Nieuws

CNC Operator Gabriel

Gabriel was born and raised in Romania, but decided he wanted to take his milling skills to the next level and therefore ended up at Wilting in Wintelre where he works as a CNC operator. We spoke to Gabriel, 26 years old, about working in the Netherlands, the atmosphere at Wilting and his ambitions for the future.

How it started

“I wasn’t interested in CNC milling from a young age. In high school my main subjects where electricity and computers. After high school I started working in a factory in my neighbourhood. At first I was a painter, but when I saw the CNC machines I knew immediately I wanted to learn to work on those machines. In Romania I worked for 3 companies on the CNC’s and gained six years of experience. Unfortunately, in the area I lived in Romania, almost all companies are on the same level, so there is no room to grow. That’s why I decided to take the step to come and work in the Netherlands. I contacted an agency and they introduced me to Wilting. My first impression was that Wilting is a very nice and professional company and I liked that. After a year, both me and Wilting were very enthusiastic about how things were going and I got a contract directly at Wilting.“

The difference between Romania and The Netherlands

“The big difference between working in Romania and working for Wilting is that I didn’t make as a series in Romania as I do now. When you make the same product over and over again you get the chance to make it totally perfect. I like that! Besides that, the managing style in The Netherlands is different. The managers are more friendly and they trust their employees to do their best job. It’s easy to have a conversation with them and to solve a problem.

Working together with my colleagues is not so much different from Romania. Within Wilting Wintelre there are more people working from Romania, Poland, and other Balkan countries. I like working with them, because it feels ‘homey’. And when, for example, a new colleague from Romania starts, I can explain all the work to him or her in our own language. We do get Dutch lessons though, so we can integrate a little better. Every week we get a lesson, but off course, we have to study at home as well. When talking to my Dutch colleagues, I try to understand the words they are saying, but that is still quite difficult. I like to learn more about the way of living here so I can compare it to Romania.”

Future

“I don’t look to much ahead in time, taking it step by step. But for the near future I might be interested in a job as a measuring technician. I started that in Romania a little bit and the work you do is a little comparable to working on a CNC machine. I’m not the kind of person who makes plans for my whole life; I enjoy what I do now and like being here. For the next years I will stay here for sure. I got a house in Turnhout together with my girlfriend; she works there. In my free time I am a photographer. Last weekend I had a photoshoot with one of my colleagues from Wilting, which is a nice way to get to know your co-workers on a different level.”