The DNA of M+P, the common thread that runs through our stories (50/50)

Richard Florentinus
A family feeling that has lasted 40 years, and I think should continue 

Richard has the most M+P years under his belt of all of us. “The way we interact with each other and the commitment shown by everyone around me gives me a kind of family feeling that I recognise in the stories. Of course I was already aware of the projects my co-workers were involved in, but I was able to read more about them in these blogs. And the personal stories our co-workers told helped strengthen that family feeling. I also found the history of Abraham Melzer very interesting. I never knew anything about that before, even after all those years of working for M+P.

A lot has happened in the 40 years I have been here. I never expected that as a consultancy firm we would start selling measurement systems again. I sometimes wonder where we are going. Will we be taken over by AI; will our advice even still be needed? Are we still actually working on sound, or are we involved with other projects that will allow us to make a difference in the Netherlands, and beyond maybe?

In any case, I hope there will be more stories coming from M+P in the future, even after my retirement. I would love to read more about the history and to see the knowledge and family feeling being preserved. I would enjoy reading about the personal side of my co-workers, as well as new employees. And for them the following applies: ‘Hey, who are these old people that got this company where it is today?’ As far as I'm concerned, this information should not be lost.”

Saskia Hardeman
A future with time for each other and curiosity about each other’s projects

Saskia has only been working at M+P for six years, but if she recognises anything from the anniversary stories, it is the passion with which her co-workers talk about the projects they have been working on – sometimes for years. “It was a nice surprise to read that we have a form of sister company in Tel Aviv. But it was also surprising to me that we have been working with interns like this for so long. It is great to be able to read about my co-workers who started an interesting and innovative internship project here 25 years ago or more, developed it as a permanent employee, and have created an important development over the years. It just goes to show that interns really are the future. So far we have been doing a good job on this front because I think that, in recent years, more new co-workers secretly started as interns than came through the standard application process. I really hope we will be able to continue to see the importance of interns. How nice would it be to be able to say in 25 years: ‘Look, this co-worker started with this product as an AI intern in 2023.’

For the future, I hope the effect Corona had on our way of working will diminish somewhat. Because it is nice to be able to continue to see each other in person. I hope we can maintain the good atmosphere at M+P, continue to make time for each other, and take an interest in each other’s projects.”

Christiaan Tollenaar
I hope we all continue to have that hunger for technology

 

Christiaan immediately knows which important piece of M+P DNA he recognises from the stories. “If a customer has a question for which a solution has not been found yet, we simply get started. We are more than happy to tell the client about what we do not know. It could simply be because a solution doesn’t exist yet. We then access our knowledge of physics and specific subjects and combine it with the skills of our co-workers who can do amazing things with software. Things can then really start developing.

I recognise ourselves in some of the core values of our parent company Müller-BBM: ‘Excellence’ in technical areas and the ‘Courage to try something new’. And from the blogs, I recognise the way in which we eagerly get to work: we are not afraid of getting our hands dirty at a workbench, and we are happy working on theory from behind a desk, but we are just as happy outside or in The Hague. As a result, M+P has made a major contribution to noise legislation in the Netherlands.

I hope to see this way of working continue over the next in 25 years. We can offer a little something extra because we understand technically how things work. And I hope we will continue to remain curious and have that hunger for technology. That we remain real ‘techies’. Because I think that’s what makes us strong. We will continue to help customers in the future based on our knowledge, technical specialisation and our ability to incorporate new technologies.”

Ard Kuijpers
This is deeply embedded in our DNA
 

“I see a clear common thread in all the stories, which makes me happy. Our core values of freedom and creativity are clearly reflected. Freedom to work with each other on the basis of equality and openness, and the creativity to think outside the box to come up with our own solutions or to use off-the-shelf solutions to face challenges. Recently I have found myself pointing the anniversary stories out to my co-workers and applicants to show them what our DNA expresses.

I always found it very rewarding to be given so much freedom and to accept responsibility. It makes you feel like an important part of the machine. I had that feeling when I started in 1999, and I still have it.

A pioneering spirit and an eagerness to see new problems as a fun challenge rather than an obstacle makes us well equipped for future challenges. This inquisitive attitude is about mindset, and I see it in the type of people who work at M+P. It gives me plenty of confidence for the future.

In 25 years, I want us to still be doing good things in the field of information technology and living environment. Such as taking advantage of them for new measuring systems, when building custom software for our customers, or in the field of artificial intelligence. What can you do with computers and how do they help us solve problems and improve our quality of life? To be at the forefront of this development is a wish. We are thus following in the footsteps of the American Bolt Beranek and Newman Inc., which founded our parent company Müller-BBM in 1962 together with a number of leaders from the German acoustics world.

And if sound and vibrations become commonplace for everyone in a few years, then we will move on to new things. Because the real common thread is that we use our solutions from the technical side to help people, to make things simpler, and to make our living environment better. Let’s continue that tradition.”