Imtech celebrates 150th anniversary
(Thomson Reuters ONE) - Gouda - Imtech (technical services provider in Europe) is celebrating its 150thanniversary this year. Exactly 150 years ago, Jan Jacob van Rietschoten putbehind him his career as sea captain in the long-haul shipping trade and in1860 started working as an independent stevedore in Rotterdam. He was one of thefirst in Europe to use steam power for loading and unloading ships. This formedthe start of Van Rietschoten & Houwens, an innovative Dutch technologicalcompany that established its name as pioneer and innovator during the industrialrevolution, and this, in turn, then formed the basis of Imtech today.Ren?an der Bruggen, CEO of Imtech: 'In 2010, Imtech is celebrating its 150thanniversary. We can look back with pride on a rich history with technologyconsistently as its core activity. From the first electric railway (1888), thefirst basic automation on board ships (1930), the invention of energy-savingcogeneration stations and decentralised power plants (1935), the broadapplication of central heating and air conditioning (around 1960) through topresent-day 2010 with our 'green' buildings, 'green' data centres and high-techpower plants. Like its forerunners Imtech continues to play in the 'premierleague' of the world of technology.'Van Rietschoten & Houwens: outstanding technical innovatorIn 1860 the Dutchman Jan Jacob van Rietschoten laid the foundations in Rotterdamfor the Imtech of today. From 1872 onwards the company, now under the name VanRietschoten & Houwens (R&H), was always at the forefront of all of the latesttechnical advances produced by the industrial revolution. In 1888 thecombination of electrical and mechanical solutions was applied for the firsttime. This still forms the basis of the success of the Imtech of today. R&H wasinvolved in countless technical innovations. Examples include the first electricpublic lighting (1888), the first telephone exchange (1901) and the firstanalogue computers for use in Dutch universities (1963). In 1967 Internatioacquired R&H.Imtech = E + ICT + MInternatio (1863) and M?r (1878) - each with their own rich history - playeddeciding roles in the creation of Imtech. In 1970 they decided to merge,becoming Internatio-M?r N.V. The following period was characterised by aseries of acquisitions. Around 1990 Internatio-M?r was a conglomerate of morethan 100 companies, of which about 35 were specialists in technology, includingR&H. In 1993, these technical companies were grouped together to formInternatio-M?r Techniek, soon giving rise to the easier and moreinternational sounding name of Imtech. Then in 1995 a strategic blueprint forImtech was presented. This was expressed as a formula: Imtech = E + ICT + M, inother words, the combination of electrical engineering (E), information andcommunication technology (ICT) and mechanical engineering (M), which leads tototal technical solutions with high added value. The blueprint sketched theambition to create a complete column of technical services and thereby thedesign for the first European growth perspective. Imtech had arrived!From 7,000 to 23,000 employeesDuring the years following 1995 the various Imtech companies increasinglycollaborated. With the acquisition in 1996 of Turnkiek (an innovative softwarespecialist), Imtech took its first steps on the path to 'the modern' ICT world.This was followed by the acquisition of ROM (Rudolph Otto Meyer) in 1997, makingImtech one of the strongest players in technical services provision in Germany.In 2000 Internatio-M?r decided to disinvest all the non-technologicalactivities and to concentrate fully on one strategic core activity: technology.Internatio-M?r became Imtech in 2001 and this introduced an ambitious newcompany to be quoted on the Euronext stock market in Amsterdam. The years thatfollowed were characterised by fast growth, both organic as well as by a largenumber of acquisitions. Imtech gained strong positions in Europe as well as inthe global marine market. From the 7,000 employees (and revenue of 350 millioneuro) in 1993, Imtech has expanded to 23,000 employees in 2009 (with revenue ofmore than 4.3 billion euro).Some of the important dates from 150 years of Imtech's history1860: Sea captain Jan Jacob van Rietschoten starts working as a stevedore1865: Use of steam power for loading and unloading ships1872: Van Rietschoten & Houwens (R&H) is created, specialising in mechanicalengineering 1881: Internatio (forerunner to Imtech) was first quoted on theStock Exchange in Amsterdam1885: Jan Jacob van Rietschoten II added an electrical engineering department toR&H1885: R&H provides solutions for first electric railway in the Netherlands1887: First electric public lighting in the Netherlands in 'De Passage' inRotterdam1888: First combination of mechanical and electrical engineering in theNetherlands1900: R&H expands to become the technical innovator in the Netherlands1901: R&H realises one of the first telephone exchanges in the Netherlands1930: Start of above ground electrification in the Netherlands1935: Assignment to provide the electrical engineering on board 'S.S. NieuwAmsterdam'1936: R&H creates the first R&D centre for electrical innovation in theNetherlands1949: R&H expands its workforce to 1,000 employees1950: International expansion R&H, including large-scale electrification ofparts of Australia1957: Launching of 'S.S. Rotterdam'; several of Imtech's forerunners worked onthis project1960: First electronic controls in the Netherlands, originating from R&H's R&Dcentre1963: R&H supplies the first (life-size) analogue computer to Dutch universities1967: Internatio N.V acquires Van Rietschoten & Houwens1970: Merger of Internatio N.V. with Wm. H. M?r & Co. creatingInternatio-M?r N.V.1993: Internatio-M?r combines 35 technical companies creating Imtech: 7,000employees and revenue of 350 million euro1995: Strategic growth plan Imtech, focus: provision of multidisciplinarytechnical services1996: Acquisition of first ICT business (Turnkiek), start build-up of ICTcompetence1997: Acquisition of ROM (Rudolph Otto Meyer) in Germany, start of Europeanexpansion2001: Transformation Internatio-M?r N.V. to Imtech N.V, first stock marketquotation of Imtech's shares2009: Imtech, leading European technical services provider with a strongposition in the global marine market, 23,000 employees and revenue of 4.3billion euro 0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0More information Media: Analysts & investors: Pieter Koenders Jeroen Leenaers Manager Corporate Communications Manager Investor Relations T: +31 655 74 65 85 T: +31 182 54 35 04 E: pieter.koenders(at)imtech.eu E: jeroen.leenaers(at)imtech.eu
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Datum: 16.02.2010 - 07:31 Uhr
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