Frank Elshout

System/Design Engineer, Kverneland Group Mechatronics B.V.

Might you have asked me during my study electrical engineering what kind of job I would expect to have today, it’s not likely that I answered anything like "working in the agricultural business’" However, the answer I would have given would likely still show quite some similarities with the things I do like in my current job. In general this can be summarized as the art of making things happen by the means of smart technology.

Having my interest in technology focused to electronics specifically, I started my career within Kverneland Group as Embedded Software engineer for the machine electronics. Quickly I discovered how advanced and diverse the agricultural business actually is. A nice thing of developing intelligence of the machines is that you have a really clear idea of what you are working for, what the added value of your work eventually will be.

Kverneland provided me quite some freedom to discover in what direction I like to work and where my strength is. Originally I took the direction of the specialist role on electronics and software development. Along the way however I discovered that I really like to contribute on functional level, defining what solutions we will make and how. Therefore, I took the opportunity to move into my current role of System/Design Engineer.

What I like most in this role is the way I can collaborate with all the different experts in the group. On daily basis I am working closely together with a diverse group of people like Software, Electrical and Mechanical engineers, but also with experts on agriculture which are of course everywhere in the group. It is nice to make use of their knowledge for the part I am working on, and the other way around to support others in their tasks with the knowledge I have. This way we are able to build strong solutions together.

Jeffrey Goedhuys

R&D Engineer, Kverneland Group Nieuw-Vennep BV

After graduating from my MSc degree in Industrial Engineering & Management in 2016, I started working for the department Research & Development at Kverneland Group Nieuw-Vennep. Here I work as an engineer for the team Aftercare & Production Engineering. Our team’s main responsibility is to help improve the design of our current range of products and to design production tools for use in our local manufacturing plant.

During the design, the Kaizen philosophy (based on Kubota’s 5-Gen principle) is applied to improve the efficiency of the production processes. This can be quite challenging because many factors, such as quality, production time, safety and simplicity have to be taken into account.

Dealing with this complexity, building our own prototypes and producing tools the mechanics are happy with, are the most interesting and satisfying parts of my job here at Kverneland.

Kverneland offers a very dynamic and informal working environment. If you like to take initiative and can handle a lot of responsibility on your projects, this could be a good company for you. This is a place where a creative individual has the freedom to thrive.

Maris Talv-Laugen

Finance Director, Kverneland Group Klepp, Norway

I started working in Kverneland Group just a few months after graduating from MSc in International Business from Aalborg University, Denmark. During my first week I met the Chairman of the Board who asked me if I came from a farm. I had to admit to him that I had grown up in the city center of the capital of Estonia, and I then wondered if I could have any future in Kverneland Group with such a background. But now, more than 10 years later, I am still here and I am proud about it.

I have held several roles in various countries within the Kverneland World. This is what is so great about Kverneland – if you perform and are willing to go for it, you get chances to develop yourself and grow with the tasks. People believe in you and support you along the way.

In autumn 2015 I started as Finance Director in the world’s biggest plough factory and I am motivated to fight for keeping the brand of Kverneland high and develop it further to always keep the competitors behind us.

For me Kverneland Group is an interesting place to work also because it is truly international, every day you can feel the cultural diversity, making the days more dynamic. Despite the geographical distances there is the Group feeling, which makes you feel that you are part of something big and you know that out there is a world full of good colleagues.

Career path

Maarten Thybaut

Mechanical Engineer, Kverneland Group Nieuw-Vennep BV

I started my career with Kverneland Group Nieuw-Vennep after graduating from my studies in Mechanical Engineering. I did my graduation work also at Kverneland Group Nieuw-Vennep and during this period I started to understand how interesting it would be to work for this international company. Because I grew up in an agricultural family in the north of the Netherlands I was quite familiar with the products offered by the Kverneland Group. This background is helping me till this day in my job as mechanical engineer at the fertilizer spreader R&D department.

After graduating I got the opportunity to continue my graduation work on a project basis, when this project was completed a position opened up at the R&D department in Nieuw-Vennep. Therefore I was able to join the Kverneland Group on a more permanent basis.

One of the best things about working for Kverneland Group is that you are working for a large international company but within an informal work environment. Therefore I have almost weakly contact with a colleague from a different part of the world or an international supplier/customer. The fact we at R&D in Nieuw-Vennep work in small teams means we are involved in the complete development process, this makes my work extremely varied and interesting. It is also very satisfying to hear that a customer from the other side of the world is happy with the product you developed. 

Because Kverneland Group is a leading implement manufacturer I’m working with the newest techniques and insights. This makes my work very challenging and demands you keep improving your knowledge. 

Career path

Björn Dargel

Online Marketing, Kverneland Group Germany / Group Marketing Web Assistant

After 10 years of experience in a Full-Service agency I was headhunted to join-in Kverneland Group Germany in 2012. I started as an online-marketer to develop and support Kverneland Group dealers in questions of Websites, Search Engine Optimization and Social Media, but also to publish news and maintain the German versions of the Kverneland Group, Kverneland and Vicon Websites.

I had no experience in agricultural business at all. But the concept of our marketing department in Germany is to hire experts in the section of marketing, graphics and Web-Design who work closely together with the product managers who are experts in the products. That’s efficient marketing!

Soon I started to extend my projects to E-Mail marketing, marketing automation, web solutions for dealer-partners, online sales campaigns and lead management.

In 2014 international Kverneland Group Marketing got aware of my work and talent and brought me into their team 25% of my time as well. Here I assist the Group Marketings’ Web Team in various tasks and projects.

In December 2018 I initialized to integrate Content Marketing in our company worldwide as a marketing strategy.

Working international first was a challenge for me, but now it’s something I absolutely enjoy.

What I really like about to work for Kverneland Group is to have the freedom to develop new ideas and projects. Good ideas and processes are always supported at Kverneland Group.

Career path