What it is like being an Engineer at TWD

TWD develops the methods and designs the equipment contractors need to efficiently realize major construction projects. Through the years, we have built up a track record full of engaging projects. We are, amongst others, active in the heavy civil industry. A project we are proud of is the 'walking piling gate,' a piling solution which autonomously skids forward, significantly shortening the project lead time. TWD's core market is the offshore wind sector. One of our most recent finished projects is the monopile gripper on DEME's heavy lift vessel Innovation, which was deployed to realize one of the largest offshore wind farms in Belgium.

The Innovation gripper
In 2018, after Chris finished his Civil Engineering study at the TU Delft, he started working at TWD as an Engineer. "The first project I worked on was the monopile gripper for DEME's heavy lift vessel Innovation. The challenge was that the gripper had to be lightweight since these types of vessels have limited capacity in carrying heavy loads. The gripper, of course, also had to be strong enough to hold the monopile while being installed withstanding wave and wind forces."

The revolutionary 'pendulum design' has the gripper ring suspended in tension rods, resulting in such a logical and optimal load path that the systems' stiffness could be maximized while keeping the overall gripper weight down. The unique combination of gripper stiffness with the slenderness of the structure enables DEME to maximize the useful payload on their vessel. 

"The great thing about this project was that I experienced it from start to finish, which meant that I was also involved in the fabrication and even went offshore to see the gripper in action. Last January, the gripper successfully installed 58 windmill foundations in record speed, something I am extremely proud of". 

"Every design is created from the collaboration between engineers and designers. For this project, I worked in an energetic team guided by experienced technical advisors. I highly appreciate the collaboration within TWD. Difficult problems are always tackled together. This results in a large variety of activities and a strong social element in our work. At TWD there is a 'work hard, play hard' mentality, which means there is always time to celebrate a successfully finished project with a cold beer at our recurring Friday night drinks."

My learning curve
"TWD offers multidisciplinary services, ranging from structural, mechanical, and installation engineering to specialist disciplines and marine engineering. The initial challenge, when I started working at TWD, was that I was specialized in hydraulic engineering. I had to learn and familiarize myself with mechanical and structural engineering. I did learn the basics of TWD's engineering work during my bachelor's, but that was already a while ago. Luckily, the structural competences came back relatively quick and I felt ready to further develop myself. After talking to my coach, I started to learn about planning and client communication, and in less than a year, I became a Project Engineer."

Working at TWD
"Working at TWD gave me the opportunity to do what I am most passionate about. The projects are challenging and diverse; you get to work in a young and energetic team, and the options to develop yourself seem endless. I look forward to the engineering challenges ahead." Do you also see yourself working as an Engineer at TWD? Apply now and engineer your future, just like Chris, at TWD! Please send your letter of motivation and CV to hr@twd.nl or contact HR via +31 10 294 03 74.

Figure 1: Chris and his colleague, Yuri, offshore