Engineering projects often have the same complicated and time-consuming structure. Especially the technical drawings often take up a lot of time. The founders of EnginX thought this could be much simpler. CEO Saskia Eijkelhof talks about the innovative products.
No matter how complex an engineering project is, you always start with a drawing. That's also where the problems EnginX solves begin. "That first drawing that engineers make is incredibly complex, because it has to be absolutely right in terms of physics and mathematics. Of course, you don't want to develop and deliver a hydrogen engine, only to find out that it doesn't work. Because then you have to back to the drawing board. It is a process with a lot necessary checks and iterations, and that takes a lot of time. It makes sense to work so meticulously, but we can improve the process."
Digital and smart
EnginX's software now allows engineers to To make the drawing with real life components. Saskia says: "That means you can also directly simulate and calculate based on the drawing. That makes the search for suitable components much faster and easier. Engineers currently have no search engine if they are looking for a pump with a specific diameter and pumping power. They have to call producers and manufacturers, asking for specifications. Or dig through paper catalogues, comparing and converting national and international sizes. In short: an incredibly cumbersome and time-consuming process."
Saskia was introduced to EnginX through Mercator Launch. "The technical problem they are trying to solve immediately appealed to me. I have never tinkered myself, but I do recognise the complaints. Especially when customers came up with new requirements halfway through the project. Then you could really see the engineers imploding, because then they had to recalculate all the components from the drawing."
EnginX began in 2016, with three founders. A combination of backgrounds in the aircraft industry, the oil and gas industry, and astrophysics. What they had in common? Complaints about the engineering process and a desire to improve and modernise it. Therefore, the drawing process needed to be modernised.
"That produced a nice product, but not yet a conclusive business," says Saskia. "Thomas Bronzwaer started by following Both IMPROVE programmes at Mercator Launch, and there we got to know each other. Not much later, I joined EnginX. Eventually, after two years, the question came whether I wanted to take over the CEO position, so that he could focus entirely on the technical vision as CTO."
Gold in your hands
EnginX's product worked well, but how do you market it? Showing self-written code is not enough for many companies to engage with you right away. But when participating in pitches, they always showed interest. "As CEO, I therefore immediately started using financing instruments, for instance through the Startup Fund Gelderland, OostNL and Business Angels Network Nijmegen, which we were able to join through Briskr. Having cash in hand saves a lot! This gave us room to make plans."
Today, EnginX employs 12 people. "Growth has really started now, which is good to see," says Saskia. "But we still can't do it alone, and that's not a bad thing. We lean on our friends at Mercator Launch, OostNL and Briskr, for the network, knowledge and partners. The ecosystem these partners have developed in Nijmegen and beyond is fantastic. I wouldn't go so far as to call us a scale-up yet, but we are well on our way!"
A household name
Now that this growth has begun, there is also room to look ahead. "We want to become a household name in the engineering world. In fact, the software we supply makes much more possible in terms of problems from early phase engineering. From problem definition and 3D drawing to maintenance and project planning, ultimately we all want to contribute to this."
The company is quietly starting to conquer the Dutch market. "We are affiliated to the Verenigde Maakindustrie Oost-Nederland, which has 200 manufacturers. And that's just East Netherlands. We also see another huge market in the energy transition. Because if you want to switch your system to solar or hydrogen, you can count on having to go back to the drawing board. That makes it a very interesting market for us. And why look for customers far abroad when there is still so much to solve in the Netherlands?", concludes Saskia.
