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Van Rietschoten & Houwens: outstanding technical innovator In 1860 the Dutchman Jan Jacob van Rietschoten laid the foundations in Rotterdam for the Imtech of today. From 1872 onwards the company, now under the name Van Rietschoten & Houwens (R&H), was always at the forefront of all of the latest technical advances produced by the industrial revolution. In 1888 the combination of electrical and mechanical solutions was applied for the first time. This still forms the basis of the success of the Imtech of today. R&H was involved in countless technical innovations. Examples include the first electric public lighting (1888), the first telephone exchange (1901) and the first analogue computers for use in Dutch universities (1963). In 1967 Internatio acquired R&H. Imtech = E + ICT + M Internatio (1863) and Müller (1878) - each with their own rich history - played deciding roles in the creation of Imtech. In 1970 they decided to merge, becoming Internatio-Müller N.V. The following period was characterised by a series of acquisitions. Around 1990 Internatio-Müller was a conglomerate of more than 100 companies, of which about 35 were specialists in technology, including R&H. In 1993, these technical companies were grouped together to form Internatio-Müller Techniek, soon giving rise to the easier and more international sounding name of Imtech. Then in 1995 a strategic blueprint for Imtech was presented. This was expressed as a formula: Imtech = E + ICT + M, in other words, the combination of electrical engineering (E), information and communication technology (ICT) and mechanical engineering (M), which leads to total technical solutions with high added value. The blueprint sketched the ambition to create a complete column of technical services and thereby the design for the first European growth perspective. Imtech had arrived! From 7,000 to 23,000 employees During the years following 1995 the various Imtech companies increasingly collaborated. With the acquisition in 1996 of Turnkiek (an innovative software specialist), 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, making Imtech one of the strongest players in technical services provision in Germany. In 2000 Internatio-Müller decided to disinvest all the non-technological activities and to concentrate fully on one strategic core activity: technology. Internatio-Müller became Imtech in 2001 and this introduced an ambitious new company to be quoted on the Euronext stock market in Amsterdam. The years that followed were characterised by fast growth, both organic as well as by a large number of acquisitions. Imtech gained strong positions in Europe as well as in the global marine market. From the 7,000 employees (and revenue of 350 million euro) in 1993, Imtech has expanded to 23,000 employees in 2009 (with revenue of more than 4.3 billion euro). Imtech Marine Group The fall of 2008 also marked a highlight for Imtech: the Imtech Marine Group was founded, a group of renowned Imtech companies who joined forces and cooperate closely to provide the maritime industry with a wide scope of technical and innovative solutions. These are solutions in the field of automation, bridge systems, navigation and communication, HVAC (Heating, Ventilation & Air Conditioning), fire protection, energy systems and propulsion, electrical installation and multimedia entertainment. Imtech Marine & Offshore (Rotterdam) and Radio Holland Group (Rotterdam) are part of Imtech Marine Group, next to Royal Dirkzwager, Imtech Marine Germany, Van Berge Henegouwen and Imtech Schiffbau-/Dockbautechnik. Some of the important dates from 150 years of Imtech's history 1860: Sea captain Jan Jacob van Rietschoten starts working as a stevedore 1865: Use of steam power for loading and unloading ships 1872: Van Rietschoten & Houwens (R&H) is created, specialising in mechanical engineering 1881: Internatio (forerunner to Imtech) was first quoted on the Stock Exchange in Amsterdam 1885: Jan Jacob van Rietschoten II added an electrical engineering department to R&H 1885: R&H provides solutions for first electric railway in the Netherlands 1887: First electric public lighting in the Netherlands in 'De Passage' in Rotterdam 1888: First combination of mechanical and electrical engineering in the Netherlands 1900: R&H expands to become the technical innovator in the Netherlands 1901: R&H realises one of the first telephone exchanges in the Netherlands 1930: Start of above ground electrification in the Netherlands 1935: Assignment to provide the electrical engineering on board 'S.S. Nieuw Amsterdam' 1936: R&H creates the first R&D centre for electrical innovation in the Netherlands 1949: R&H expands its workforce to 1,000 employees 1950: International expansion R&H, including large-scale electrification of parts of Australia 1957: Launching of 'S.S. Rotterdam'; several of Imtech's forerunners worked on this project 1960: First electronic controls in the Netherlands, originating from R&H's R&D centre 1963: R&H supplies the first (life-size) analogue computer to Dutch universities 1967: Internatio N.V acquires Van Rietschoten & Houwens 1970: Merger of Internatio N.V. with Wm. H. Müller & Co. creating Internatio-Müller N.V. 1993: Internatio-Müller combines 35 technical companies creating Imtech: 7,000 employees and revenue of 350 million euro 1995: Strategic growth plan Imtech, focus: provision of multidisciplinary technical services 1996: Acquisition of first ICT business (Turnkiek), start build-up of ICT competence 1997: Acquisition of ROM (Rudolph Otto Meyer) in Germany, start of European expansion 2001: Transformation Internatio-Müller N.V. to Imtech N.V, first stock market quotation of Imtech's shares 2009: Imtech, leading European technical services provider with a strong position in the global marine market, 23,000 employees and revenue of 4.3 billion euro Source: IMTECH |
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Imtech celebrates 150th anniversary