Ben-Al-Lal Ismaël, Elektromechanics engineer of GROUP T and Project Manager with Futech, a company he himself set up. (Foto: Filip Van Loock)
Ismaël is of foreign origin – his parents both migrated from Morocco – but he feels completely Belgian. “I was born in Sint-Truiden and grew up in Zoutleeuw amongst Belgians so I never had any problems with the Dutch language or with integration in general”, he relates. “Neither of these places are known exactly as immigrant communities.” Whether he would take up engineering studies at GROUP T was a non-issue from the beginning, really. “I heard that the Leuven university college had a good reputation amongst entrepreneurs because of its profile and broad education that focuses not only on science and technology but also on other crucial skills an engineer requires in his later professional practice. In addition to that, my brother Omar had already studied at GROUP T so the path to Leuven was already paved.”
Production leader
The project work in GROUP T’s engineering program and the adventures of the first Solar Team in 2005 gave Ismaël and 13 of his fellow students the idea to start a new solar team. “I was planning to do something else during or after my studies in any case”, he continues. “Either two years extra to become a civil engineer or two extra semesters to build a solar car and take it to Australia.” The choice was quickly made and Ismaël became the production leader of GROUP T’s second Solar Team and was responsible for the construction of the car. “A demanding, but hugely fascinating job”, he remembers. “And many interesting contacts with high-tech companies. Depending on what a certain part had to look like, it was my task to find the right partners. The subject of my thesis was the suspension for the new solar car.”
Ismaël describes the supplementary learning path with the Solar Team as his best time at GROUP T. “Unbelievable what we accomplished in a short period. Collecting the required budgets and knowhow, starting from nothing and then resurfacing after a year with a car that could compete against the best teams in the world.”
Never applied for a job
When Ismaël returned from Australia in the fall of 2007, he only had to finish his thesis. However, this did not prevent two companies from asking him to start working for them. “I never applied for any jobs”, Ismaël says proudly. “As far as that was concerned, nor did most of the other members of the Solar Team. If you add such an ambitious project to your training, you attract the attention of companies looking for engineers with a hands-on approach anyhow. This is why I really recommend GROUP T’s two-year master program to anyone who wants to add great value to his or her degree.”
In early January 2008, Ismaël went to work for Indupol, a polyester and synthetic fibers manufacturer and one of the sponsors of the Solar Team. “The company had bought a machining installation that stood their doing nothing for two years. I was given the assignment to finally bring it in production and to automate large parts of the process. That worked out well.”
Earlier, in December 2007, Ismaël joined another challenging project, Formula Zero, which set out to build a hydrogen-powered cart. Ismaël was named vice-president of the Formula Zero Emission Racing Team that in 2009 became world champion with a self-built cart.
His own engineering firm
Ismaël stayed at Indupol for a year and a half. Then he thought, along with Pieter Vangeel, leader of the second Solar Team, it was time for something new. This was to be the initiating step for Futech which was baptized in December 2008. “We’d been toying with the idea to do something with solar energy ourselves for quite a while and to put our expertise in photovoltaic cells to practice”, Ismaël clarifies. “More so because we were told repeatedly that the quality of these cells were often substandard compared, for instance, to those produced in Germany. So we started our own engineering firm that was to take control of the management and support of the entire PV project, from design to the installation of solar panels, including yield calculations, financial analysis and mechanical study. An all-in service, in other words, customized to meet the client’s needs.”
Ismaël’s customers are 85% SMEs (small and medium-sized companies), the rest are private individuals. “For companies that apply for investment credits, it is crucial that there is a solid file on the table”, Ismaël states. “In a bank audit, the amateurs are exposed quickly. Usually, we are the only ones that remain. Our motto is a reflection of ‘Stop talking, start acting’.” In 2009 Futech has installed more than 30,000 solar panels.
Engineer and entrepreneur
What does it take to become a true engineer/entrepreneur? Ismaël has his answer ready: “For starters, you have to have a strong technological base and you must be equally accomplished at the financial, economic and legal levels. In other words, an engineer/entrepreneur must be an all-rounder. In that respect, we were given an excellent preparation at GROUP T. We also learned to make-do. And when there is something we don’t know, we use networking to find the right people with the right information so that we can master the art.”
One thing is for sure: Futech raises the stakes. “Our ambition is to be amongst the top Belgian photovoltaic companies next year”, Ismaël confirms. “We are already building many of the largest installations in the country. At the level of knowhow and new technologies, we are aiming at being number one. Not only at the level of solar energy, but also more broadly, wind turbines, for instance. We’re simply interested in anything that has to do with future tech.”
Yves Persoons
