People in Lighting: STAR Team
For more than a century, Schréder has been a global leader in lighting solutions thanks to the hard work and dedication of its employees. Life@Schréder highlights the people who make this company what it is, across the 70 countries where we do business. Our diverse, international, workforce is united by an ongoing dedication to excellence in lighting.
We first spoke to the Schréder Technical Assistance and Response (STAR) team back in 2022, about how they work with customers to bring safe, sustainable lighting to tunnels worldwide. Since the team has expanded to include new members and support projects of every type, around the globe. From tunnels in Brazil, to solar-powered lighting for picturesque beaches, via sports venues of every size, the STAR team work with Schréder’s local staff to get the lighting right, even in the toughest conditions. We thought it was time to catch up with them again, so we spoke to Group Technical Sales Support Engineers Thomas Collette, Luis Calvo and Axel Fauville to discuss their work underground, overground and around the world.
Technical Assistance and Response covers a lot of functions…
Luis: While it's true that we work on a lot on tunnel projects, we also provide technical support to the local teams around the world on a wide range of applications. This includes everything from smart sports lighting systems with Schréder ITERRA to sustainable solar solutions. We provide support at every stage, from lighting studies to measuring lighting levels on the ground to ensure compliance with technical standards. We take the time to go and see the space after dark, with our own eyes, and take measurements with specialist equipment.
But yes, a significant portion of our work is indeed focused on tunnels. They are among the most technically complex installations we sell and many of our colleagues on site lack experience with these solutions. Many of the technical aspects of this work must be carried out on site. We also do a lot of training-related work, as being part of the STAR team involves collecting and disseminating knowledge through training, articles and other platforms. We find the right people within the company to answer the most technical questions.
We all had different paths into Schréder…
Thomas: Schréder is my second job, following two and a half years in the biopharmaceutical industry. I heard about the company through a friend when I was looking for a new career challenge. He said it was a great place to work. We all studied engineering at university and could have gone into a range of career paths: the physics aspects of lighting technology has a real learning curve to it! When I joined, there was newcomers day, where you meet a lot of new people and they help you to learn the basics and put you on the right track. I’m specialised in solar lighting, which has been a huge growth area for the company in recent years – we are able to offer customers really nice lighting solutions in off-grid areas.
Axel: This is my first job. I had just finished my studies in Liège when I joined the company. Like Thomas, I studied engineering and had to learn about lighting specifically. Working for Schréder presented a great opportunity to work with a young team, travel and learn. I’m focused on tunnels, but I also support Luis with Schréder ITERRA, and Thomas with solar lighting.
Luis: My first job was in heavy industry as a predictive maintenance engineer. My job involved measuring vibrations on plant machinery to determine whether maintenance was required or if we needed to stop everything in case of an explosion. One day, while I was out in the middle of nowhere listening to pipes, I realised that I was ready for a change. Schréder sounded interesting and offered a nice mix of travel and office work, so I decided to take this step. I’m our specialist for Schréder ITERRA, a relatively new system which is designed for sports lighting.
The Schréder ITERRA solution is so popular because users can control it wirelessly with an app. It's much easier to install, which minimises disruption to the ground for smaller projects, such as a BMX track or grassroots football stadium. I have worked on quite a few projects here in Belgium, but our biggest project is in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where our colleagues are lighting a major football stadium with over 50 nodes.
You do get to see the world…
Axel: But it’s not like being on holiday! The site isn’t always pleasant and because the projects are complex, we have to resolve issues under pressure with limited time. So yes, I’ve been to Brazil, Water Valley in Alberta, Canada and many places in France, but none of these trips were easy!
Conditions are often tough. For a start, we want to minimise disruption, so we often work at night, when it’s easier to close tunnels or main roads. Even if it’s wet, cold, blowing a gale... we still have to get out there and work, whether that’s taking photos for the lighting study or making sure system nodes are connected. I am going to Colombia next and I hope it will be a good trip.
Luis: In Brazil, we worked day and night on Tamoios, this incredible project in São Paulo state. Tunnel T3/T4 will be the longest in Brazil. For many of my colleagues, it was their first time working on a tunnel and we encountered issues that we had never seen before, so it was intense! When you finish a project like this, you have really poured everything you have into it. I’m just back from Casablanca. It was my first time working in Morocco. It was a whole new experience and excellent training to see how they work and how all the coordination is done.
Thomas: One of my first projects was a tunnel near Dubrovnik in Croatia which consists of two long tubes. It was challenging for various reasons, but we managed to get it working over three nights. We had to do the commissioning, and of course, we encountered some problems. We improvised, learned on the spot, and the local colleagues showed impressive goodwill and creativity. All of this helped us get the job done.
We have also branched out into solar lighting…
Thomas: In the past year I’ve been more and more focused on solar lighting. We are seeing increasing interest from our customers for these solutions, making it one of the highest priorities for the Group. Some people estimate that half of all street lighting will be solar-powered in ten years' time. This may be an ambitious target, but it's true that an increasing number of street lights rely on sunlight and therefore don’t need to be connected to the grid.
I support our solar rollout by training colleagues and providing project support for larger projects, including lighting studies and autonomy calculations. When working on large solar projects, it is important to consider power consumption and ensure that the required amount of light matches the energy that can be produced by the solar panel.
These studies are a bit more complicated than our usual lighting designs because the solar panels must be oriented correctly and battery capacity is an important factor. My favourite project is one that we recently won in Corsica with Photinus. It involves a bicycle route and two parking areas. I’m hoping that we can also win projects in even more northerly locations! The technology is constantly improving.
It’s a big company, and a supportive one…
Thomas: For the three of us, joining such a large company was a new experience. But the people are really nice and supportive and the atmosphere is highly collaborative. You can easily talk to any colleague and get the help you need. Senior management goes to great lengths to be transparent and provide us with insights into how the business is performing around the world. This keeps us involved and informed.
Axel: We are a very close-knit team. Our strength lies in the fact that we work in a really thoughtful way. It's never a case of, 'I'll do my part, and not worry about the rest.' We're constantly checking in with each other and asking, 'What do you think about that? Do you want some help? Can we speed up the work together?' We really look out for each other. No matter what level of the hierarchy you're at, you can go to any office, ask questions, and enjoy good collaboration.
Outside of work, we’re also busy…
Thomas: I like tennis, but I only really play in the summer. For the rest of the year, I enjoy running and cycling. I’m currently training for my first marathon, which is taking place in Bologna, Italy, in the spring. I also like playing tennis because it gives you the opportunity to have a beer with your friends after the match.
Axel: I enjoy Belgian beer and I love cycling – I used to compete when I was younger. I’ve cycled around France, Switzerland and Italy, including challenging routes like the Col de l’Izoard. Our manager, Corentin, has encouraged us all to play tennis together, so we are learning and improving. (Axel is too modest to mention it, but Thomas points out he once shared a podium with Wout van Aert!)
Luis: Everyone in the team is so passionate about cycling, but I haven’t quite got into it. I do like a challenge though, so earlier this year, I joined nine other Schréder colleagues for the Oxfam Trailwalker event, one of the best-known fundraising events in Belgium. We walked 100km in 24 hours. It took a lot of preparation, but it was so worth it - in addition to challenging myself, it was a great opportunity to raise money for Oxfam and get to know colleagues from other departments.