
With his background in cleanroom technology and cross-cultural collaboration, Eric Stuiver, Sector Director Electronics, is strengthening Deerns’ position in the international semiconductor market.
Eric’s career can undoubtedly be called impressive, with intercultural business exposure and technological innovations.
With his passion for connecting people and technology, Eric leads important projects, including in Asia. ‘Take ASML, for example. They were already using cleanrooms in Taiwan some 20 years ago. By strengthening our relationships there, Deerns was able to support the company in innovative projects,’ he explains.
ASML plays a crucial role in the global semiconductor industry by supplying advanced chip production machines. These machines are manufactured in ultra-clean cleanrooms. “Only three particles of dust per cubic meter are allowed in these environments, due to the extreme sensitivity of nanotechnology and silicon wafers,” Eric explains.
Leadership is pushing boundaries
Early on in his career he played a key role in increasing the yield of advanced chips by improving contamination control in state-of-the-art cleanrooms. Eric’s move to Deerns in 2002 felt like a logical step where he played a key role in strengthening Deerns’ position in the semiconductor market, both in the Netherlands and internationally. He built a team of cleanroom specialists whose international experience was as critical to their portfolio as their technical expertise, taking on the leadership of this team.
Eric had had experience working to different business cultures by working in countries such as Taiwan, Singapore and China. ‘To understand customers well, you have to immerse yourself in their way of thinking and working,’ he comments. Eric believes that the combination of Asian pragmatism and European conceptualism often leads to better and more effective solutions.
He adds that in-depth knowledge of a clean room environment combined with the deep knowledge of high requirements in the semiconductor industry is the reason why Deerns has contributed to innovation and advances in this market.
In addition to our projects in the semiconductor industry, we have also established a research network with the best technical minds in Universities. ‘For example, when I do a project at a university, I first engage with the scientists to understand their research areas in order to understand what requirements they have for their cleanrooms and laboratories. This approach not only allows us to develop more appropriate solutions, but also to build a strong collaboration, which ultimately leads to successful innovations.
Honorary member Contamination Control
Last year, Eric received an honorary membership of VCCN (Dutch Association for Contamination Control) after serving nine years as chairman of the board. ‘Contamination control and cleanroom technology are universal languages, connecting people and organisations,’ he said.