“Together we can offer a large group of customers a complete package”
The world is changing and this has an impact on technology too. “You see various disciplines, such as climate control, lighting and fire alarm systems being integrated more and more often,” says Paul Numan, Director of Numan & Kant. “This results in upscaling. In time, only a couple of large technical service providers will be able to deliver complete, integrated building intelligence.”
Numan & Kant has built an excellent reputation within the measurement and control technology sector since the company was founded in 1999. The company was acquired by Unica in March 2020. “It was becoming more and more difficult to find technicians and continue to grow,” says Director André Kant. “Unica saw our potential. As part of Unica Building Intelligence, we can really make a contribution and build towards a secure future.”
The acquisition of Numan & Kant by Unica took exactly nine months. “It was a quick delivery,” grins André Kant. “We had been playing with the idea of selling the business for a couple of years, so all the company information was ready to go. That helped to ensure the entire process went smoothly.” Paul Numan nods and adds: “There was an immediate connection between Unica and us. Both parties entered the acquisition process with the best intentions. There wasn’t any kind of mistrust, everything was friendly, open and honest.”
Attractive employer
André says that anyone wondering why you would want to sell a successfully operating technical company with 59 employees needs to take a look at the technical courses. “The classes have been small for years now. The lack of specialised technicians is a national problem. For our company, it means that it’s becoming harder and harder to grow.”
As part of Unica, Numan & Kant expects that it will be able to continue to grow as an independent company. André: “The acquisition by Unica makes us a much more attractive employer. For new employees, but particularly for our current employees since, as part of a large, national organisation, we can offer many more opportunities for career development.”
The acquisition by Unica makes us a much more attractive employer
Complete package
Numan & Kant will be working with two other companies in the Unica Building Intelligence cluster: Unica Building Automation and Regel Partners. “They are specialists in the field of measurement and control technology and building intelligence just like us, but all three of us have our own brands and our own customers,” Paul explains. “So we’re not competitors, in fact we complement each other! Together we can offer a large group of customers a complete package. Our clients’ reaction to the acquisition has been predominantly positive. They see it as a logical step for Numan & Kant and they think it’s great that we now have a professional, robust organisation behind us.”
Customer portfolio
Numan & Kant has an impressive customer portfolio, which Paul and André are rightly proud of. The company based in Strijen provided the measurement and control technology for the new Erasmus MC hospital in Rotterdam and the recently opened Inntel Hotel Den Haag Marina Beach, a luxury hotel right by the beach in Scheveningen.
At the moment, Numan & Kant is working on the Infinity building, better known as the former ING House or ‘the shoe’ in the Zuidas business district, as well as putting the finishing touches to the control installations at the New Amsterdam Court House (NACH), also located in Amsterdam. And a new project has already been lined up at the Radboud University Medical Centre in Nijmegen. André: “There is so much to do that, in recent months, we have even passed work on to our new colleagues at Unica Building Automation and Unica Zwolle. The acquisition came at the perfect time.”
Timing
In terms of workload, the acquisition couldn’t have come at a better time. Unfortunately, Covid-19 put a damper on the celebrations. “The acquisition has been very smooth and quiet, almost unnoticeable. We are supported in all areas, such as purchasing, marketing and HR, but apart from that nothing has really changed. Of course we have a successfully operating company, so actually we have just continued with what we were already doing. The planned celebratory introduction for our employees, with a personal presentation from Unica’s top management, has been postponed. That was a shame of course,” says Paul.
Getting to know each other
André shares that sentiment. “We have received a warm, online welcome,” he laughs. “We have had a great first year with Unica, but we are missing the contact in person. We are really looking forward to meeting all our new colleagues in person, at every level. The Teams meetings are working well of course, but we would love to go to Hoevelaken!”
