It was a bit too early for champagne when the contracts were signed yesterday morning, but the takeover of Berg Hortimotive by Royal Brinkman was suitably celebrated with cake. "What we're seeing is that logistics and labor are increasingly important themes. With this step, we're strengthening our base in this respect," says Ton van Mil, CEO of Royal Brinkman.
Berg Hortimotive, located in De Lier (Netherlands), is known for its logistics solutions, like the Benomic pipe rail trolleys, a common sight in greenhouses. Royal Brinkman is an international horticultural supplier.
Berg Hortimotive will remain based in De Lier and will continue its activities independently. The current management, consisting of Bas Lagerwerf and Nico Bikker, will be continuing the daily management, and it will be business as usual for the company's customers and its 70 employees as well.
Royal Brinkman has been supplying Berg products for some time now, so why this takeover? "We're seeing a lot of perspective for logistical products, both nationally and internationally. Combined with the worldwide network and know-how of Royal Brinkman, we can further strengthen each other," Ton explains. "A few years ago, we did the same with Spanish company AgroBio, which produces biological crop protection. Biology keeps on growing. Thanks to the takeover, we're able to take further steps."
Has he got anything else on his wishlist? Is Royal Brinkman going on a takeover spree? "Well, you don't do something like this every week," Ton laughs. "We're not ruling out anything, but we're definitely not on a takeover spree. We want to grow, but there are lots of ways to do that. This has been a conscious decision: we believe in this theme, in this company, and in the products."
At Berg Hortimotive, they also see new opportunities with this step. The company is convinced that a certain company size is needed to efficiently bring new products and innovations onto the market.
"Our company is ready to scale up production and for the further development of logistical innovations", says Bas Lagerwerf (CEO Berg Hortimotive). "A strong organization such as Royal Brinkman, with a large international sales network, is an excellent fit."
For more information:
Royal Brinkman
info@royalbrinkman.com
www.royalbrinkman.com
Berg Hortimotive
Burg. Crezeelaan 42a
2678 KZ De Lier
The Netherlands
www.berghortimotive.nl