept informed about the things that went well or went wrong the previous day. If there are things that go wrong structurally, we have to find the cause in order to solve the issue," explains Arjan. "It sounds cliché, but this makes every day very different.”

Arjan notices that data is also becoming more important in the logistics department. "We are developing tools that can support us. For example, a tool that has recently been developed, is a tool that is used to automatically detect deviations in the process. With help of this tool, we are able to arrange our processes even more efficiently.”

A good choice
Arjan emphasizes the importance of additional activities in addition to your studies. "You do not learn a lot of practical skills at the university. For example, in this role the communication with various stakeholders is very important. I learned this during my   Fortunately, you can walk in with everyone here to have a chat. From the operators in the factory to the management."

"There are so many possibilities. It is difficult to decide in which direction you want to start your career. What I did know was that I wanted to continue to learn. That is possible at DAF. Depending on what you want, you can not only continue to grow, but you also see people moving horizontally. Further, you will be quickly involved in everything. For example, I was involved in the job interviews for a new team member when I was only two week in my new role! So yes, I'm glad I made this choice. That is the advice I would like to give to students: do not think about it too long, because what you decide now, is not a decision for your whole life. If you feel good about it, then go ahead, " Arjan concludes.