Game Changer magazine

Passion and innovation go hand in hand

Jan Kuijpers worked at Van den Bosch for 37 years – first as a driver and later in the bodyshop. Even now, more than fifteen years after his retirement, his expertise is still called upon.

Mark van Helvoort joined the company in 2004 as a mechanic in the workshop at Erp. He went on to become workshop manager before his current role as fleet manager.

Jan Kuijpers and Mark van Helvoort meet at the Van den Bosch site in Erp where the technical service department began in 1971 and still remains to this day. Although they started more than thirty years apart, they talk about their work with the same passion.

Jan | “I started in 1970 as a driver, but I also helped with some welding in the workshop at the time. As a driver, you did more yourself back then, like changing oil and tyres.”

Mark | “Yes, it was a different time. A driver was also his own mechanic. Whatever went wrong, he had to solve it on the road. Nowadays, drivers call us if there’s a problem. Trucks, trailers and containers are also stuffed with so many electronics and maintenance has become much more specialised.”

Jan | “After driving a truck for twelve years, I started in the bodyshop. I could do all sorts of things – making changes, adjustments, even coming up with entirely new solutions. That was a job! I remember adjusting a tipper to prevent it being tipped too high. Nobody else had it at the time, but if you buy a trailer now, it comes as standard.”

Mark | “Van den Bosch has always been progressive. We think about what we can adjust to make things faster, easier or safer. Or to increase payloads. Stricter safety standards and standardised materials mean that today the biggest innovations happen in the areas of data and sustainability.

You can find the whole magazine here.