Cleanzine: your weekly cleaning and hygiene industry newsletter 18th April 2024 Issue no. 1110

Your industry news - first

The original and best - for over 20 years!

We strongly recommend viewing Cleanzine full size in your web browser. Click our masthead above to visit our website version.

Cleaning software providers from Belgium and the Netherlands join forces

Buttons For Cleaners, a market leader in software for cleaning companies in Belgium, and FacilityApps, a market leader in apps for cleaners in the Netherlands, are becoming one company. The management of Buttons For Cleaners will transfer the managerial responsibility in a gradual step-by-step approach to the management of FacilityApps.

The team in Belgium will continue to work from its base in Ghent.

"From the start of Buttons For Cleaners, our ambition has been to help cleaning companies in Belgium digitise their administration and planning," says Leander Naessens, CEO of Buttons For Cleaners.

"In doing so, our team managed to build a leading position in Belgium with a scalable product and we are proud of that.

“At the same time, we noticed that we have another fantastic product on our hands with our sister company Peripass. Managing two rapidly growing companies operating in different markets at the same time proved to be too demanding for the management. Therefore, we looked for a suitable party from the same market to take over and to do justice to the potential of Buttons For Cleaners."

To ensure continuity, the current COO of Buttons For Cleaners (Tilde Vandenbroucke) will remain associated with Buttons For Cleaners. She will form the management team together with two directors of FacilityApps (Johan de Punder and Eric Kok). This gives Buttons For Cleaners a management team that has years of experience with software in this sector.

"FacilityApps had approached us two years ago because they saw a nice addition to our planning & billing solution with their apps,” explains Leander. “We already made a first step in cooperation back then, but due to lack of time and Corona, the cooperation did not materialise further. This year however, we recognised that we needed to make a choice between our two companies, in order to give the customers, our people and the product the full attention they deserve.

“Once again, FacilityApps came into the picture, and now things were gaining momentum. The culture and approach of FacilityApps is very similar to ours, so it was a logical step to continue the growth path of Buttons For Cleaners within the FacilityApps organisation. We will do our utmost to properly pass the baton, so that the interests of our customers and employees are well safeguarded."

Dirk Tuip, CEO of FacilityApps, is proud of this step: "FacilityApps wants to make the work of cleaners and team leaders on the shop floor easier and simpler through our range of apps,” he says. “In doing so, we like to lead the way in terms of product capabilities and technology, and that puts our customers and partners in an advantageous position. As a result, last year we were announced as the number one Digital Cleaning solution in the Netherlands, rated by cleaning companies! Happy customers and our partnership with Nocore ERP-software have led to a strong growth in recent years.

"The acquisition of Buttons For Cleaners is a very logical one. In terms of product, we are complementary. Its product offers functionality that we do not and vice versa. We are confident that joining forces will create a stronger organisation that is even better suited in serving our customers.

"Our goal is to complete an interface between the platforms of Buttons For Cleaners and FacilityApps in the near future. This way we can offer customers and cleaners in Belgium functionalities on top of the Buttons For Cleaners offering. The coming period will also be used to get to know each other even better and share our knowledge and expertise both ways about the Belgian market and customers' needs, so we can start working together on a bright future."

www.buttonsforcleaners.com / www.facilityapps.com

20th October 2022