Utrecht, 24 October 2023 – Consultancy and engineering firm Movares, specialist in solutions for rail, mobility, energy and infrastructure issues, today announces that it has reached an agreement with Innovus Smart Engineering to jointly form one of the largest independent engineering firms in the Netherlands.
This new group of companies has the ambition to provide the most innovative and sustainable engineering services with social impact. In doing so, it aims to be a frontrunner in the chain from initiative and planning to realisation and management. The group offers high-quality engineering solutions for complex, societal challenges.
Movares, with headquarters in Utrecht and several regional offices spread throughout the Netherlands, stems from the rich tradition of Dutch railway designers who have realised image-defining designs since 1839. Movares became independent as Holland Railconsult in 1995 and has developed into a consultancy and engineering firm with a broad portfolio. In 2020, BRO, which supports companies and governments with advice on spatial development, urban planning, landscape and economy, joined Movares, giving Movares a stronger position in the early planning phase of projects.
Innovus Smart Engineering is a group of engineering firms with a proven track-record in the world of built and spatial environments. The group was formed in 2022 as a platform company within the portfolio of Amsterdam-based investment company Convent Capital through the merger of Zonneveld Ingenieurs, Ingenieursbureau Ulehake, MUG Ingenieursbureau and software developer Future Insight. Zonneveld Ingenieurs is very strong in digitalisation of engineering services, enabling Innovus Smart Engineering to serve clients with large, complex tasks faster and better.
Due to challenges such as climate change, energy transition and ageing infrastructure, society is making strong demands on engineering services. This is happening against a background of an increasing shortage of technically skilled professionals. By joining forces in the new group of companies, specialist knowledge in the fields of rail, mobility, energy, infrastructure and buildings is coupled with expertise in digitalisation. This puts the new group in an even better position to contribute to major projects to be realised in the coming years for a liveable, accessible and sustainable Netherlands.
Robert Claasen, CEO Movares: “The merger with Innovus Smart Engineering is a next step in the development of Movares. The knowledge and competences within the group are highly complementary, putting us in an even better position to tackle the major social issues in the fields of sustainability, liveability and accessibility. We are an excellent fit for each other, with love for the profession as the connecting factor. The ongoing digitalisation will give our professionals the space to evolve and enable them to really excel.”
Harm Hoorn, CEO of Innovus Smart Engineering: “The formation of Innovus Smart Engineering was driven by the ambition to do things differently and become leading in scale and social relevance as “the leading digital engineers”. By merging with Movares, Innovus achieves that scale and relevance all at once. We are incredibly impressed by Movares’ specialist knowledge and the great projects they are involved in. At Innovus, we really put the professional at the centre of everything and we find each other in the interest for the profession. We look forward to moving forward together.”
Erik van Schie, CFO of Movares: “By becoming part of a larger group, the various parties can better cope with the tight labour market, invest more in digitalisation and further strengthen their commercial strength. Together, we have the scale and competences to play a distinctive role in the Dutch engineering market.”
The companies will continue to operate in the market under their own labels, with Movares being the leading brand. The management of the Movares Group holding company will be formed by Robert Claasen (CEO), Erik van Schie (CFO), and Harm Hoorn (CTO). The new combination has approximately 1,150 employees and annual revenue of more than EUR 170 million.
The transaction is executed by the acquisition of the shares of the current owners of Movares by Innovus Holding. The Movares Works Council has already advised positively and the transaction has been submitted to the Authority Consumer & Market (ACM) for approval.