Operational Team Leader Bert Klamer with NAM

18 July 2011

Since February 2010 Bert Klamer (56) has been working as Operational Team Leader on the gas fields in Emmen, Twente, Coevorden and De Wijk. His background is in Operations, with side-steps to Well Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Planning and Training. “I head up an operational team which keeps these gas fields in production. Due to the latest developments we are able to work more efficiently, thus operating these fields against lower costs and allowing us to keep them open much longer than in the past. ‘End of field life’ has now been postponed from 2013 until 2020-25.”

“This in turn results in more new developments, as nobody wants to invest in a plant which is due to close down within a short time. Keeping these fields and factories open offers even more opportunities. What appeals to me is that reducing costs as well as operating more efficiently is a joint effort. Teamwork, everyone has to pull together, including the Atlas personnel, seen by the NAM-people as their direct colleagues, who work equally hard on suggestions for cutting costs. Less appealing, in my opinion, are the stubborn people who refuse to accept change, let’s say those who constantly go against the flow. Luckily we don’t have many of them in our specialism. As of 6 months ago we also take care of maintenance, making full use of our people’s competencies. There is no more standing back and watching somebody else do the work, offering personnel more incentive and creating more motivation.

Freedom

“All of my jobs for NAM have been exciting; this is because they give you plenty of freedom to do the job. Personnel are encouraged to show initiative and this is appreciated by NAM. I got to know Atlas Services Group after they took over Dietsmann Technologies. I was working in Groningen as Head of Production and needed personnel at short notice to fix malfunctions on the gas wells. We already had a few Dietsmann men working for us, so contact was soon made. I find Atlas a pleasant company that always plays a positive role in solving problems. Whenever we need personnel, Atlas always manages to supply professional staff quickly.”