A peek behind the scenes: interview with intern Ruben
Ruben Baillière (23) is studying Industrial Engineering, majoring in Automation, at Ghent University and is doing his final year as an intern at HUPICO.
We've known you for about three months now, but can you introduce yourself briefly?
"I'm Ruben Baillière and I'm in my final year as a master's student. At the Schoonmeersen campus in Ghent, I am following the Industrial Engineering track. I want to specialise in a technical field, hence my choice towards automation. From this pillar, I looked for an apprenticeship.
I am originally from Ostend and still live nearby, but I have gradually lost my heart to my college town Ghent. It is therefore nice that I can hang around here for a while longer." - Ruben Baillière
How did you end up at HUPICO?
"Simply through a search on Google. I was specifically looking for robotics companies in the region. After all, there are not that many players. HUPICO actually came up almost immediately. I plucked up my courage and sent an initial introductory message. I also sent requests for internships to other companies, but Johan Paul responded immediately on behalf of HUPICO.
So a few months back, I was allowed to come for an interview and was immediately given a guided tour. The opportunities HUPICO can offer me became immediately clear. Johan told me about the vision of being a true 'Industry 4-0 player'. That was music to my ears (laughs)." - Ruben Baillière
How is your internship going in practice now? Which project are you mainly involved with here?
"My internship can actually be divided between the two semesters but the ultimate goal is to work out a full demo setup with an AMR (autonomous mobile robot) for an intralogistics application.
Currently, I am working on programming the conveyor belt. Think about the specific controls, feed and discharge, etc.
In the second semester, I want to be at the company even more often. Then I will effectively start working with BeeWaTec's AMR. All orders should then be automatically detected by sensors. These sensors will indicate whether a new order needs to be delivered, or if there is room to bring in a new order. This should ensure efficient communication with the PLC and the order server. A challenging task, you could say." - Ruben Baillière
Do you recommend an internship at HUPICO so far?
"I can answer YES to that wholeheartedly. I can work independently here, within a team that has a lot of knowledge. Johan and Tobias help me get back on track in no time if I get stuck. You just notice that it's a team that doesn't sit still. Then you just want to move forward too!" - Ruben Baillière
The Christmas holidays are just over. So you are halfway through your internship period. Do you feel that you have already learned something?
"Of course you learn a lot within your own field. But besides that, this time you are really in the field. At school, you learn the theory and sometimes do a practical test, but of course that still differs from reality.
The real challenge starts for me in the second semester with the mobile robot. I'm looking forward to it!" - Ruben Baillière
On behalf of all colleagues: Ruben, thank you for your enthusiasm, commitment and sociability! We wish you every success with your internship.