From graphic design to intralogistics
I bring in new logistics projects at Vanas Engineering. I visit the site, develop the concept and discuss it with engineering. The engineers work through the detail and feasibility with me; I present the proposal and lead the sales process through to the order. I also spend roughly half my working time on sales enablement: simplifying sales material, automating forms and proposals, and developing tools for engineering.
My route into logistics was not planned. After graduating, I worked in sales at MediaMarkt in Groningen. Jobs in sport were scarce and paid little; I wanted to stay in sales and get out into the field. A recruiter asked whether I knew anything about technology. I had little background knowledge, but made it through Heffiq’s selection process. One round involved cold calling with the field sales manager: walking into businesses and starting a conversation, without prior training.
I joined Heffiq in November 2016. Dexion followed, then a second period at Heffiq, and Vanas Engineering from March 2023. I learnt the products and processes as I went. Graphic design kept finding its way into the work: when a proposal or presentation looks poor, I find it hard not to get involved.
These areas recur in my work and projects.
How I learn and work
AI has removed a brake for me
I see possibilities everywhere and can become completely absorbed in something that grabs me. I learnt sales, logistics and much of what I know about Adobe tools on the job. AI lets me work through more of my ideas myself. I no longer need to master every technical detail before building a first version and learning from it.
A missing semicolon
Multimedia Design introduced me to HTML, CSS and PHP. I hated spending hours looking for one missing semicolon. I focused on graphic design and graduated in that specialisation. That interest never left. I now build the technology behind a website too, but its appearance and the way someone uses it remain my starting point.
The first version interests me more than the final details
I am a generalist. Developing a concept, getting it to work and finding out whether the approach holds up gives me energy. Endless refinement does not. I can also spend too long on a new idea. That is something I have to watch: choosing what to finish and involving someone who enjoys taking the details further.
Direction and clear communication
Training and renovating
I live in Winsum, Groningen. I have done most of the work on a listed house from 1770 myself, without previous renovation experience. I wrote the specification, handled the permit application and made drawings and sections from the original plans. Then came YouTube, plenty of reading and the work itself: plastering, pipework, electrics and drainage.
I stripped the kitchen back to brick, insulated it and installed electrics, flooring, a lighting scheme and a custom recess and bulkhead. I brought in professionals for the kitchen installation and part of the heating work. I am not the fastest at these jobs, but I know how I want them to turn out. The technical work has to be sound and support the appearance.
I have also practised natural bodybuilding for more than ten years. I mainly trained for muscle growth, and not always consistently. My bench press stayed around 80 kg for years; in October 2026, I managed three repetitions at 110 kg. It has not been a perfect routine, but I keep coming back and training hard. Getting on a bodybuilding stage before I turn forty is still a goal I would like to pursue.
How I assess myself
My own assessment of these preferences.
- ExtravertedIntroverted35%65%
35 - IntuitiveObservant84%16%
84 - ThinkingFeeling58%42%
58 - JudgingProspecting46%54%
46 - AssertiveTurbulent75%25%
75
Get in touch
I want to move towards work that combines data, design and commercial experience. Working on a problem like that, looking for someone for your team, or interested in comparing notes? Send me a message.