Frank Slangen

"Endurance sport at the highest level”

Yard Manager Frank Slangen is unapologetically enthusiastic about the tremendous technical challenges at HFG. Tight time limits and material constraints, and designs that may change on the fly. Balance reality with creativity every day, he likes to call it “endurance sport at the highest level”.

Frank’s pride is understandable looking at the numbers. In as little as 48 weeks his yard can clock 1 million man hours of work. At peak times, there will be a 1,000 people working in the yard.

Frank’s first job at Heerema, after graduating from university with a degree in engineering, was designing bridges. He later progressed to a coordinator and spent time offshore. After four years he told Heerema he’d hit a wall in engineering and got offered a position as business analyst. In 18 months he drew up business plans for the CEO and the CFO.

His next move was to the position of Project Manager in Vlissingen, where he handled four massive projects simultaneously. He was entrusted with the task of writing a business proposal for a €1.5 billion project and led the development and installation of a novel platform concept. In 2010, 11 years after joining the company, he was promoted to Yard Manager in Vlissingen. Frank’s whirlwind career is a testimony to his talent and Heerema’s policy of promoting its employees’ professional development.

“If you keep an open mind, invest time in the company, and take matters into your own hands, then the sky’s the limit.” And what if you make a mistake? “One of my engineers ordered the wrong kind of roller benches, which cost us a lot of money. He had a serious conversation and he got told off, but we do allow people to make mistakes. It’s how we all learn.”