Role
Technical Project Manager
Custom production machines, from purchase order to stable production. Mechanical decisions, suppliers, FAT, SAT and commissioning across Europe and the US.
Location
Belgium
Status
Available from 1 November
Nationality
Belgian · EU citizen
Languages
EN · NL · FR
GITSELS.ME · REV 2.0 · 07.2026
I grew up around mechanics, electronics and home automation in my father's company. As a child, I was already building things, from welded bicycles to a home-built buggy. Technology was never an abstract subject for me. It was something you could touch, test and improve.
Today, I run machine projects from the first drawing to on-site start-up, as the client's main technical contact. I am at my best during commissioning, when the machine has to perform and the cause of a problem is not yet clear.
"Use your farmer's mind: look at what is actually happening, keep it simple and solve the real problem."
I test, measure and try to understand the behaviour first. I investigate the problem myself before involving someone else. Only when it truly falls outside my field do I bring in the right specialist, and I remain responsible for the outcome.
I work closely with operators and technicians. They often know details that never appear in a drawing or manual. I listen, work alongside them and explain why an adjustment is needed, not only how to make it. For me, a solution is complete only when the local team can continue without depending on another service visit.
I clarify the production need, interfaces, constraints and acceptance criteria before technical decisions begin.
I translate the requirement into a workable mechanical concept, with attention to access, cleaning, adjustment and integration.
I prepare the technical information, compare proposals and follow critical parts through manufacturing and delivery.
I stay close to the workshop, resolve practical questions and check that the machine is being built as intended.
I test the machine against the agreed requirements, identify remaining issues and make sure it is ready to leave the workshop.
I prepare the technical handover, site requirements and open points so installation does not begin with avoidable surprises.
I commission the machine on site, solve integration problems and train the people who will work with it.
I stay involved until the machine performs reliably and the local team can operate and recover it independently.
End clients are anonymised. Ask me about any of these in person.
Food producers need custom dosing and filling equipment integrated into existing lines, typically on nine-week lead times.
Owned 10-15 customer-specific machine projects per year end to end: mechanical concept, supplier coordination, build follow-up, FAT, shipping, SAT and commissioning.
Machines from simple pneumatic depositors (about 20k EUR) to multi-head servo systems (150k+ EUR) and prototype builds up to about 300k EUR, in production across Europe and the US.
Three identical high-speed dosing machines on three sites kept tripping on servo overload and vibration alarms; one motor encoder came back shattered.
Traced the root cause to a hub design flaw in the crank drivetrain, specified an interference-fit bearing hub redesign, and coordinated remote drive tuning with the motor manufacturer.
Peak torque cut by roughly a third, alarms eliminated, all three lines back in stable production. A structural transmission upgrade is now being piloted.
A machine only earns its money after SAT, and local teams need to recover from failures without waiting for a service visit.
Ran solo commissioning and troubleshooting trips under production pressure, trained operators, and wrote a customer-facing backup, restore and recalculation manual.
Faster start-ups and fewer service visits. Standardised mechanical adjustments and interfaces reduced commissioning time.
Highly configurable machines meant every quote and every project folder started from scratch.
Built Excel-based configuration and pricing tools linking technical parameters to cost drivers; introduced digital project templates and component libraries for recurring tanks and sub-assemblies.
Faster, more consistent quoting, better reuse and traceability, and shorter commissioning through standardised interfaces.
2026 - now
Freelance
Supporting ongoing assignments and start-ups for industrial machine builders.
2023 - 2026
Atlantic Engineering, Belgium
Primary technical owner for automated dosing and filling machines; 10-15 customer-specific machine projects per year, end to end; budgets 20k-300k EUR.
2022 - 2023
Own venture, alongside full-time role
Built and explored a venture alongside full-time engineering work.
2021 - 2023
Atlantic Engineering
Installation, troubleshooting and calibration at customer sites across Europe; operator training under production pressure.
2020 - 2021
Atlantic Engineering
Workshop assembly of servo and pneumatic dosing machines; maintenance documentation.
2013 - 2020
Duotecno, Bruges
On-site commissioning of home automation systems; R&D testing for voice-control integration.
Bachelor of Electromechanical Engineering · HoGent, Ghent · 2016 - 2020
Dutch: native · English: fluent · French: B1
Extra technical capacity for machine projects, commissioning and production problems. I can support a defined phase, take temporary ownership of a project, or act as the local technical contact for a machine builder.
I know the path from mechanical concept to on-site start-up and can become operational quickly. Support can be used for a defined phase or only on the days it is needed. When a permanent solution is required, I can help bridge the gap and leave the project in a structured state.
My primary goal remains a permanent role as a technical project manager.
A permanent role with clear upward potential: strong technical execution today, broader responsibility tomorrow.
Location
Belgium
Document
Open to selected freelance assignments.
DOCUMENT END · GITSELS.ME · REV 2.0 · BELGIUM