About Hans Dankers
Native of the Netherlands
Hans was born and raised in the Netherlands. He also spent five years as a child in Indonesia and learned to speak three Indonesian languages—now long forgotten!
Working in Afghanistan
When Hans was in his 20s, he joined his father's wholesale oriental carpet business called Carpet Center Afghanistan. Because of his innate mechanical ability, Hans moved to Kabul to design, build and manage the first carpet washing factory in Afghanistan.
Traditionally, carpets were created by hand in small villages around the country and brought to the markets in Kabul via camels, donkey carts and open bed trucks. They were then air freighted to washing factories in Switzerland. This meant that companies paid a great deal of money just to ship "dirt"!
It also meant long delays until the product finally arrived in stores, as well as greatly increased labor costs. Hans' factory made it possible to send carpets directly to Holland, where they were immediately ready to sell.
Marrying in Kabul
One night in December, Hans attended a "Happy Hour" hosted by the American Marines. There he met Clarice, a Peace Corps Volunteer from the U.S. Ten months later they were married by a quartet of Afghan mullahs plus an Italian priest named Father Panegoti!
When the communist coup took place the following year, Clarice returned to her home in Seattle. Hans joined her and their new baby daughter there six months later.
Becoming an Automation Engineer in the United States
Once in the States, Hans began to draw on his mechanical, design and building abilities more and more. His eye for detail, hand dexterity, creative imagination, and photographic memory served him well as he moved into robotics and factory automation. Hans' ability to conceive innovative solutions to complex problems—and his skill with tools—enabled him to both design and build sophisticated automated machines.
Discovering the Best Career Yet: Woodworking
A few years ago, Hans discovered woodworking and cabinet making, and he quickly left steel behind! He loves the feel and smell of wood as well as the satisfaction of turning it into beautiful, artistic and functional pieces of furniture. In the process, Hans has found that the artistic skills he developed while working with oriental carpets and the mechanical and engineering skills he developed as an automation engineer now serve him well in his new career.
From already knowing how to set up a table saw in the most efficient manner to having already developed a finely honed eye for detail, a feel for wood, and a creative ability to design, he finds the learning curve of his new career has been minimal.
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