International facilities management provider Servest has partnered with investment company Bottega InvestCo in the acquisition of integrated information and communications technology (ICT) services company Getronics.

The transaction, which is supported by specialist banking and asset management group Investec, will enable Servest to play a significant role in the workplace technology market and provide a seamless facility management (FM) and mobile technology offering for its growing client base.

The acquisition occurs at a time when workplace management is increasingly focused on digital transformation through the development of smart buildings and the Internet of Things (IoT). 

Getronics, with operations in 22 countries and providing services for more than 100 countries, provides a complete portfolio of integrated ICT services, including solutions that are focused on workspace management, managed cloud, unified communications & collaboration, or UC & C, as well as network and applications for large corporates and the public sector. 

The company further has in-depth experience in application and solutions development and provides FM-specific products in the corporate, healthcare and transport sectors, besides others.
 
Additionally, Getronics has five global multi-language service centres that will initially support Servest’s expansion across Europe and Asia. It will also provide support for Servest clients in South Africa and sub-Saharan Africa by providing helpdesk solutions that offer insight on customer satisfaction, churn rates, service issues and contractor performance, integrating different communication technologies such as instant messaging, chat, telephone and email.

This will enable Servest to reduce helpdesk demand, expand contact service hours and improve service delivery time.
 
“This transaction will enable Servest to lead the way in bringing smart building technology and the IoT to our FM customers globally. While other FM companies have formed partnerships with ICT providers, the Getronics acquisition will ensure that our joint offering to customers is seamless,” Servest Group CEO Rob Legge noted in a press statement released last month.
 
Bottega majority shareholder Nana Balfour, who is also ICT service provider Grupo Cimcorp president and CEO, led the transaction on behalf of Bottega InvestCo. She noted in the same statement that the transaction brought together the ICT experience of Grupo Cimcorp and Getronics with the leadership of Servest in the facilities management sector.

“[The transaction] will allow for the creation of innovative technology-based FM solutions and . . . the growth of a truly global customer base. It is a unique opportunity to bring value to the market,” Balfour said.
 
Servest is the largest, majority black-owned facilities management company on the African continent, with significant presence in Africa and the UK and multicurrency earnings. Johannesburg-headquartered Servest’s African operations are in and has a footprint in ten African countries. The group employs 50 000 staff at more than 20 000 sites and services, include cleaning, parking, catering, hygiene, office services and landscaping.