Introduction
As an engineer, you learn that every design is eventually handed over. After twenty years, that moment has now arrived for me as well. Not because it has to, and not because it is no longer possible, but because it feels right. That may be the most beautiful thing I can say about this moment. Just like a well-designed solution eventually falls into place naturally, this farewell feels like it is happening at exactly the right time.
During the years I have worked at MechDes, the company has grown enormously, but what has always remained the same for me is the passion, the technical sharpness and the feeling that together we are truly creating something valuable. Being part of that as Technical Director for such a long time fills me with pride.
I originally joined MechDes through a detour that, looking back, turned out to be exactly the right path. I was working in Tilburg, had young children at home and spent three hours commuting every day. At some point the calculation became simple: this was no longer sustainable. So I started my own business as a freelancer. Through various assignments, I reconnected with MechDes and with Henk van Ommeren, who was one of my clients at the time. Shortly afterwards, he asked me to become Manager Engineering. It immediately felt right, because I already knew many of the people here. The decision was quickly made. I did think for a moment about giving up the freedom of being self-employed, but the feeling won over the doubt. Sometimes you simply know: this is where I want to belong.
From twenty people in Nunspeet to an organisation with real strength
When I started, we were located on the upper floor of an office building in Nunspeet. Six work islands, four workstations per island. Twenty-four desks, and even then that already felt like a huge number of people to me. No HR department, no recruitment, no marketing. Everything rested on just a few shoulders. Initially, we mainly worked on projects for AWL, but we increasingly started taking on projects for other customers as well. Step by step, the team grew. So quickly, in fact, that we decided to bring in a second Manager Engineering. He took responsibility for the AWL projects. I focused on external customers and increasingly on heavy machinery and offshore projects. These types of projects are inspiring and technically challenging, and they require more than just knowledge. They require calmness, overview and the willingness to remain critical, even when pressure increases.
That growth shaped MechDes, and that growth also shaped me.
The right question is more important than the immediate answer
People sometimes assume that a good engineer should always have an answer ready. I do not believe that is true. You can never know everything, and if you pretend that you do, you often miss the real problem. What matters is asking the right question, so you know where to look for the right answer.
That also applies when working with customers. I have said this for years: you should not do what the customer asks, you should do what the customer actually needs. Those two things do not always align. Sometimes you have to tell someone in a respectful but clear way: what you are asking for will not give you what you truly need. Let us take a closer look. That requires courage, technical knowledge and the ability to genuinely listen. At MechDes, we have always had that sharpness, and it is one of our strengths.
Knowledge is not in documents: it is in collaboration
People say that experience cannot be replaced. I agree with that. But you can make sure it is not lost. Not through one major handover moment at the end of a career, but by working closely with people every day. I have never believed in transferring knowledge from behind a desk in a private office. I was always right in the middle of the engineers, close to where things happened. I heard what was going on, saw where challenges arose and could immediately support design reviews, technical questions and decision-making moments.
That is how I have always worked. Looking back, I only now realise how much value that approach created. The people who joined MechDes together with me now know just as much, or even more, than I do. That is exactly how it should be. If you are the smartest person in the room, you are in the wrong room.
At the same time, there is a challenge that I want to acknowledge honestly: we now have an enormous amount of documents, guidelines and instructions. The people who created them know where everything can be found. But for someone new joining the company, it can become a real search. Making knowledge easier to find is a project in itself. And that is something we are seriously investing in, including with AI as a supporting tool. Because knowledge that cannot be found is effectively no longer knowledge. It is simply gone.
Making mistakes is allowed, but you have to learn from them
When I look back at my own mistakes, I see a pattern: in the beginning, I often thought too complexly. Seeing a problem and immediately diving into it, exploring every angle, going deeper and deeper, until you lose sight of the bigger picture. I learned to take a step back at those moments. To look from a helicopter view. Are we still heading in the right direction? Or are we simply making things more complicated than they need to be?
That is also why design reviews are so important at MechDes. We involve people with a fresh perspective. These are engineers who were not closely involved in the project, allowing them to look at the design without tunnel vision. That is not a sign of weakness, it is a sign of trust. And the great thing is that by doing this, you also give people the opportunity to take ownership and develop their own opinion about a project. That is where real growth happens for engineers.
Less is More grew directly from this philosophy. Henk and I developed that vision together, and I am proud that it never became just a slogan. It is truly embedded in the way we work here. Less complexity, more focus on what really matters. It sounds simple, but it requires discipline. You have to keep asking yourself: can this also be done in a simpler way? Every single day.
What I hope to leave behind
My father was a teacher. I think I inherited something from him after all. I genuinely enjoy teaching people, coaching them and seeing them grow into skilled professionals. When you see someone who started here as a Junior Mechanical Engineer now independently making decisions that are right, both technically and professionally, you know something has been passed on. Not because you explained it, but because it grew through collaboration.
What I hope remains after I leave is not a stack of documents or a list of rules of thumb. It is our working culture, and that is what we need to preserve. MechDes is a place where everyone can be themselves. Where you are not afraid to suggest a creative idea that may not work afterwards. Where people are given the space to explore, try things, make mistakes and sometimes get stuck... and then find the way forward together. That is the foundation on which great engineering grows. And that foundation exists at MechDes.
My successor Sander den Oudsten has already been working at MechDes for 19 years. He knows the people, the customers and the way we work. He will have the space to put his own mark on the organisation and take MechDes another 20 years forward. My advice to him: ask more questions than you give answers. Give people the opportunity to discover the right answer themselves. You do not always have to be the loudest voice in the room. Take a step back when needed. Sometimes staying quiet and listening is the most powerful choice you can make as a technical leader.
A new chapter, with tools in hand
Now that I am stepping away, it is not because I have had enough. I still go to work every day with great pleasure. But there are also so many other things that are genuinely enjoyable, and I finally feel ready to make time for them. I have always enjoyed working with my hands. Building, restoring and creating things. When I am physically working, my mind finds peace. After a day of hard work, you go to bed feeling fulfilled. That feeling has been familiar to me for decades, and I look forward to experiencing more of it.
A concrete dream that I recently acquired is my Austin Healey 3000 MK III from 1967. This summer, I will first enjoy driving it, discovering how it feels, and then look at what can and should be improved. Finding parts, perhaps creating some myself. Even there, it does not start with turning a wrench, but with careful observation. Understanding how something was originally designed. In essence, that is no different from the work I have done over the past twenty years. Only this time without strict deadlines and without risk matrices. Taking the time to do quality work.
Passed on with confidence
When people look back in ten or twenty years and mention my name, I hope they mainly say that I helped people grow. That I helped create an environment where people could be themselves, develop their skills and learn how to make good decisions. To me, that is ultimately the greatest thing you can leave behind as a technical leader. Not just knowledge, but confidence. Not just experience, but a way of working together in which people become stronger than they thought possible.
That is what I wish for MechDes in the future: that the organisation continues to grow without losing its own character. That knowledge remains secured, curiosity stays alive and people continue to have the space to get the best out of themselves. Above all, I hope the same sense of togetherness, commitment and mutual respect remains that made these twenty years so special for me. I carry MechDes close to my heart, and I know that feeling is mutual.
I leave MechDes behind with calmness and confidence. Not blind confidence, but conscious confidence. The organisation is strong. The people know what they are doing. The next generation is ready to continue building on what we have created together. For me, that is more than enough.
Kees van Son worked at MechDes Engineering for twenty years and was the technical conscience of the organisation for many years, with his final years as Technical Director. He will say goodbye to the organisation in July 2026 due to his retirement.
