Stella, how did you end up at Weheat?

"I always worked for a company that handled product development for all sorts of different clients. Philips, Samsonite, you name it. The products I worked on were always changing: one moment it was a shaver, the next a toothbrush or a suitcase. At a certain point, I felt like something was missing. I wanted to contribute to the world, not just put more stuff into it. So, I started looking specifically for a job in the sustainability sector, and that’s how I found Weheat. That was truly my biggest motivation for coming to work here."

What is the biggest difference for you compared to your previous jobs?

"That I’m now always working on heat pumps instead of constantly switching to something else. But above all: our factory is attached to the office, so you’re literally right next to it. You actually see what you design being built. You see the problems that arise from it, rather than just sitting behind a computer dreaming it up. That’s a huge advantage of working here. And we move incredibly fast—or at least, we try to. At large corporations, the development process can sometimes take years, with all sorts of decision loops before anything happens. Here, it’s a meeting with a few people, a decision is made, and we move on."

What does your daily work look like?

"We’re currently working on the Swift, our new heat pump for pitched roofs, which was developed specifically for the project market. We’re working as a team, and everyone has their own subject to tackle. The work varies from research and working in CAD—the 3D design program where we create the mechanical parts—to building prototypes and eventually running the first tests. Every day, we have an hour-long team meeting to see if anyone is stuck or if we need to brainstorm together. Besides that, there are always ongoing products with issues that need to be resolved. Of course, there’s also some administrative work involved: all components need to be correctly entered into our systems so they can be ordered."

What are you working on specifically within the Swift project?

"I’m currently working on propane safety. It’s an important topic because that substance can be dangerous if it comes into contact with a spark. We have to carefully examine how propane behaves in the event of a leak, even though the chance is small. How does it dissipate? Could it accumulate somewhere? We have to ensure the pump is always safe: that it can’t leak into the house and can never come into contact with a spark."

What makes your work so enjoyable?

"That’s mainly due to the close collaboration: we have all sorts of different disciplines in one team, and the lines of communication are short. A heat pump consists of many different parts and has to be able to withstand all kinds of weather outside. All those different materials have to fit together perfectly and be weather-resistant. Once we finish the development, the product is then extensively tested—climate tests, durability tests. We’re even planning to install a kind of snow cannon soon so we can perform snow tests. That makes our work extra fun!"

How would you describe the perfect Weheat colleague?

We are looking for people who are passionate about their work and eager to go the extra mile with a team to develop new ideas. You should also be confident in standing by your ideas and defending them effectively. We have a young and enthusiastic team, but we could use some extra experience.

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Stella Weideveld is a Mechanical Engineer at Weheat. Based at our headquarters in Duizel (Eindhoven region), she works on the development of the Swift.

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