SOCOTEC acquires Hanselman Group and expands its geographical coverage in the Netherlands

With the acquisition of Hanselman Group (its 29th acquisition since 2016), SOCOTEC is establishing itself in the Netherlands and further developing its international growth, with an existing presence in 23 countries.

The SOCOTEC Group has strengthened its international presence in direct alignment with its strategy and external development and growth in Great Britain, the USA, Germany, Italy and France.

The Hanselman Group, founded in 1984, employs about 120 people and has a turnover of 12 million euros. It is an industry leader in risk management in the construction sector and aligns with the strategic scope of the SOCOTEC Group, whose ambition is to meet the growing challenges of environmental, energy, regulatory and digital transitions in the construction and infrastructure sectors.

Hanselman Group offers three types of services:

• Technical Expertise for claims in Construction, Infrastructure, Property and Transport & Technique working mainly for contractors, their principals as property investors & developers, public organizations and last but not least the insurance industry.
• Risk Management for the Construction Industry, Risk Impact Analysis, Architectural Reporting and Monitoring.
• Technical inspections, Maintenance Plans, Valuations for property owners and the insurance industry. 

The Dutch market is particularly attractive for SOCOTEC Group due to:

• the foreseen growth in construction, like residential areas in order to satisfy to the structural shortage of houses;
•  the increased legal requirements for risk management and risk control in construction notably for our customers and the insurance market;
• the challenges for customers of transferring their risks to the insurance industry.

Hervé Montjotin, CEO of the SOCOTEC Group, said: "The expansion in the Netherlands was part of our 2024 strategic roadmap and logically complements our positions in neighboring countries (Germany, Belgium and Great Britain) where we already have solid and recognised activities. Our European experts and teams at the Hanselman Group will be able to develop technical synergies, particularly in the area of monitoring. In an extremely competitive real estate market with increasing insurance requirements, as well as a country with natural risks specific to its geography and geology (hydrological risks, earthquakes in the Groningen region, in particular), we are confident in the value created by this merger with our group. In addition, Hanselman's professionalism, entrepreneurial culture and high management stability combine extremely well with the culture of the SOCOTEC Group."

Edwin Hanselman, CEO of the Hanselman Group, added: "Joining the SOCOTEC Group – the international leader in Testing, Inspection and Certification in Construction and Infrastructure sectors strengthen our goals  and direction to what we stand for and what we in particular worked on over the last decade – being our customers professional partner of choice  in risks and claims. With SOCOTEC, we are able to further develop our footprint and provide our customers with the best technical knowledge in these areas on a local and global scale”.