In 2024’s first edition of Power Journal, HyTEPS’ Management Team looks back at the past year, and to the future. What trends and developments are they seeing?
Jorlan Peeters, Managing Director, HyTEPS
“2023 was a very eventful year. HyTEPS continues to grow. Partly, this is thanks to the trust existing customers place in us. At the same time, our expansion is also thanks to new customers: we often start off with smaller jobs which lead to larger assignments.”
“I’m seeing a number of striking developments within the various segments in which we operate. Electrification is now really taking hold. Companies are increasingly taking this into consideration, thinking about the effects this may have on their business processes, for example. Administrators have placed electricity and the energy supply on the agenda and this development is continuing. This is partly the result of stricter standards and norms, but also due to companies’ intrinsic motivation to save energy and reduce emissions. We also see customers running into limitations because their grid connections are not adequate. Electricity can no longer be taken for granted. However, this does not always lead to a sense of urgency among companies. Electrical engineers still feel that they are not sufficiently listened to.”
“An economic downturn in 2024 is inevitable. Dividend rates are on the rise, and savings are running out. We’re responding to this with our range of services. In order to provide the best possible service to our Dutch, English-speaking and foreign customers, we employ many young people with nine different nationalities. Looking to the future, I foresee HyTEPS will continue to grow, in size as well as expertise. Precisely because people are now encountering problems, their understanding of the value we add is increasing.”
Christan van Dorst, Manager Technical Engineering, HyTEPS
“HyTEPS has been awarded a good number of attractive, large assignments over the past year, for example from Netbeheer Nederland, the Dutch national trade association for electricity and gas grid operators. We’ve also been joined by quite a few new employees.”
“However, our philosophy remains unchanged: we require a high level of knowledge and thinking, but at the same time also expect a proactive approach. Stay sharp and roll up your sleeves! The coming year will largely be dominated by stable growth. We’re consolidating our strategy and continuing to grow in the segments in which we are currently active.”
“Ultimately, it is particularly important for us to be able to serve existing and new customers even better in a rapidly changing world. In order to keep up with developments in the market, we have put together teams in which individual employees can develop and apply their expertise in specific areas: measuring, monitoring, simulating, service, and maintenance. This is combined with ongoing training programs and education. By taking this approach we can further refine our proposition. We can structurally deploy specialism in certain areas, depending on a project’s requirements.”
“What’s more, our ISO 9001 accreditation has been extended and we now also have VCA* certification. This involves looking at how a company has arranged Safety, Health, and Environment matters. HyTEPS and its customers are becoming increasingly demanding in the field of safety, and with VCA* we can demonstrate even better that we work in extremely safe and meticulous ways. I think that the ‘safety’ topic will become increasingly important. There’s greater awareness among companies, installations are becoming more complex, legislation is becoming stricter, and installation managers want to be able to properly take care of their responsibilities. At the same time, numerous experienced employees are retiring. For these reasons, I think companies will be assigning certain responsibilities to external parties more frequently.”
Daan Peeters, Sales & Marketing, HyTEPS
“I’ve been working at HyTEPS since July, previously I was employed as a consultant at Capgemini. That makes me a relative newcomer. I already knew the company well, partly because I’ve been supporting the website and marketing activities for the past 12 years. Still, electrical engineering is a fairly new world for me.”
“As a ‘newcomer’ to HyTEPS, certain things really jump out for me: we are a fast-moving, small organization that creates a great deal of value for customers. It also strikes me that HyTEPS maintains a high bar when it comes to technical knowledge and problem-solving skills. That’s why I like visiting customers, lectures, and trade fairs. I can see how measurements are taken and reports are drawn up. I won’t be taking measurements myself, but this practical experience allows me to better understand how theory relates to practice and more fully grasp both the technical and human challenges.”
“Of course, there are also similarities between working at HyTEPS and my former job: as a consultant, you get to work with a wide variety of companies, from very diverse, dynamic sectors. You need to know what information to look for, make connections, and analyze. The results and insights are often very surprising for customers.”
“During the last year, many new people have joined HyTEPS. Given the shortages in the labor market, attracting staff will remain difficult for the entire sector. But by working even more closely with universities and universities of applied sciences, we’re looking to attract the right people.”
