The Competence Group continues as part of SDB Groep

SDB Groep, the specialist in cloud solutions for the healthcare market, acquires The Competence Group to continue together. The management team of The Competence Group remains involved with the company as part of SDB Groep. The acquisition of The Competence Group (TCG) is fully in line with the strategy of SDB Groep to be able to serve the healthcare sector in the Netherlands with a full suite of products and services.

In November 2018, SDB Groep acquired Cormel to add EHR (electronic health records) software to its suite. This was followed by the acquisition of Reports in April 2019, which further strengthened the proposition with Analytics. The addition of TCG results in an organization with more than 180 employees with the common goal to facilitate the operations of Dutch healthcare institutions with smart software solutions and services that seamlessly connect with each other. Optimal efficiency and user-friendliness allow the care institution to help its care staff perform their work with pleasure and enable them to bring a smile to the face of the client. The E-learning solutions and the Competence Passport (“Bekwaamheidspaspoort”) of TCG fit seamlessly with the EHR, Planning, HR, Salary and Analytics software of SDB Groep and make SDB Groep the only party that can offer its healthcare customers a full-suite SaaS solution.

The Competence Group, founded in 2002 and headquartered in IJsselstein, is a Dutch developer and supplier of E-learning software and related services for healthcare institutions. TCG develops and sells both E-learning content and education and associated infrastructure (Learning Management System) that helps customers with knowledge exchange, education / training and information management. The company has a focus on the Benelux healthcare market, focusing on care, cure and the first line. In the care sector, TCG is active in the VVT-sector, where SDB Groep is also strongly represented. In the cure sector, TCG serves several hospitals in the Benelux. In total, TCG serves more than 150 clients with its solutions. Due to the strong mutual complement in terms of products, services and customers, the combined organization will be able to respond effectively to the demand for integration of the IT landscape within healthcare institutions. Furthermore, the acquisition of TCG means SDB Groep is able to expand its activities to Belgium.

Following the acquisitions of Cormel in November 2018 and Reports in April 2019, the acquisition of The Competence Group by SDB Groep is the third step towards becoming the leading SaaS player in the Dutch healthcare market. Naturally, post-acquisition, the focus of the group will remain on developing innovative products that meet the needs and demands of its customers in the Dutch healthcare market. Stimulating organic growth and exploiting the various up- and cross-sell possibilities of the combined organizations are the guiding principles of the growth strategy. In addition, continuation of the buy-and-build strategy by doing strategic add-on acquisitions will remain a potential component of the business plan. As part of this buy-and-build strategy one can think of acquiring adjacent technologies as well as expanding towards other vertical segments in the healthcare market, both of which have been realized with the acquisition of The Competence Group.

Cooperation The Competence Group – SDB Groep

Vincent van Staalduinen (Chief Operations Officer SDB Groep): “The Dutch healthcare market is currently undergoing an enormous transformation, driven by technological innovation and digitization. At the same time, consolidation is taking place among the various providers of software solutions for the healthcare market. SDB Groep remains the market leader in the healthcare sector by building up a complete and integrated innovative product portfolio with a full focus on healthcare. After the acquisitions of Cormel and Reports and now also TCG, we can further strengthen our position. The strong financial position of the SDB Groep guarantees continuity as an innovative software player within the healthcare market and gives our customers the guarantee to incorporate the many new laws and regulations into our solutions.

From our continuous dialogue with directors of healthcare institutions we hear that they are longing for fully integrated solutions, preferably from a single supplier. Moreover, institutions indicate to be seeking more powerful management information that can enable them to make more informed decisions and manage their organization more effectively. Furthermore, user-friendliness and adoption of the products by the care professionals is a requirement. Thanks to the additions of Cormel, Reports and now The Competence Group, SDB Groep is now able to deliver an integrated, full-suite solution to Dutch healthcare institutions, in which employee and client are central. This development will be of great added value for our customers and the market, but above all it contributes to improvements in the quality of care for clients, which is ultimately what it is all about.”

Charly Zwemstra (Managing Partner Main Capital Partners): “With the support of Main Capital Partners, SDB Groep is expanding following a strategy based on organic growth, while also enlarging its product offering, broadening its client base and executing strategic add-on acquisitions. After the acquisition of Cormel and Reports, The Competence Group is a logical and highly strategic third step in this strategy.”

Toon Rijken (Director and founder The Competence Group): “Since 2002, The Competence Group has focused on developing E-learning content and an LMS with the ultimate goal of enabling employees to offer better quality healthcare. Now, in 2019, The Competence Group has grown into an organization with a leading position in the E-learning market for healthcare institutions. The Competence Group can easily scale up in the market for VVTs and hospitals. To do this together with SDB Groep offers a unique opportunity. The large installed base in the care market of SDB Groep and the expertise of The Competence Group in the field of E-learning offer the care market a source of inspiration to improve the quality of care. The new combination, entirely based on SaaS, makes the whole complementary, innovative and sustainable.”

About The Competence Group

The Competence Group, founded in 2002 and based in IJsselstein, develops both E-learning content and a Learning Management System and also offers services related to digital training. The goal of TCG is to improve the level of knowledge and the capacities of individual employees within healthcare institutions, with the ultimate goal of achieving better quality healthcare and at the same time increasing efficiency, in order to keep the healthcare system sustainable. Key in the strategy of The Competence Group is the “Zorgleren Netwerk”, a national network of collaborative care organizations on digital training founded by The Competence Group in 2006. This network has since grown to become the largest E-learning network in the Netherlands. The Competence Group currently serves more than 150 active recurring customers, mainly active in the healthcare sector. The Competence Group’s E-learning content and LMS are an excellent addition to the SaaS HR, payroll administration, planning, ECD and Business Intelligence products of SDB Groep.

About SDB Groep

For over 40 years, SDB Groep has been developing and supplying innovative and specialist ICT solutions for the healthcare sector with the goal of enabling the care professional to provide the best care to the client. The company focuses on the VVT, GHZ, daycare and disabled care markets with innovative SaaS solutions that customers use to automate HR, salary administration and personnel planning processes, as well as a user-friendly and multifunctional EHR product. With the acquisition of Reports, a Business Intelligence practice has also been added. In addition, the company provides a Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) proposition that relieves care institutions from the payroll process and SDB Groep delivers financial advice and consultancy services.

SDB Groep believes that care and cure organizations and staff can work pleasantly and efficiently in a constantly changing environment and offers innovative solutions to make this possible. In this way the healthcare sector can work in a sustainable way on the best care for the client.

About Main Capital Partners

Main Capital Partners is a strategic investor with an exclusive focus on the software sector in the Benelux, DACH and Nordics regions. Main has a long-term investment horizon centered around successful partnerships with management teams, with the goal to, jointly, build larger software groups. Within this sector, Main is the most specialized company in management buyouts and later-stage growth capital. Main has approximately € 1 billion in assets under management for investments in mature and growing software companies. The Private Equity Funds are managed by an experienced team of investment and operational professionals, located in offices in The Hague, Düsseldorf and Stockholm.

The current portfolio of Main Capital Partners includes rapidly growing software- and SaaS software companies like Optimizers, Assessio, GBtec, Onventis, HYPE Innovation, cleversoft, Enovation, SDB Groep, Jobrouter, GOconnectIT, Verklizan, Inergy, MUIS Software, Artegic, OBI4wan, b+m Informatik, Onguard, ChainPoint, RVC, and TPSC. Moreover, Main Capital also holds a majority stake in managed hosting provider Denit. Successfully expanded former Main Capital companies are, among others, Roxit (governmental software), Axxerion (SaaS-based facility management software) and Ymor (APM software)