Coaching programmes, opportunities for development and international career prospects: all of these are offered to Nyrstar engineers Wouter Brabers and Bas De Busser by their employer. ‘The easy accessibility of our company’s Belgian branches is another asset.’
Wouter Brabers (29) has been a reliability engineer at Nyrstar since 2019. His role alternates between organising preventive maintenance and developing new technical solutions.
‘During my undergraduate studies at the technical college in Mechelen, I spent six months here on a work placement. The friendly work atmosphere made such an impression on me that after finishing my Master’s degree, I applied for a job here on the spur of the moment and got it straight away.’
Colleague Bas De Busser (24) joined the graduate programme at Nyrstar as a process technology engineer at the end of 2022. This is a combination of training, coaching and work experience within different
Each department has specific technical challenges for which we are allowed to find our own solutions.
Wouter Brabers,
reliability engineer at Nyrstar
departments. As a process technology engineer, he focuses on monitoring production processes on a daily basis. In his capacity as a project engineer, he is also currently involved in the realisation of six projects.
‘While I was studying civil engineering, I was contacted by a head-hunter via LinkedIn. What won me over was the variety of challenges that are up for grabs here – a stone’s throw from where I live.’
Freedom and challenges
The two engineers love the freedom that they have in their work at Nyrstar. ‘Each department has technical challenges for which we are allowed to find our own solutions, using both existing tools and new resources. So you learn very quickly,’ says Brabers.
‘We are able to work completely independently and for the most part, we can decide for ourselves how we spend our working days,’ says De Busser.
Adventures abroad
Due to its international structure, Nyrstar also offers career opportunities abroad. At the beginning of this year, Brabers spent three months working at the Nyrstar site in Port Pirie in Australia.
‘It was a unique experience to be able to exchange knowledge with international colleagues. We tackled a number of technical challenges at the Nyrstar site there. It really was an opportunity that was too good to pass up, especially since there are no children in my life at the moment.’
For people who like engineering and technology, this organisation provides a motivating environment in which knowledge and experience are cultivated.
Bas De Busser,
process technology engineer at Nyrstar
In June, De Busser moved to Clarksville (US) for six months. ‘My focus is on improving current efficiency: the efficiency of the electrolysis department. We are also developing a new automation system. All our sites, including the one in Clarksville, are fitted with sensors which generate a lot of data.'
'Through new interpretations, we will use this to analyse and visualise certain things there in order to help operators rectify faults quickly and efficiently. I am also really fascinated by the contact with other nationalities and cultures.’
Flat hierarchy
The duo wholeheartedly recommends other engineers to join Nyrstar. ‘For someone who likes engineering and technology, this organisation provides a motivating environment in which knowledge and experience are cultivated,’ says De Busser.
‘I have already decided that I like working here and want to stay for a long time. There is also an unseen low-threshold hierarchy here: I even spoke to the general manager at my first interview.’
