Gijs van Ee, Sales Engineer at DROMEC

At DROMEC, there is someone who brilliantly combines technology and commerce: Gijs van Ee! Having started in Engineering, he has grown into a role in Sales, where he now strengthens the team as a Sales Engineer. And that job title says it all: Gijs is someone who thinks along with the customer’s needs and then sells a complex winch system based on that solution!

Engineering

His roots lie in the engineering of winches and winch systems, which means he naturally approaches everything from a technical perspective. Gijs explains: “During the first conversation with a customer, I look beyond the initial request. I analyse the situation and take everything into account: space, complexity, and technical possibilities.”

It doesn’t matter to Gijs which sector a customer operates in: he has a broad scope and mainly focuses on finding a sustainable technical solution. Whether it involves a small winch or a large one, he remains in “engineer mode.” This allows him to truly think along with complex challenges and clearly explain the technical consequences of certain decisions. “What I enjoy most about my job is the diversity of projects. Today I don’t know what I’ll be designing tomorrow,” Gijs says with excitement in his eyes.

Prototypes and series production

His commercial side is a special one: “I love developing a technically complex project as a prototype first, and then building it in large series afterwards,” he says with a smile.

“For example, when developing winches for wind turbines, a mirrored system is more complex. But because it works better for the customer, I know it will lead to series production later on. And that brings DROMEC a lot of great work!”

Core values

What Gijs values most? Our core values. “My favourite core value is still that we always help each other. That really remains a constant at DROMEC, and I truly appreciate it.”

He has been working at DROMEC for several years now and has noticed the organisation is growing. This has made the mix of colleagues even more enjoyable. Different types of people together create the fresh team spirit that is so characteristic of DROMEC.

Vestas

Gijs highlights a project he is proud of: “For Vestas, we developed winches for frames used to transport wind turbine blades on ships. These are blade racks that hold around 3 to 4 blades stacked on top of each other. The process is technical and precise: the crane lowers the blade all the way down, then a frame tilts 90 degrees above the blade, and the next blade is stacked on top.”

For this system, we developed two types of winches:

• The first winch is a 12-ton winch, designed to tilt the frames of the blade racks. It features a control system with manual operation. Because there was very limited installation space, a compact winch was required. This meant it had to be fully integrated into the 3D drawing to ensure it could be fitted precisely into the blade rack frame. These winches are now being delivered to Vestas in series production. (Example product page: EPH-12000 DG.)
• The second winch is a 6.5-ton winch, mounted on an arm on the side that follows the blade using Constant Tension (CT). As soon as the crane lowers the blade, the arm catches it. No force may be applied to the blade. The winch ensures this does not happen: it presses against the blade with a maximum of 50 kg to guide it and prevent damage. (Example product page: EPH-6500 VDGTF.)

This guiding system is a prototype. We installed it within a few days, and DROMEC adjusted it remotely and carried out the fine-tuning. In addition, a report was created with findings and recommendations for possible improvements.

Core strength

This project perfectly shows what Gijs excels at: technical thinking, looking ahead, and working together with both customers and colleagues to create solutions that make us say: “Awesome!”

Frequently asked questions

What does a Sales Engineer do at DROMEC?
A Sales Engineer translates customer needs into a technically sound solution and supports the journey from analysis to proposal and delivery.

Why is an engineering background important in winch sales?
Because space, loads, installation, controls and safety often determine whether a concept is feasible at all.

What does CT (Constant Tension) mean in this project?
CT is a control principle where the winch follows tension in a controlled way, so a load (like a blade) can be guided without unwanted forces.

What’s the difference between a prototype and series production?
A prototype is the first working version used to test and optimize; after validation, the same solution can be produced efficiently in series.

Why is “limited installation space” such a challenge for winches?
Because the winch must fit the design precisely, often down to millimetres, including rope path, drivetrain and mounting points.

How does DROMEC support installation and fine-tuning?
Depending on the project, DROMEC can support installation on-site and guide settings and fine-tuning (where possible) remotely as well.

Which industries does DROMEC serve with winches and winch systems?
DROMEC supports multiple industries, including maritime, offshore, wind energy and industrial applications, depending on the requirements.