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“You come into contact with many cultures here”
“What I particularly like about my work at Fancom is its international character, at the interface of many different cultures. I lived in Egypt for six years, where I picked up some knowledge of Arabic and got to know a lot of people."
Ed Gubbels works at Fancom's Technical Service department. He has travelled extensively to many countries but focuses on the Middle East: “I first started visiting that region back in 2010. In the Middle East in particular, people prefer to work with regular contacts. And more intensive forms of project management are necessary there too, buildings are constructed differently."
What does working at the Technical Service department involve?
“My work is very diverse: from contact by phone with customers who have questions about starting up their installations to supervising projects. I also cooperate closely with Sales and have to make a lot of calculations and give advice. My main focus is the poultry sector, but sometimes I get involved with the pig sector outside the Middle East. I've worked on quite a few continents, but recently the primary focus has been the Middle East."
“The nature of my work is very varied: travelling a lot is a big part of it. And that’s despite COVID-19, as it’s not such an issue in the Middle East. Every morning I check my apps, and if I work at the Service Desk I read all the emails and take phone calls from all regions. I can also log into our customers’ systems remotely to check if everything is functioning properly. This allows us to signal any potential problems at an early stage."
How is your contact with customers?
“I am often involved in projects from the outset: ‘Ed, come and join us, what is your take on our plans?’ That makes my work much more interesting, and I can incorporate our concepts into projects right from the start."
“Travel was not on the cards for a long time, so we had to organise video calls to keep up our visual contact. But in the Middle East, the internet connections are slower, and certainly in that region personal contact is extremely important. Meeting face to face gets a lot more done and you can explain things much better."
What appeals to you about working at Fancom?
“We make good, robust and reliable products, it’s always a pleasure to welcome back repeat customers. And I have a great team of colleagues who I can always rely on. I also enjoy the travel aspect, I like being in the Middle East. Every country there is different, with different temperatures and cultures."
“It is not always the easiest of regions to work in, especially in terms of local customs and legislation. Things we consider normal are often looked on differently there, but fortunately the situation is getting easier. It’s not always plain sailing for the expats who have to do all the hard work. I really feel for them, but also to an increasing extent for the local population.
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