“For a long time, I was based at a large Dutch dredging company through Gemba. From the purchase of parts to the maintenance of assets, they do everything in IBM Maximo. I’ve had some special experiences there. For example, I had a training session with a tour on board a ship in the North Sea; I hadn’t even been there for a year yet. I was taken to the ship by boat and had to climb aboard via a ladder. It was an amazing experience and also good for my work. On board, I heard the stories of the people who use IBM Maximo in practice. That’s different from looking at rules, boxes, and numbers on a computer screen; it completes your picture. I recently joined a grid operator, a client that performs its maintenance activities with IBM Maximo. Completely different, but also very interesting.”

“After studying computer science, I worked for various companies, mostly large organizations. There, you are often just a number. If you don’t shout, you won’t be heard. Around the age of thirty, I decided to look for a company that does pay attention to its employees. After a few intermediate steps, where I sometimes ran away screaming after only a few months, I discovered a vacancy from Gemba on an online job site. I didn’t know Gemba, but I did know IBM Maximo. During my studies, I did an internship at KLM. KLM is a client of Schiphol, where they work with IBM Maximo. I didn’t use IBM Maximo myself, but I did hear about the software when, for example, I had to be at a check-in desk for a malfunction.”

“I didn’t know exactly what to expect from asset management, so I was very curious to hear what they had to say at Gemba. During the job interview, I immediately sensed the atmosphere of the company, which is very open. You can ask anything. The people at Gemba all work hard, yet everyone is willing to help each other. If you want to ask something, you don’t have to make an appointment first. And if it’s necessary to explain something a few more times, that’s no problem. I find it characteristic that Jack, our director, doesn’t have his own office and just walks around the company. It also didn’t matter to Gemba that I didn’t have a background in asset management. ‘We’ll train you,’ they said. In recent years, I’ve obtained all sorts of IBM Maximo certificates and followed internal training courses, for example in XML. Now, together with colleagues, I’m doing a number of sessions on IBM Maximo Application Suite, to better understand what customers need and how we can respond to that with IBM MAS.”

“I actually just had a conversation about that. At Gemba, I can grow at my own pace. For the time being, I’ll remain a consultant, but I can also see myself moving towards becoming a trainer. For example, I could help with onboarding new Gemba employees, but also provide training to clients. At Stedin, they recently asked me if I wanted to show two new employees the ropes in IBM Maximo. I largely supervised them. IBM Maximo requires a certain way of thinking. If you know that, then it will be fine. Gemba itself is successful and growing rapidly. Yet the appreciation for employees remains. They treat people very well. For example, if I take my four-year-old daughter to daycare in the morning and the road is busy, I’ll send a message saying that I’m going to work from home first. But if I get a call about a problem on the weekend, I’m also ready to help. It’s a healthy employer-employee relationship, based on trust. Most companies control their employees. Control is good, but trust is better. At Gemba, you get freedom, and you handle it well.”

“I do a lot of sports, including running. I’ve run several half marathons and even the entire Amsterdam marathon once. I’m 42 now, and as I get older, life seems to go faster and faster. Sports and exercise are important to me in that respect; it’s a release. You feel better about yourself, can handle more, and are kinder to yourself.”