Big shock: Bits&Chips is publishing some articles in English in recognition of the changing demographic of its target readership. After having struggled to produce column articles in Dutch for Bits&Chips in the past I just have to be the first person to write one in English. And so I am putting my virtual pen to metaphorical paper posthaste, beginning with a French title for the sake of pure linguistic perversity.
Last year saw me celebrating thirty years as a Dutch resident. Back in 1985 I came to Eindhoven on a two-year contract. In those days Eindhoven was a very different place, completely dominated by Philips. One ate in the Philips canteen and pissed on Philips-made porcelain. When Philips shut down for the summer, Eindhoven became a ghost town.
In the last thirty years Eindhoven has seen enormous changes, without a doubt for the better. Viewed broadly I think it’s fair to say that there’s a rich network of successful, high-potential businesses developing. There’s still a long way to go before this network will be robust enough to weather the fortunes of the region’s few multinational OEMs, but there’s every reason to be optimistic. Further, the success of initiatives such as Brainport Development and Brainport Industries are not only making the region visible on the global stage but are also waking the region up to the world-class capabilities that reside here. I have to say that I’m increasingly impressed with and happy to be a part of what feels like a growing success story. Nevertheless, I think that we can do better yet.
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