Joey van Zundert, engineer Overhead Lines & Load-Bearing Structures

Every day is different

‘During my studies I completed a Minor in Railway Technology at Utrecht University of Applied Sciences. Here I met someone from the Overhead Lines & Load-Bearing Structures department of Strukton Rail. This is how the ball got rolling and today this person is my manager. Designing overhead lines and load-bearing structures immediately appealed to me. How are these structures put together? What do you need for this? What do you need to take into consideration during implementation? Today I am involved in these kinds of issues on a daily basis. In addition to preparing digital drawings and making calculations, you can sometimes also find me at the construction site. For example to make a practice recording or to coordinate the work during implementation and to verify it for accuracy. Furthermore, as engineer, I work together with various professionals, ranging from calculation engineers and procurement officers to work planners and construction supervisors. This means that my work is never boring.’

Ensuring that everything is in order and meets requirements

‘The nice thing about working at Strukton Rail is that you work on important and leading projects. Projects that really matter in terms of accessibility and mobility. For example, at Groningen Station we are installing special overhead line structures, and in Delft we are installing almost 10 kilometres of overhead lines in four railway tunnels. Or, what do you think of the Botlek bridge? Here we made use of a unique system of overhead lines for the moveable bridge components. These types of large, complex projects require a great deal of detailed engineering. A special assignment for me was preparing drawings for the Rail Centre’s training centre. This centre includes a number of railway tracks for training purposes, that on purpose include errors that technicians in training must learn how to spot and recognise. Normally, we of course ensure that drawings meet all requirements and we check each other’s work for this purpose. In this case I had to incorporate the errors, so that the drawing matches the as-built environment in actual practice.’

Continuous improvement

‘Aside from project-oriented tasks and responsibilities, I constantly work with my colleagues on improving work processes. This includes automating repetitive actions or making smarter calculation tools for our use. For the past few years we have also been involved in preparing 3D designs. This offers many benefits. For example, the data in a 3D model helps detect conflicts with other disciplines. Through means of an animation of the implementation we are also able to visualise the work. I find the new technologies in this area fascinating. I like to challenge myself and to acquire new knowledge all the time. There are plenty of opportunities to do this, inside as well as outside Strukton. This combination of development opportunities, working on challenging projects and great colleagues ensures that I feel entirely at home here.’