''Problem solving ability is 100% part of my challenge as an Executor''

Fortunately, construction companies' portfolios are largely full for the coming period. For example, some €4 billion worth of projects have been awarded that will start in the next three months. So, among others, Executives still have many projects to execute. So does Herman van Krimpen, a professional working at Velox works at project RIVM. We talked to him about his job, his challenges and what he cherishes.

Herman van Krimpen came into contact with the world of installation at the age of fourteen. That was when he was already doing odd jobs for family members. It became his passion and since then he has continued to delve deeper into the technology, eventually working on all kinds of projects. One of those projects is the RIVM, located along the A27 motorway in the Utrecht Science Park.

How do you describe your position?

''As a Superintendent, you are a hands-on Project Manager on the shop floor. All you try to do is mediate between the guys on the shop floor and the management above you. You have to make sure that things get through. That means you have to help some, direct others, push others, and stop others. You have to make sure the work gets done, and that the tools and resources you need are available to use.

You are your single point of contact. Matters that have financial implications you put to your own manager and in practical things you point the way. For example, if two suppliers get in each other's way, you're there to solve that problem.

To work as an Executor, it must be your calling. You have to have love for your craft. You have to understand the game well to play it and you have to have passion for it.''

What is important to you within your position and within projects you work on?

''There has to be challenge in it. A project can be challenging because it is complex, the location presents pitfalls or the completion date is relatively close. The latter was the case with project EMA, for example, where I worked through Velox worked at. There it was a go go go mentality. A project, on the other hand, does not necessarily have to be very prestigious from me.

I would rather work on a smaller housing project where different types of homes need to be built, than work on a much larger project with only identical homes. Where others may like to rehearse, I like to think about what I need to execute. Especially if you can put everything you have up your sleeve at an organization that has a need in your abilities, then you have come a long way in doing your part to make a project a reality.''

''Sometimes, for example, the lifting equipment is minimal. Then once in a while a crane comes in for lifting work. But because of the limited time you have, you have to be very creative with that time and think carefully about what you get from suppliers and what you are going to hoist up when.

It also sometimes goes wrong with the suppliers. Sometimes they don't deliver on time and other times someone is suddenly on vacation so that the planning goes haywire. Then I plan a moment to argue with them to get things back on track. Then the annoyance is gone and they can happily go back to the construction site and whistle happily.

If you're not problem-solving, and if you think that with a specification and a drawing you can make work as contracted, you'd better not work in construction.''

As a Superintendent, you have a management role. What do you like about that?

''It's nice when you see that you motivate an apprentice foreman in such a way that you see him fall and rise. That you see him develop and grow. At the beginning of a consultation they sit in the corner like a dead mouse and dare not say anything, but 20 meetings later they suddenly put their own visions and ideas on the table. I think those are beautiful moments. I get energy from that.''

What recurring challenges do you encounter?

''In Rotterdam we have a quote: ''Pleur op met je mening en kom met ideeën.'' That came about after I more than once get drawings back saying, ''Sorry, but that's not going to work.'' Then I ask what's not going to work and what the solution is. And then I get back, ''I don't know.'' I often miss the substantiation when someone thinks something is wrong. If someone says they can't make something. I always have clear advice then.

Just go back and take your stuff. Grab a chair and sit at the particular location for an hour with the drawing in front of you. You don't have to do any further work, you don't have to grab any pliers, you don't have to cut or saw. Just sit and watch and set aside an hour for that. Then you come back and say, ''This won't work, but if I do it this way and that way, it will work.''''

In this you hear directly your solution-oriented attitude. Do you also steer towards that with apprentice foremen that you talked about earlier?

''Yes, because they will soon face the same challenges as me. And those guys sometimes come back with ideas they don't come up with higher up. And there they say: ''Yes, yes, we can do that. I'll do the math. And two days later you get a new drawing of how it can be done. And I like that. I cherish that, because they are the future. They will take my position soon. We need them.''

Can you briefly describe how you like working with Velox? '

I have been working with Velox. I know them, and I find that they know me as well. They know what my capacity is and can sell it well based on the question a client has. I like to work with Velox because they always maintain good contact and know where my needs are.'