Croonwolter&dros

In this client interview, Stud talks with Harold Vreeburg, HR Director at Croonwolter&dros. We discuss the company’s activities and the role that Stud’s temporary workers play there. In a large office building in Rotterdam, three Stud temps are working in the HR department. They are deployed flexibly to take on a variety of tasks.

Case Study

Based in Rotterdam, Croonwolter&dros proudly calls itself “the finest technology company in the Netherlands,” according to HR Director Harold Vreeburg. The company is part of TBI Holdings B.V., one of the largest construction and technology groups in the country. This group of companies focuses on sustainable innovation. Within the utility division alone, around 3,000 people are employed, with 650 working at the Rotterdam office. Croonwolter&dros provides EWI solutions (electrical, mechanical, and ICT engineering) for infrastructure, industry, and high-end projects. In addition, they offer products and services in areas such as building management, fire safety, security, and smart building technologies. Beyond the Netherlands, Croonwolter&dros also operates in Poland (engineering) and Aruba (industrial projects).

Tijn Koning

Where it all began
The origins of Wolter & Dros go back to Amsterdam in 1875. They were responsible for installing the very first central heating systems—true pioneers of their time! A year later, Croon Electrische Schellenmakers was founded, a company that installed the first electric lighting. In 2017, these two companies merged to form Croonwolter&dros. Together, they now have more than 280 years of experience in technology. One major advantage of working at Croonwolter&dros is that TBI has set up a study fund, Stichting Studiefonds TBI. This foundation provides children of employees with financial support for tuition or college fees.

“The fresh perspective that students bring helps you see things more simply.”

Year-end rush?
Like many other technical companies, Croonwolter&dros also faces the year-end rush. The stress and pressure that businesses experience is already building up, as many projects are wrapped up before the end of the year. Especially in the last two weeks of the year, the pressure can rise significantly at Croonwolter&dros. This is when Stud temps can step in—just as they did in the HR department. Throughout December, the HR department is extremely busy. On top of the regular monthly tasks, additional work comes in, such as year-end payroll processing, calculating new vacation entitlements, and updating the counters with the correct number of vacation days for each employee. In short: plenty of work to do in December!

Collaboration with Stud
For the past 1.5 years, Croonwolter&dros has been working with Stud. Temporary workers were first deployed in the finance service department. Previously, expenses were reimbursed weekly, but this had to be switched to a monthly process. Changing this arrangement led to a large number of phone inquiries. Stud temps were brought in to handle these questions.

In the meantime, the Delft students provided by Stud are now mainly involved in HR-related tasks. At Croonwolter&dros’ headquarters, many employees have a background from universities of applied sciences (HBO) and research universities (WO) in Delft. For Delft students, this is an excellent opportunity to eventually secure a permanent position at a unique company through Stud.

What Harold Vreeburg would like to share with students is that they should allow themselves to be “uncertain.” By this, Harold means that up to the age of 35, you should try to do as many different things as possible. According to Harold Vreeburg, the advantage of working with Stud temps is that these students are not only technically skilled but also broadly developed. They are professionals who can be deployed for both technical and non-technical work. This is exactly what Croonwolter&dros is looking for—alongside competencies such as professionalism, passion, and teamwork. For assignments at Croonwolter&dros, they are looking for independent and fast-learning temporary workers.