Ben Peea and Reyer Wolting

Its Tuesday morning and the factory at Badotherm in Dordrecht (NL) is in full swing. We have the opportunity to speak to two veterans of the company, Ben Peea (73) and Reyer Wolting (73). Although they could have said goodbye already for many years and enjoy their well-deserved retirement, they work two days a week in the production facility in Dordrecht and contribute to the high class products that leave the factory every day.

Reyer joined the company in 1970 and learned all his skills from scratch. “Things were different back in the days, the job interview took only a few minutes. They asked me, can you start next Monday, I could. This was the start of an exciting 52 year journey. I didn’t have specific qualifications for the job, I’ve simply learned everything here. We never said no to a customer request, we found solutions along the way. What I enjoy the most is inventing new ideas and solutions. And there are many ideas I came up with over the years that are now standard practice in our products and processes.”

Ben started his career at Badotherm in 1976 after returning from a successful music career that brought him all across the globe. “A former colleague saw me walking in the Badotherm office when I had my job interview and spoke positive about me to the company’s managers. That was enough for them to hire me.” With his eyes full of enjoyment he takes us back to the early days of his career. “We always worked really hard, we didn’t shy away from working on Saturdays and Sundays. Our customers could always rely on us. My job has always been a combination of hard work and creativity. There was always time for innovation and for fresh ideas to sprung”.

Ben and Reyer have their own reasons why to come to the factory after their retirement age. Reyer explains, “I am a person that doesn't like to sit still. My wife is used to the fact that I always take my work home, my brains never stop thinking of new ideas and inventions.” Aside from the work being his passion there is another good reason for him to show up every week. “If there are some tasks that need to be done on, for example, the factory roof, I take up the ladder and fix it. The work at Badotherm keeps me mentally and physically fit”, Reyer proudly explains.

Ben is often occupied with tasks related to the calibration of production tooling (pressure transmitters with diaphragm seals). “There is quite some computer knowledge that goes into these calibrations. I enjoy the fact that I can still keep up with the pace of new computer technology. This keeps me young of heart and mind.” And that is not the only reason for him to keep engaged with Badotherm, “no, certainly not, I would miss the social interactions with colleagues if I would stop. There are so many stories and experiences we share. I want to stay connected to that”.

Ben and Reyer have experienced first-hand how Badotherm has evolved through the years. Reyer explains, “Our company has become much more professional, it is almost impossible to keep track of all the changes we go through and all the new production equipment and automation that get introduced in the processes. All those changes bring interesting projects and perspectives. I am currently working on tooling that will be used on new robots we purchased lately. That’s something that I could never have imagined 50 years ago”

Ben and Reyer are both passionate about diaphragm seal technology and feel connected to the company they helped to develop. When we talk about their future they both sound realistic, “as long as we can manage our tasks successfully and we like it, we’ll keep on doing it!”