Visiting WaterWorld Electronics

In our report on the trade fairs prior to the season, we shared our enthusiasm about the products of and people behind Waterworld Electronics . On May 4 we visited WaterWorld Electronics in Oldemarkt, read our report of a very inspiring day here.

On the road with Nils

The day started early, we met at 10:30 am at WaterWorld Electronics in the picturesque Oldemarkt. On the map it looked like it was just above Flevoland and we regularly get on the road early. In short, we seemed to have time left and we were going to use it.

The evening before, someone had ordered a product that we did not have in stock, but could pick up from the supplier in North Holland. Moreover, the customer was in a hurry and oh well, Hoevelaken is not that far from Oldemarkt (forgive us for our suburban shortsightedness). So we can easily combine that. First to North Holland, then continue to Oldemarkt and then deliver the package in Hoevelaken. On the way, pick up some smoked fish in Harderwijk, a day filled.

The latter turned out to be correct, we came back from the supplier during rush hour near Amsterdam, were actually a little late in Oldemarkt, had to drive quite a while for the fish and the customer and were back home late that evening and quite a bit later.

Visiting WaterWorld Electronics

Just make coffee a pleasant acquaintance

Immediately upon entering we were greeted by a friendly lady who asked us if we would like a cup of coffee. That coffee did not come from a machine with 30 types of espresso, latte and cappucino, nor did it come from a fancy self-grinder with a flashy display. No, the coffee came from a regular coffee maker, was freshly brewed for us and then we were given the thermos for the next cup. Delicious, familiar and actually indicative of the rest of our visit. No frills, just open, honest and equal. That immediately felt good.

Sebastiaan chatted for a while, but soon walked towards us with a big smile. A good handshake confirmed the feeling of being welcome and in the right place. We first sat down in a meeting room together. A bit of exploring and getting to know each other, where I particularly appreciated that Nils could also tell his story. He could ask all his questions and always received a clear, patient explanation.

very emphatically positioned WaterWorld Electronics We were proudly taken through the origins and growth of the organization. But also through non-maritime projects for, for example, agriculture and defense. It's incredibly impressive how someone of Sebastiaan's age (I may say so) has built up such a great company. I can only have a lot of respect for that.

Assembly and testing

After 'sniffing' we were given an extensive tour of the factory. We were able to see live how engines were tested and again all the explanations from the people working on them. Nils and I, geeks that we actually are, looked crazy, and the connection was quickly found when the conversation turned to microcontrollers, embedded software and Raspberry Pis. It is all the more impressive that WaterWorld Electronics makes the necessary printed circuit boards and controllers entirely in-house. Super cool to see.

From the test room we went to the assembly / soldering room. I have a technical management background, but I have never before seen a machine park that fills printed circuit boards with electrical components and then solders, 'bakes' and 'finishes' them in a fully automated manner. Very cool to see in real life and truly impressive with how much knowledge and passion Sebastiaan talks about it.

Assembly

From this room we walked to the room where the engines are assembled. Nice to see that engines can be assembled to order from stocked components. We also got a sneak preview of a new development, but I promised Sebastiaan not to tell anything about it 😉. In this room we could also see live how every engine that leaves the factory is tested on 40 points and how this is also documented per engine. The test was carried out by someone with perhaps 50 years of professional knowledge and so much pleasure in the work that age turned out to be no issue at all, which is nice to see.

Finally, in an adjacent room we viewed and discussed an installation in a work boat. Nice to see that we now also recognize all components and install them ourselves. A confirmation of our own growth over the past few years.

Thank you

Sebastiaan, thank you for the friendly welcome and extensive tour. It feels truly good that you have set aside no less than three hours for us. I hope that together we can make a significant contribution to the electrification of pleasure boating in the Netherlands in the coming years. We would love to come back to visit WaterWorld Electronics, hopefully we will leave with a car full of engines to make our customers happy.

Remco Putker – Robust-MT Marine Technology BV

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