Written by: Laura van der Burgt
On 1 May 1996, Hans Duisters, together with Erik van Rijswijk, founded Sioux Technologies. Software engineer Peter van Knippenbergh (60) and test architect Dirk Coppelmans (61) decided at the time, without any hesitation, to embark on this new adventure with them. Together, they look back on the past 29 years. ‘I had just started at High Tech Automation, where Hans had brought me in. During our first meeting, he told me he was starting his own company. I immediately said, 'Then I'll come with you.' I didn't doubt it for a moment,’ Peter recounts. Dirk also jumped in at the deep end with complete confidence. ‘During my introductory meeting with Hans, we didn't talk about work at all, but about our outlook on life. That's when I knew: I'm going to do this.’
It's hard for our current generation of employees to imagine, but there was a time when the entire Sioux workforce could fit into one small room in the Eindhoven World Trade Centre. Peter van Knippenbergh was the very first person on the payroll. ‘My employee number proves it: it's 001,’ he says. ‘I still remember Hans and I discussing his business plan in that small office: he wanted to start seconding software engineers. I had a lot of faith in his commercial talent; he should definitely be able to keep one person employed.’ Dirk was the seventh person to apply for a job at Sioux: Hence my legendary employee number, 007. The introductory meeting with Hans was quite special because we talked about much more than just work. That immediately appealed to me. After my second interview, Hans told me a secretary was coming to apply – and if I wanted to sit in on that too. That applicant was Andrea Ahout, and she still works at Sioux.’
As is often the case with startups, Peter and Dirk were given ample opportunity to take ownership of things. Dirk remembers the creation of the logo. ‘There were drawings of possible logos on the cupboard: something with a stone and leaves, and something with a conductor. It looked more like a funeral home,’ he chuckles. In a book about logos that Dirk had brought from the Veldhoven library, they found the sun that still forms the Sioux logo. ‘It's an ancient cave painting. It perfectly matched the company culture we envisioned: powerful, simple, positive, down-to-earth.’ According to Peter, the choice of burgundy red as the sun's colour was less deliberate: ‘We had new office chairs in that colour, so we decided to match it.’
The freedom of those early years, the pioneering spirit; these are memories both men cherish. ‘Do you remember when the very first payment came in, and we heard Hans shout 'YES!' really loudly? I immediately went to get cake,’ Dirk recounts. ‘Although we grew quickly – two years later we already had about thirty people working for us – we remained a close-knit team. What bonded us was that we wanted to mean something to society, we wanted to work on projects that made the world a better place. I felt that idealism very strongly back then,’ Dirk says. ‘When one of my colleagues resigned, I really found that hard to understand – how could he do that? The human connection is still the most important thing to me. If I didn't feel so involved, I wouldn't be able to work here.’
Despite their long careers at Sioux, neither Dirk nor Peter ever felt the desire to take on a management role. ‘I did have a management position to help set up the project bureau,’ Peter says, ‘but I didn't get any satisfaction from working on long-term goals. I'm a techie; I like building things and solving problems. Just put me in a startup, that's what I enjoy. I've been able to travel a lot thanks to Sioux: I've seen a lot of Korea, China, Singapore, and Taiwan. That enriches you as a person.’ Dirk was also a team and project leader for a while but ultimately declined that role. ‘I was in meetings all day; that's not for me.’
With almost thirty years of service under their belts, Peter and Dirk don't expect to move to another employer. ‘Because I've been seconded to many different clients, I know that the grass isn't really greener on the other side,’ Peter says. ‘The younger generation is much more into job hopping; that's a real difference. I'm sometimes surprised by the high demands young people make during a job interview.’ Dirk recognizes that difference: ‘Most young techies stay with the same employer for a few years at most, which I think is a real shame. Yet, I enjoy investing in those relationships. As a coach for various colleagues and Fontys students, I share my work experience with them, and I learn from them technically.’
Another difference from about thirty years ago is their view of the future: as rock-solid as the trust was in the past, the outlook sometimes feels uncertain now. ‘I find it difficult to estimate what the future will look like for Sioux. The shortage of labour continues to grow, and things are happening at a geopolitical level that I never thought possible,’ Peter says. ‘But I know Sioux as an agile company. If we had remained stuck in the past, we would never have come this far. We always look forward.’
After 29 years full of adventure, smart solutions, and especially a lot of great people, Peter and Dirk look back with a good feeling on how Sioux Technologies has become what it is today. That modest beginning, with that small group in that one room, has grown into a place where new talents keep joining with just as much enthusiasm. ‘That initial, close bond is still there, and together we continue to look forward with pleasure to everything the future brings.
