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Van der Arend and Nic.Sosef join forces
The Dutch companies Nic.Sosef and Van der Arend Tuinbouwtechniek and its export division Tebarint will be merging on 1 January 2012. Arend-Sosef will become one of the largest suppliers in the world in the field of horticulture technology and horticultural supplies. By merging the companies are responding to the increasing professionalisation of the horticulture sector, both nationally and internationally. Ron van der Arend and Bart Sosef say: “Customers benefit from a professional, strong partner who can offer them continuity and innovative solutions, both now and in the future.”
Increase in scale, professionalisation and internationalisation of the horticulture sector have led to the merger. Ron van der Arend, managing director of the Van der Arend Group, outlines the background to the merger. “Companies are becoming larger and more professional. The demand for well-trained staff with specialist knowledge is increasing. As a horticultural supplier you need scale in order to be able to meet this demand. A second reason for the merger is internationalisation. Working from a strong position, we want to further develop our successful exports. This involves large-scale complex projects. This means that we as suppliers must also combine forces internationally.” Bart Sosef, managing director of Nic.Sosef, adds: “The market demands a rapid response. But organic growth takes a lot of time. By working together, we will become one large, strong player straightaway. Customers need that. Continuity in our business activities is in their interest. They must be able to rely on the fact that we can bring large-scale projects to a successful conclusion and can also maintain and update systems for years thereafter.
National coverage, international growth
Nic.Sosef and Van der Arend Tuinbouwtechniek have a lot to offer to one another. Sosef says: “In the Netherlands Arend-Sosef has national coverage, whilst globally we are jointly the largest supplier of horticultural technology. Nic.Sosef’s strength lies in the combination of technology and horticultural supplies, including internationally. That offers opportunities for Van der Arend’s customers around the globe.” Van der Arend says:” We specialise in horticultural technology. Internationally we have already built up a strong position under the Tebarint name. We have got technical systems running in over forty countries. We can exploit new opportunities worldwide under the Arend-Sosef name.”
Equal partners
Nic.Sosef and Van der Arend Tuinbouwtechniek therefore complement one another well. But they are also very similar in many ways. Both are focused on quality, they are family firms with a long history and they have their roots in Holland’s largest horticultural region, the Westland. That makes the integration easier. Sosef says: “I would like to stress that we are entering into the merger as equal partners. That is why Ron and I will jointly have overall responsibility, each with his own area of focus: technology and horticultural supplies. And the new name Arend-Sosef reflects our rich history, but also looks to the future.”
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