Dirk Jan Kootstra leaves Pontis Engineering

Co-Founder and Managing Director Dirk Jan Kootstra is leaving Pontis Engineering, the company he started with business partner Sjef van Breugel. Dirk Jan has decided to take a sabbatical leave to reflect on his next steps. 
 

Dirk Jan says about the decision: “You surely understand this has not been an easy decision to take, After more than 10 years of building Pontis with heart and soul, I have come to the conclusion that I cannot provide the team, the customers and the company the energy and dedication they deserve. Thus I decided to leave Pontis and take the time to recharge.” 
 

"I am enormously proud at the company that now stands and proud of all the people that have, and still contribute to its success. I would like to thank all partners, customers and relations for their trust, inspiration and partnership over the past 10 years. Pontis Engineering has a fine reputation in the industry and I’m more than convinced it can expand in its role even further. With Sjef at the helm now, it can continue its course to further success and achieve more goals. I have full trust in that." 
 

Sjef van Breugel says: “With his huge personal passion and commitment Dirk Jan has put our company strongly on the map internationally. This open and endearing personality made him globally the trusted face of Pontis Engineering. We are thankful for this knowledge, dedication and friendship and his tremendous contribution to the success of our company."
 

Dirk Jan has transferred his operational tasks and management of Pontis Engineering per 1 October to Sjef van Breugel. Momentarily the founders explore the possibilities for a non-executive role of Dirk Jan at Pontis.

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DIRK JAN KOOTSTRA VERTREKT BIJ PONTIS ENGINEERING

Oprichter en Managing Director Dirk Jan Kootstra vertrekt bij Pontis Engineering, het bedrijf wat hij ruim tien jaar geleden startte met compagnon Sjef van Breugel. Dirk Jan heeft besloten een langere tijd rust te nemen en zich te bezinnen op zijn volgende stap. 

Dirk Jan zegt over zijn beslissing: “U zult begrijpen dat dit voor mij een bijzonder moeilijk besluit is om te nemen. Na mij ruim tien jaar met hart en ziel voor Pontis te hebben ingezet, moet ik nu helaas vaststellen dat ik ons team, onze klanten en het bedrijf in deze rol niet langer kan bieden wat ik zou willen en wat zij ook verdienen. Vandaar dat ik heb besloten om Pontis te verlaten en een tijd rust te nemen."
 

“Ik ben enorm trots op het bedrijf wat er nu staat en op de mensen die daaraan bijgedragen hebben en/of dat nog doen. Ik wil alle partners, klanten en relaties dan ook hartelijk danken voor hun partnerschap, inspiratie en vertrouwen de afgelopen tien jaar. Pontis Engineering is een naam van formaat in de markt en ik ben ervan overtuigd dat het bedrijf haar rol verder zal kunnen uitbouwen. Met Sjef nu aan het roer kan Pontis haar verdere koers uitzetten en haar doelen waarmaken. Ik heb daar alle vertrouwen in."
 

Sjef van Breugel zegt: “Met zijn enorme persoonlijke gedrevenheid en betrokkenheid heeft Dirk Jan ons bedrijf internationaal stevig op de kaart gezet. Zijn open en innemende persoonlijkheid maakte hem wereldwijd het vertrouwde en gerespecteerde gezicht van Pontis Engineering. We zijn dankbaar voor zijn kennis, toewijding en vriendschap en voor zijn geweldige bijdrage aan het succes van ons bedrijf."
 

Dirk Jan heeft zijn werkzaamheden en het management van Pontis Engineering per 1 oktober j.l. volledig overgedragen aan Sjef van Breugel. Momenteel verkennen de twee oprichters de mogelijkheden voor een eventuele betrokkenheid van Dirk Jan bij Pontis Engineering in een niet-uitvoerende rol.

Innovative welding solution for manufacturing epoxy blades

Today Pontis Engineering, specialist in the development of advanced composite products, introduces its latest innovation in composite manufacturing solutions at the world’s biggest wind energy trade show: WindEnergy Hamburg 2018. This breakthrough technology enables the welding of epoxy rotor blades by using thermoplastic resin; a unique new method which brings major benefits in cycle time, weight and strength. 

