Employee in the picture: how R&D Engineer Joachim Van der Perre is giving our tech another dimension

As this crazy year rolls along, we’re continuing to highlight all the different members of our dream team who are helping us take on the future full force. This time we’re zooming in on Joachim Van de Perre, who helps make our innovative ideas a reality.

Like coming home 

After Joachim worked with Qcify founder Raf Peeters at sorting tech company Visys, they parted ways. Joachim went to work for a bigger company, which he left earlier this year for Qcify. “Starting at Qcify felt like coming home,” he says enthusiastically. “That’s also the charm of a small company, I think.” 

The R&D engineer figured out that working for a corporate isn’t really his thing. He was bothered by all the inside-the-box thinking and indecision. “I love how much freedom and ownership I have at Qcify,” he says. “They really have a startup mentality. If there’s a problem, I don’t want to whine about it, I want to tackle and solve it.” 

So what does Joachim do exactly? “I take care of drawing up the mechanical components of our machines,” he explains. “The hardware in particular: everything that you see on our machine has passed through me. I start with a sketch, a 2D plan or a concept and I draw the different components that come together to form a unified whole. In the case of Qcify, that’s an optical inspection machine for the real-time scanning of foods such as almonds.” 

All about people

While Qcify may live and breathe technology, like the rest of us, Joachim knows it’s all about people. 

“At Qcify you really see that customers come first, and how important it is to work together as a team to achieve impressive results,” says Joachim. “It’s nice to have that multidisciplinary collaboration. Each team member specializes in something different, but also dares to go beyond that when we need to strengthen each other. As a hardware specialist I won’t make concrete suggestions regarding software, but I will give conceptual input, and there is an exchange of ideas with other team members.” This collaboration is at the heart of Qcify’s innovation approach. “We regularly come up with fresh ideas,” says Joachim. “In today’s world I think that’s really necessary: it keeps us on our toes.” 

Of course the CEO also sets the tone for the company. “Having Raf as a boss is a breeze,” confirms Joachim. “There is no hierarchy, and Raf primarily acts as a sounding board. You also know where you stand with him, what you see is what you get. I really appreciate that direct approach. He’s open to new solutions as long as they’re not too complex, straightforward and meet the needs of our customers.”

Growing together

Although Joachim has already learned a lot at Qcify in a short time, he’s looking forward to growing even more. “I want to learn more about optics, that is optical components,” he says. “Qcify’s new machine comes at a perfect time. That whole optical concept, those configurations aren’t easy to get right. I can continue to grow my expertise on that. That’s also necessary: the company is small enough that you have to be prepared to delve into new material within your own specialization.” 

Joachim is happy to have Qcify remain small and lean for now. “Speed and agility are essential for Qcify, and that’s great: it demonstrates the power of a small company. Qcify has the wind in its sails, and I think it’s going to grow fast. I just hope it won’t become prey on the acquisition market. But I’m fully confident that Qcify is on the path to healthy and sustainable growth,” he concludes. 

Think you have what it takes to help Qcify reach the next level? Try your luck and send in a spontaneous application today!