Performance per cluster
Unica is comprised of more than 30 independent companies, organised into nine clusters. Each of these clusters has its own specialist field or focus area and growth strategy. Each business cluster made a positive contribution to Unica’s economic performance in 2020, though the magnitude varies in absolute terms. The group of companies was not dependent on a single strong cluster; each cluster contributed to the results.
Building Services
The Unica Building Services cluster focuses on managing, maintaining, inspecting and approving building systems. This cluster has fourteen branches throughout the Netherlands, making it the most visible and, in terms of size, the largest component of the Unica network of companies. The Covid-19 crisis meant that the target to significantly improve the margin in 2020 was only partially achieved. Covid-19 measures had a particularly large impact on this cluster, which nevertheless achieved a clear increase in margins.
Building Projects
The Unica Building Projects cluster realises all technical installations and systems for new construction, renovation and transformation projects. Both the revenue and result of this cluster increased in 2020. The cluster builds on the strong foundation developed over the past few years.
Fire Safety
A specialist in fire safety solutions, Unica Fire Safety has operated as an independent cluster within Unica for several decades. As in previous years, the performance in terms of both revenue growth and return remains strong, once again making an important contribution to Unica’s results in 2020.
Access & Security
The Unica Access & Security cluster focuses on complex access and security solutions. It has held an independent position in the network of Unica companies for several years. Following strong growth in 2019, this cluster performed as expected in 2020; a controlled stable growth in revenue and a further increase in return.
Building Intelligence
The Unica Building Intelligence cluster provides building automation, data analysis and Internet of Things (IoT) solutions. This enables customers to integrate all technical installations in a building to create a smart building. The increasing interest in intelligent building automation offers great market potential, reflected in the growth in revenue and result of this cluster. This growth was enhanced by the acquisition of Numan & Kant in March 2020, an expansion that made Unica Building Intelligence one of the largest providers of solutions for intelligent building automation in the Netherlands.
Energy Solutions
The Unica Energy Solutions cluster operates at the heart of the energy transition. Its energy management and energy procurement services and sustainable, future-oriented solutions for the built environment help customers to achieve their climate objectives. After several years of stabilisation of the results due to the impact of all the climate regulations, the cluster showed clear growth in its results in 2020 compared to 2019. Other Unica business clusters use the specialist knowledge in this cluster to offer their solutions in the most climate-friendly way possible.
ICT Solutions
The Unica ICT Solutions cluster is responsible for the delivery, implementation, management and maintenance of ICT facilities. This cluster again obtained good results in 2020, partly thanks to the increasing interest in its solutions for working from home. This development is expected to have a positive impact on the interest in professional ICT facilities in the coming years, and the growth prospects for Unica ICT Solutions are favourable.
Industry Solutions
The Unica Industry Solutions cluster, with expertise in industrial automation, process technology, mechanical engineering and hardware engineering, provides turnkey solutions for the industrial sector. Revenue rose sharply in 2020, with the increase largely linked to the acquisitions of PCT Koudetechniek and Van Kempen Koudetechniek. The acquisitions provide access to new expertise and market segments in which the cluster’s representation was limited. The increased revenue and return in 2020 emphasize the importance of industrial solutions in Unica’s growth strategy.
Datacenters
Unlike the other clusters, Unica Datacenters, which realises and maintains intelligent and technologically complex data centres, recorded a small drop in revenue in 2020. This decrease is mainly attributed to a delay in the start of a large project, which postponed part of the expected workload. The contract was signed in late 2020 and the project has now started, so a recovery in revenue growth is expected in the coming year.