Partner in lifecycle management

“From the very first day I stepped into the Houten office, I felt the drive, expertise, and above all, the immense energy among INNOCY’s forty employees,” Robert begins. “And that’s not surprising when you see the types of projects and clients we’re involved with as a relatively small organization. We often enter a project in a modest role, but when you look at the topics we get to advise and decide on, I’m genuinely impressed. We are involved in almost all major infrastructure projects in the Netherlands - sometimes with just a few specialists, but increasingly we take full responsibility for lifecycle management on behalf of consortia. We also provide our expertise to challenging projects for ProRail and water boards.”
 

“There is much more focus on the long-term availability of an asset rather than on short-term, cost-driven solutions. That’s where technology and data come into play - an area where INNOCY is heavily investing.”

Robert van Meijgaarden, Managing Director INNOCY

Maintainability becoming more important

This is exactly where Robert wants to steer INNOCY. “You can see that lifecycle management is becoming increasingly important,” he says. “Camiel Eurlings (former Minister of Transport, Public Works and Water Management) once claimed that Dutch infrastructure was complete. What he didn’t realize at the time was the massive replacement and renovation challenge we are now facing—and will be dealing with intensively over the next ten to fifteen years. We have also learned that the maintainability of an asset is far more important than saving on initial construction costs. This means that in the early stages—whether for new construction or renovation—different decisions often need to be made. That’s a discussion we excel in. Thanks to our knowledge and expertise in lifecycle management, we are increasingly brought into projects as a trusted partner, with complete multidisciplinary teams working within consortia.”

Doubling in size

According to Robert, there are still plenty of challenges in the market. “Finding technical staff is a hot issue. Nevertheless, INNOCY has a strong appeal to professionals, who we then train ourselves in lifecycle management. We’re fortunate to have enthusiastic employees who enjoy passing on their expertise to others. This makes us more flexible and agile for the future.” Robert’s ambition is to double INNOCY’s size in the coming years. “There’s room in the market for this growth, and client mindsets are shifting. More focus is being placed on the long-term availability of an asset rather than on short-term, cost-driven solutions. And this is exactly where technology and data come into play - an area where INNOCY is making significant investments.”