At Quooker’s R&D department, sixty bright minds are constantly working on improving our products. While part of their work happens behind a computer, they spend just as much time working hands-on. They tinker with components, explore materials, solder circuit boards, build prototypes, and test them. As the department continues to grow rapidly, space for practical work became increasingly limited. The solution: a vacant building near Quooker’s headquarters in Ridderkerk was transformed into Quooker’s R&D lab.

A dedicated workspace for every team “The lab gives my colleagues and me the space, facilities, and capacity to work effectively on our projects,” says installation engineer Diederik Vis, who was part of the team that set up the R&D lab. “There’s a large project area with a dedicated workbench for each team — a space that’s truly theirs. They can leave their tools and prototypes at the end of the day and pick up right where they left off the next day. The space also houses our robots, climate chambers, endurance testing units, and our full archive of components, measuring equipment, and prototypes. In addition, there’s a materials lab for research into things like corrosion and weld connections, a soldering workshop, an innovation lab, and even a coffee lab.”

A good cup of coffee Mariette Haanschoten can tell you everything about the coffee lab. She joined Quooker about a year and a half ago as an R&D engineer to explore opportunities in the field of coffee. “In the coffee lab, the team works full-time on brainstorming, developing concepts, building and testing prototypes, and of course tasting coffee,” she explains. “With a high-quality espresso machine and a cozy seating area, the coffee lab has also become a bit like the living room of the R&D lab. Colleagues love to drop by for a great cup of coffee.”

A culture of creating That social aspect is an important part of the lab, say Mariette and Diederik. “Since the R&D lab opened, there’s been more interaction and collaboration between the different project teams,” Diederik notes. “One team is working on a new tank, another on coffee, and another on improvements to the tap. Being in the same space means you naturally pick up on each other’s projects — and that’s what makes it so enjoyable.”

Mariette agrees: “There’s a real maker mindset in the lab, which creates a sense of calm and focus — even with music playing and people soldering and building around you. You consciously step away from your computer to come to the lab. Everyone there shares the same focus, and that’s incredibly inspiring.”

Published on 09-02-2024