Get inspired: An interview with Thomas Vilmer, Vice President of TMC USA N.E.

 

TABS spoke with Thomas VILMER, Vice President of TMC USA North East in New York City, about doing business in the U.S.

 

Can you explain what TMC does in the U.S.?

First, it is important to describe our activity as an international group: TMC is a high-tech consultancy company which provides the best engineers to clients located all over the world.

Speaking of North America in particular, we bring highly skilled engineers to clients located in different parts of the country (and Canada). Our objective is to understand the needs of our clients and try matching them with our talents.  We address clients in various industries (transportation, energy, manufacturing, IT services) looking for experts, sometimes difficult to find, to help them with a specific project. TMC supports them to find the expertise they need.

But we bring more than expert engineers: we bring employeneurs!

When TMC was founded, they started with the idea of employeneurship, which is a contraction between “employee” and “entrepreneurship”.  The DNA of the company is built around 5 pillars:

• A full-time job for employeneurs.
• A budget for training, and the access to expert coaches up to $2000 per year.
• An entrepreneurial lab where they can work on several projects.
• Transparency about the cost of the employeneurs.
• Organization in business cells: employeneurs belong to a specific unit and field depending on their expertise.

 

To sum up, TMC’s expertise is here to help our clients through all different steps of new products development, services or webtools. From the early stages of R&D all the way through to operations or maintenance. For example, if there are developments in nanotechnology, biotechnology, or mechanical engineering, then we have project managers participating in those research and development efforts.

 

What is your focus in the U.S.?

TMC USA is specialized toward 4 cells of employeneurs, focused on high-tech niche competences, providing intensive engagement and knowledge exchange.

Our oldest cell is field engineering, which consists of site coordinators, integration, testing and commissioning, safety, and reliability engineers. They are professionals working on railways or even nuclear plants in the energy sector. Another cell, system design and new product introduction, will work closely with our customers in the area of product development and its launch, principally composed of mechanical engineers, software engineers, safety specialists, and project managers.

Recently, we decided to create a new cell called “Industrial Automation”. It is already supported by machine learning engineers, AI specialists, and MES integration engineers. They are all tackling the challenges of Industry 4.0 and manufacturing digitalization.

 

How many people do you currently employ in the U.S.?

At the moment we have 60 employeneurs allowing us to support some industries both in the U.S. and in Canada, such as transportation, airspace and IT. In addition, we work a lot with the banking industry in Canada. Our most well-known clients are Pratt & Whitney, Alstom, and Siemens, although we can serve smaller clients as well.

 

How could TMC helps TABS clients in the U.S.?

As an international group with experience in the U.S., we have the ability to bring talents from Europe, but we are also able to offer local talents in the U.S. market, especially to startups. In the U.S. right now, we see a shortage of high-qualified engineers and a huge number of needs. We, TMC USA, have a great ability to attract talents, so that’s another way we can help other companies. In a nutshell: one interesting thing that we can do is transferring consultants from a country or a project to another depending on the needs of our clients.

As a stable company, already set up locally, we can help you with your challenges in the U.S. We are already helping European companies to settle in the country, and we would be glad to help you with your plans.

 

Where do you see TMC grow in the next years?

Since we arrived in the U.S. in 2019, our staff and revenue have more than doubled every year.  Our strategy plan is to have more than 100 talents across the country by the end of 2025. Today we cover the major hubs in the country: Tri-State (NY, NJ, CT), California and other states such as Texas and Arizona, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Illinois.  We want to expend more!

Our business model is very strong, and we would love to bring these talented resources available to any client who is looking for expertise and a long-term commitment.

 

Do you have questions for Thomas or want more information about TMC? Contact us.