Laura Greijdanus, Project Manager
"If everything went smoothly, you wouldn't need me as a project manager."
The urban and regional development studies that Laura Greijdanus pursued didn’t immediately lead to a job. However, when Laura encountered Neways Electronics through a temp job at one of its clients, her interest was piqued. Now, more than six years later, she works at Neways and has grown from planner to project manager—a role she hopes to continue for a while.
“I still see traces of my urban and regional development studies here in the Brainport region,” says Laura. “Where we are now, there’s constant construction. Everything in this area is interconnected. The fact that Neways produces electronics locally rather than in China only improves quality. As a supplier, we are close to our customers, and as a project manager, I am in daily contact with them. I’m responsible for the entire lifecycle of a project—from start to finish. Until the project goes into full production, I deal with every aspect: timing, budget, quality, risk management. Managing a project is a challenge every time. There are always delays, while the deadline never shifts. That creates some chaos and stress, but that’s what makes it fun. If everything went smoothly, you wouldn’t need me as a project manager.”
“Everyone hops around internally here, and Neways encourages that.”
“Over the years, I’ve grown from planner to project manager. There was also a stint as an account engineer in between, but I didn’t enjoy that as much in hindsight. Everyone here makes a multi-year plan with their manager. You outline what you want to learn and where you want to go next. Young people like me always want to take the next step, and Neways supports me in that. It’s also important to retain in-house knowledge. In that sense, everyone hops around internally, and Neways gladly facilitates this.”
“Fortunately, despite the growth, the family atmosphere remains.”
“With every project, Neways takes new strides, and the company continues to grow. In the field of cleanrooms, we are now true frontrunners. We make highly advanced products here that you can’t just entrust to any company. That’s definitely our strength. Fortunately, despite the growth, the family atmosphere remains. I would describe it as an oversized family business from Brabant. Everyone knows each other here. We’re very informal, even with the management team or the director. There’s no hierarchy that places one department above another. On the right is the office; on the left is production, and there’s no door or barrier between them. You can just walk into each other’s space. The same goes for customers. I often give them tours where they can see the different production steps and gain a better understanding of what Neways does and the value we add.”
“I’m happy to stay a project manager for now.”
“If you want something new, it’s possible,” Laura explains about growth opportunities. “For example, if you want a more managerial role or something in account management. Personally, I’m happy to stay a project manager for now. The products we make here aren’t produced in the thousands at a time. They’re diverse and come in small quantities. For me, each one is a new project to manage.”