René vd Heuvel (55) works at AMT Infra and comes from Druten, but lives with Jolanda in Ewijk. Together they have 4 children who all already live on their own.
Introduce yourself, who are you and what company do you work for?
“I have been an operator for over 30 years and have worked with many different excavators. From a 30-ton crawler excavator to the DX10 that we also have at AMT Infra. I've been working at AMT Infra for about half a year now and I really enjoy it there. My colleagues are all nice and we have a lot for each other. We have a lot of freedom and responsibility here. When a job has to be finished before a certain time, we stay and it doesn't matter what time it is, but if we are ready on time on Friday, for example, then everyone has a nice weekend. That is a really pleasant way of working.”
What makes this excavator so special to you?
“With the DX27, I do a very different kind of work than I always did in the past. Cable and pipe work, the real combination work so to speak. The nice thing about this excavator is that it is strong and I can finish really well with it. That happens in one smooth movement. We also use it to plant gardens, etc., depending on the work we have taken on. The DX27 is so tuned to my hands that I can work with my eyes closed, so to speak.”
If you could change one thing about the excavator, what would it be?
“The only thing I would change about the machine is that it has air conditioning, haha. That may be more of a luxury, but it is highly desirable. Summers are getting longer and warmer, so air conditioning is no longer superfluous.”
What kind of work do you like to do with the Doosan?
“I prefer to do as much different work as possible. As I mentioned before, I like to do combination work. I like to start on a project that has to be finished within a few weeks. Then you will quickly achieve results and you can move on to the next project. Then it stays nice and varied and it never gets boring. For variety, I sometimes use the DX10, then I do the lighter work in a garden, for example.”
What is so special about being a machinist?
“I've been out of the running for almost 8 years because my wrist and back went wrong. Being forced to sit at home was really hell. I am an outdoorsman and machinist at heart. If I went for a walk during the day I would just look for a place where they were digging and I could stand there for a long time and look at it. Very slowly I built up the days again and now I can just keep it up for 4 days. It just keeps on ticking, there's nothing I can do about it."
If you can describe the DX27 very briefly, what comes to mind first?
“It just runs well, we really feel each other. When I'm on the DX27, we're just one. (sounds a little weird, but that's just how I feel about it, haha).”
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