Some people know a software company inside out. Not because they never left, but because they came back. Harold is one of them. He started his career at Hint in 2001. He left in 2014 to gain experience elsewhere. In 2024, he returned.

That’s reason enough for a good conversation. We talked about his comeback, his work on Hint’s software team, and where he sees software development heading next.

We spoke to Harold on an ordinary workday, squeezed in between meetings. That turned out to be exactly the kind of setting he feels most at ease in.

The Road Back to Hint

What made you decide to return?

“I always had my best time, career-wise, at Hint,” Harold says. “I’ve always looked back on that period with a good feeling.”

What changed at Hint in the meantime, and what stood out to you when you came back?

The office itself had moved, from Hattem to Wapenveld. Harold quite literally walked into a new environment. “That was actually a fun challenge in itself,” he says. “Now we walk with the team during our lunch breaks in the Veluwe, one of the largest nature areas in the Netherlands, right on our doorstep. It’s home to plenty of wildlife, including wolves!”

Some things hadn’t changed, though, and that was reassuring. Much of the software he’d helped build years earlier was, for the most part, still running. Several of the same clients he used to work with were still with Hint too.

With thirteen and a half years of experience at Hint already behind him, slotting back into the company felt natural. “I had very little trouble adjusting,” he says. “It felt almost as if I’d never left.”

Who Is Harold?

“From about the age of ten, I was already in touch with software development,” Harold recalls. “For me, it was immediately clear that this was the path I was meant to follow.”

Outside of work, Harold is a devoted music fan. Going to concerts is a regular feature of his free time, alongside the occasional pub quiz. He’s also a PEC Zwolle supporter. On weekends, he still tinkers with AI and software development at home. “It doesn’t really switch off,” he laughs.

What does your role within the software team look like, day to day?

“Varied. Every day looks different in terms of tasks and development work,” Harold says. He’s responsible for R&D and is the Product Owner of Hint Global’s AML software. That means he steers the software team, develops alongside them, tests the software, leads the team’s AI development, and supports customers directly.

Inside the Software Team

Ask Harold what makes Hint’s software team stand out, and he doesn’t hesitate.

“The freedom and the assertiveness to pick things up, that’s an important quality in everyone who works at Hint,” he says. “It’s certainly true within the software team.”

“We like it when people can operate with a lot of freedom,” he adds. “Everyone takes responsibility within the freedom they’re given.”

What Harold Is Working On Right Now

What are you currently working on?

Total Plant Reliability (TPR) is on the roadmap. Harold is currently building a new software interface and new functionality within the AML platform, one that, in his words, “will work and look beautiful.”

It’s a module that aligns perfectly with Hint’s AML-AMADAS product. It’s designed to give upper management better-quality data, with a particular focus on process reliability. That, in turn, improves the overall plant reliability of a facility.

What’s the challenge, or the fun part, of this project?

Harold works closely on it with Peter Dasbach, Hint’s managing consultant and plant reliability and operational excellence specialist.

“The fun part is that we bridge the gap between the software side and the business development side,” he says. “We work out what’s possible, and how to translate that idea and knowledge into a working software application. That way, our customers, and new customers, can improve their operations and save significant costs, in large plants running into millions.”

The team works in an agile way, making small improvements over a long period. “We’re also using AI tools to build the new platform,” Harold adds. “That means we get results faster, get feedback sooner, and can keep enhancing what TPR can do.”

When can customers expect to notice the results?

“Right now, we can already give a live demonstration of a working TPR system,” Harold says. “In the meantime, we’re constantly improving it, so we can deliver great results, both for existing customers and for new projects on the horizon.”

The Software of Tomorrow, and the Role of AI

What trends or developments are you seeing that are relevant to Hint?

“AI developments and trends are changing the way we work,” Harold says. That’s true both in how Hint uses AI internally to automate its own processes, and in the broader software market.

He points to a rise in communication protocols that let software connect directly to devices out in the field. “That gives us more opportunities to connect devices that aren’t smart yet, and turn them into smart instruments,” he explains. “We can then integrate those instruments into our software and give our customers key performance indicators and bad actors on a real-time basis.”

He also flags cybersecurity. Stricter requirements are emerging globally, and that’s pushing Hint to explore new approaches to cybersecurity policy and build them into its current software. “We need to make sure we stay compliant with global standards for safe data and system protection,” he says.

What role does AI currently play in Hint’s software, and do you expect that to change?

“Today we use AI across the whole development cycle: writing and reviewing code, generating tests, and triaging customer support tickets,” Harold explains. “TPR is being built this way, which is why we can iterate so quickly.”

“But the real shift isn’t that code gets written faster. It’s that the developer’s role moves from writing code to specifying what the system should do and verifying that it does it,” he adds. “In our field that verification is non-negotiable. Our customers run analyzers and plants where a wrong value has real consequences, so everything AI produces goes through the same review, testing and traceability as human work.”

What does he expect to change? Trust, mainly, but he stresses that it has to be earned. “As models improve, AI will take on more of the analysis, implementation and even deployment,” he says.

“The way to get there responsibly is to let AI work where its output can be checked: automated validation, audit trails and clear boundaries on what it’s allowed to change. In industrial software, explainability matters as much as accuracy.”

How is Hint responding to that?

“Every employee has access to working with AI agents and AI software applications,” Harold says. “Management is actively supporting us in using these systems, both in our internal processes and in the software solutions we deliver to our customers.”

Where do you think Hint’s software will be in a few years?

“I see three things coming together,” Harold says. “First, TPR fully deployed, turning analyzer and process data into a clear picture of plant reliability and bad actors. Second, predictive maintenance, where AI spots a drifting analyzer or failing component before it causes downtime. Third, a natural-language layer on top of AML, so an engineer can simply ask ‘which analyzers failed validation most often this quarter, and why?’ and get an answer.” He also expects the individual modules within AML to come together into one fully integrated solution. “The competitive edge won’t be the AI models themselves; everyone will have access to those. It will be the domain knowledge and the plant data we’ve built up over more than thirty years.”

To Wrap Up

Any tips or insights for our readers or customers?

“TPR is going to be the trend to watch,” Harold says. “I’m fully convinced that the ideas and knowledge built into this system are a game changer.”

“It’s a no-brainer,” he adds. “You get real insight into your plant’s complete reliability and your bad actors. That translates directly into savings. You also get insight into what the plant is costing you, and what it’s earning you.”

Thanks to Harold for his time and openness. Want to know more about Hint’s software team or the developments Harold mentioned? Feel free to get in touch.

Hint Global
Plan Meeting Here