On March 28, Roos Tuinenburg and her fellow trainees from the Friesch Dagblad, Omrop Fryslân and the Leeuwarder Courant had the unique opportunity to visit Innovatiecluster Drachten (ICD) and the affiliated companies BD and WhisperPower. This visit was part of a year-long program full of master classes and excursions, intended to give the trainees an in-depth look at the dynamic world of innovation and technology in Fryslân. This excursion to two leading companies highlighted not only technical progress but also the human aspects of innovation.
Report by Roos Tuinenburg
Thursday, March 28, we got to tour BD and WhisperPower, both affiliated with Innovatiecluster Drachten. We also talked about how technology and innovation is evolving. Always thinking, all these big technical developments, they will come in 20 years. We'll see. Then you find out on a day like this that technology is already much further developed than you think. And apparently that is also possible in Drachten. You don't have to go to Eindhoven or China.
However, sometimes people are not quite ready for that rapid development. Nice to discuss this too. After all, wasn't humanity ready for the first cars and trains at that time?
During the BD tour we saw how laboratory work is automated, and how they sell it disassembled. An example: the contents of a Petri dish were automatically spread by means of magnets. This is more accurate than any employee doing this on a bad morning, we were told. You may think so: but then people will soon lose their jobs? But there is a shortage in the sector, so these automatic hands may be very important for companies.
At WhisperPower we saw how generators are made, including everything surrounding it. When one is on, it should make as little noise as possible. Because then people on a yacht can sleep well at night. They also try to run it as efficiently as possible. We also got a look at how they heat their own building. It was nice to see how they have staff working on social problems. Someone really liked his job: “Except for those 1-cylinders, I don't get any credit from that.” That means it's too easy for him.
The visit to BD and WhisperPower was more than an excursion; it was a revelation of how technology takes shape in our immediate environment and how it contributes to the regional economy. The traineeship offers young journalists like Roos a broad perspective on the innovative business community in Fryslân, an essential element that, according to the trainees, deserves more attention in their training. This experience emphasizes the importance of integration between technology, education and local developments.
If Fryslân continues to invest in these interactions, it is inevitable that the region will continue to flourish as an important innovative hub. Let us not only embrace progress, but also actively participate in shaping this exciting future.