The most dysfunctional company ever - Senior Engineer Ultimaker Employee Review

1.0
Feb 17, 2020
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

You are taken care of with the basics. Free, simple lunch, your train journey to work is subsidised and there are activities you can do with your co-workers each week after work. Most of the co-workers are the best part of working here. I've made friends, found new groups for activities and also new hobbies. The work-life balance is fairly good, and we can work fairly flexibly, within reason.

Cons

I don't even know where to start. The company has almost no vision. They bank everything on the current, ageing product portfolio, invest nothing into development then wonder why our competitors are so much more advanced than us. If you push for technological improvements you are beaten with the words "yeah, but that's just too risky" or "we don't have time to do that" endlessly until you lose the motivation to even try anymore. They are so focused on their one time successes that they cling to them in the hope they will float the boat forever, ignorant of the water already flooding in. The management culture is absolutely disgusting as well. The majority of the managers have come from Océ, the average age is quite high, and they operate as as they always have despite the need to work differently in a fast moving industry. They all seem to follow the same style of management and it's about as comfortable as sandpaper underwear. Non-functional, abrasive and enough to even make some people cry. It feels more like psychological warfare or torture most times and there is nearly no trust in anyone. The entire engineering department is in a constant state of misery and bitterness, and the management response is usually to argue about it for several months, then shorten the project timeline and push the engineers harder because they wasted it all arguing about what to do. I'm yet to see a single person in the whole company's management structure that is actually able to make a decision, let alone a decision in a timely manner. The entire company seems to function by arguing about what customers want, delaying it's projects endlessly, then just picking the only option remaining that will fit the delivery date they set at the beginning. This usually just devolves into a "face-lifted" version of an existing product with superficial improvements but never addresses the underlying problems of the products from several generations ago. Finally, there is the administration/HR side. With the exception of maybe one person, I'm honestly lost for words at how bad it is. Possibly the worst I've ever encountered. For starters, they don't even work in the same building, they work in the nice, new offices in Utrecht. You best hope you never need to get a form signed by someone in these departments because you will literally be waiting for months. The worst though, is when expats start with the company. These are people who packed up their entire lives, have moved country to come work with us, and after the first month they are basically left to their own devices and told to "just google it". Speaking with expat colleagues is genuinely upsetting, and their only saving grace seems to be the other expats and local Dutch that try to help them sort everything out.

Explore other reviews about Ultimaker

5.0
Aug 16, 2018
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Exciting industry and Ultimaker is growing quickly. Small but mighty teams that allow you to shine and take on new challenges. Lots of opportunities to sharpen your skills.

Cons

Time zones! Sometimes, with the offices spread out as they are, it can be difficult to align meetings and responses lag.

3
2.0
Oct 3, 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Great product, creative space, great people

Cons

Management sabotaging own company. Never recovered after merger. No clear direction. Lots of internal problems.

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