Each acquisition is unique
In seeking out companies, there is a particular phrase that is often used at Addtech: It is allowed to take time. Because each acquisition is unique, the process is too. Some acquisitions progress rapidly, while, for others, its can take several years to progress from the initial contact to signed agreements. It is not strange to view each acquisition as unique. Part of the explanation behind Addtech’s success is that the companies are often run by the same people who originally founded them. They can attest to the importance of a good fit, even in cultural terms.
Over the years, Addtech has acquired some 100 technology trading companies run by entrepreneurs and built up a successful process for the Group’s integration and development of these companies. Not only do the acquisitions bring new market positions, they also bring new expertise and strengthen the Group’s entrepreneurial spirit.
An important part of the strategy is to acquire sustainable companies with market-leading niche positions and to develop them sustainably in the long term. For Daniel Prelevic, Business Area Manager for Industrial Solutions and coordinator of the Group’s acquisition efforts, the extent to which companies have progressed on sustainability is playing an increasingly important role in analysing and valuing potential acquisitions.
“Addtech is passionate about acquisitions – we take a genuine interest in developing the operations alongside their founders and aim to do this long term. This means entering lifelong partnerships with the companies. We sometimes joke that we embark on a lifelong marriage and never get divorced, but actually, we almost never sell companies,” says Daniel Prelevic.