Keeping the promise with Tim van der Maarl: we often ask ourselves how we can make things more effective and efficient

This is the thirteenth article in a series about members of the Minerva team and how they think about Minerva’s core values and contribute to the customer promise: "ensuring carefree traceability". 

We talk to our youngest member of the Minerva team, Tim van der Maarl, about his role, his contribution to customer service and Minerva’s promise. 

Can float the piston by hand quite nicely

What is it that you do in your role as Calibration Technician at Minerva?

I occupy myself with pressure calibrations, sensors in pressure regulators mostly. I like working with the PG 7202. I have gained enough experience on that equipment that I can float the piston nicely by hand, in a manner of speaking.

What do you like the most about your role? 

The best part is that I get to calibrate customer's equipment and make sure that it is returned calibrated and ready to deliver again. Personally, I get a lot of satisfaction from that.

Ensuring that we deliver quality

What does Minerva’s promise “ensuring carefree calibration” for our customers mean to you?

For me, the Minerva promise means that the customer's belongings are treated delicately and professionally. In our calibration laboratory, we work according to several predetermined conditions and measuring points specified by the customer. We always strive to calibrate more accurately than the customer requires, in some occasions up to twice as accurate. This way we create certainty that the customer’ asks always falls within the required bandwidth. Moreover, we exceed the expectations of the customer.

What is your contribution to Minerva's promise “ensuring carefree traceability”?

We are very careful while handling and using the customer's equipment. I have colleagues who do their extensive checks and who see to it that the result is in par with ISO 17025 standards. We also keep each other in check to make sure everything is done according to procedure; it is better to be safe than to be sorry.

To better help the customer 

The core values of Minerva are integrity, innovative, skilled, involved and service oriented.

With each core value, could you give us an explanation or example?

Minerva is a company with integrity. We are a small company and more personal ties are created easily. I like the fact that you can reach out to each other in confidence and can be sure it is treated with discretion. Our openness and transparency allow us to better help the customer.

Talking about innovation; we often ask ourselves how we can make things more effective and efficient. If procedures and work efficiency can be improved in the lab, it is discussed and quite often invested in. Electrical calibration is an interesting new development for Minerva which we are currently pursuing. I think the most clear-cut example of our innovation would be the High Pressure Controller that Minerva developed.

Minerva is a healthy and beautiful company

What makes Minerva so personally involved is that we are a relatively small company. Little distinction is made between colleagues, the culture is not very hierarchical. If there is a matter to be discussed, you can just bring it up with management. Our commitment to help also shows as Peter van Werkhooven, head of our lab, frequently speaks to the customer himself to discuss technical matters. He can explain and substantiate his work well in case customers have questions.

Being service oriented is an important feat of Minerva. What I really like is that we always return the equipment exactly as the customer sent it to us. Including all settings, couplings, and links. We ensure this by taking photos at the entrance inspection and logging all parts. This allows the customer to get back to work again immediately when he receives his equipment.

I am happy to work at Minerva. Minerva is a healthy and beautiful company; it is a well-oiled machine. I have great colleagues and we are a great team.