He was granted a patent on his crankshaft in December, 1593 and was granted an additional patent for improvements in December, 1597 that was documented in the "Resolutiën van de Staten van Holland" on December, 1597. In his request, he called himself a farmer who needed to support a wife and children. His sawmill "Het Juffertje" soon developed into a more advanced version, a type known today as the "paltrokmolen" (post mill), which played a key part in the economic success of the Dutch Republic during the Dutch Golden Age in the 17th century by enabling the mass construction of ships for overseas trade. The mill turned the Zaan district, north of Amsterdam, into the world's first industrial area.