Two years ago, Pontis Engineering introduced a ground-breaking welding solution for fully thermoplastic rotor blades. Driven by the positive results and response, the engineering company has now found a welding solution that can be used in existing epoxy designs. Pontis Engineering has developed a technol-ogy in which prefab thermoplastic welding units are implemented in the epoxy shell. These units not only enable a welded connection, but also enable that a sharper trailing edge and a more compact connection can be realized. 
 

In conventional rotor blade production bonding paste is commonly used. Pontis applied its new construc-tion method to a test blade component and found a number of significant advantages, including: 
 

»Increased reliability 

»Reduced cycle time for bonding operation (up to 90%) 

»Reduced total workload (app. 5%) 

»Increased bond strength 

»Reduced blade mass (app. 3-5%) 
 

Pontis Engineering director Sjef van Breugel says: “We are proud and happy that we can introduce our new and innovative technology on this renowned international platform. Our mission is to support and guide our wind customers in their ongoing quest for smarter, more sustainable ways to produce even larger rotor blades with superior quality. I am convinced that we can help them take a significant step further with this technology”. 

At WindEnergy Hamburg, Pontis Engineering is demonstrating its new technology at its booth: Hall B7, 411. 

Visit Pontis Engineering at WindEnergy Hamburg 2018!

Next week (25-28 September) the Hamburg Messe will be host to the biggest and most important gathering of the wind industry worldwide: The Global Wind Summit. It combines the world’s leading expo for wind energy - WindEnergy Hamburg and the global conference of WindEurope to create a high-powered, unique platform for business, networking and information - onshore and offshore.

WindEnergy Hamburg provides the perfect setting to meet each other again, to catch up and discuss the market trends. Join us at this top event and visit our booth (Hall B7, booth #411) for a chat and a drink.

We are looking forward to seeing you in Hamburg! 

Dutch Forces: tulips and windmills reinvented

Pontis Engineering is partnering in a new and completely Dutch project: TULYP Wind. TULYP Wind, powered by Arkom Windpower B.V., is an innovative wind turbine that makes it possible to generate profitable wind energy in complex environments. Noise pollution, risk contours, shadow flicker, horizon effects…. quite a few challenges have to be overcome in order to set up a successful wind project in densely populated areas, while there certainly is a need for this. 

With Tulyp Wind, Arkom brings together "Dutch forces" to solve this problem. TULYP Wind is a vertical axis 300kW wind turbine with tulip shaped airfoils. With a tip height of 60 meter, a low noise level and a small risk contour TULYP Wind is easily integrated in urban, industrial and port areas. Outside of the Netherlands, TULYP Wind is perfectly suited for microgrid solutions and decentralized energy generation. Recently Arkom received full support from the Dutch Government (RVO.nl) to develop and build this innovative TULYP Wind turbine.

Pontis Engineering is responsible for the development of the rotor blades of the TULYP from design to production. The first prototypes are expected in early 2019.

Sustainable employability at Pontis Engineering

At the start of the second decade in the existence of Pontis Engineering, we are consciously working on our future. Our company is growing and so is our team. This growth, the rapid technological developments and the international character of our work, require a lot of flexibility from our team. How can we ensure that they remain fit, committed and happy? How can we become and remain an attractive employer for existing and new employees? To this end, we have decided to focus firmly on the health, commitment and development of our employees and to work on sustainable employability. 

This objective is supported by the EU and the Dutch government. They too want to keep people longer at work and increase the labor productivity of the workers. That is why the subsidy scheme ESF Sustainable Employability has been created, allowing employers to receive subsidies for activities that have a positive effect on the internal and / or external labor mobility of employees. 

Sponsored by this subsidy, Pontis started a sustainable employability project in 2016. Based on an employability scan and in-depth interviews with all team members, the situation was mapped and analyzed. On the basis of the results, various optimizations were defined and carried out, such as personal development plans, training opportunities, bonus and assessment systems, personnel insurance, information provision and communication. 

Director Dirk Jan Kootstra is satisfied with the results of the project. He says: "We have clearly made a professionalization in our human resource policy: healthy, happy and sustainable work is now constantly on our agenda and is increasingly becoming an integral part of our business operations".