About
A PLC programmer’s
way of life
PLC Fanatic / Life Enthusiast
Hey friend – thanks for stopping by! I’m Hans Schrynemakers, a full-time controls and automation engineer, living in Austria at the moment.
From being responsible for a total Siemens overhaul of an aged Allen-Bradley production line, to spending 7 weeks in Chile for commissioning a large chocolate moulding line with complex synchronised servos movements and multiple PLCs working together seamlessly, I've worked through many challenges in my 20+ years of working professionally with industrial automation.
After graduating as a controls & automation engineer in 2000, I've been working with different machine builders and production line manufacturers, mainly within the food and beverage industry. My tasks within those companies ranged from being responsible for software standardisation to commissioning and troubleshooting complex production lines at factories in different parts of the world. (In those days, I had many frequent flyer points and I was spending more nights in hotels than nights at home...)
Nowadays, I enjoy working as a self-employed system integrator on challenging projects with industry-leading machine builders. I don't travel as much as I used to, but the itch is still there. Around 60 days a year, I visit customers and work hands-on with software on machines and production lines. The end-result of a line or machine running your software smoothly and creating amazing products for the consumer still puts a smile on my face each time.
Now, if there are 3 basic ingredients that I would like to pass on to you, 3 main principles that I work by and that have made me very successful at what I do, it's structure, structure,… and structure! Building the habit of prioritizing structure in your programming is an essential skill, especially when you'll start doing bigger projects later on in your career.
My courses here on plcskilltree.com focus on implementing professional structures for your PLC and HMI applications and using the strengths of a specific platform - e.g. TIA Portal - to your advantage. It's all about using the right tools for the job!
When I'm not programming or creating courses, I'm spending quality time with my family. We travel together, we share life's greatest moments together – it's been an amazing journey so far. My wife and I do some real-estate investing as well on the side, and we're always on the look-out for the next great business opportunity.
Well that's it... I'm all out of words here. Now it's up to you! Today is a perfect day to take action and upgrade your PLC skills. So go and check out the courses and start your journey to become a better PLC programmer.
-Hans