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AI and software specialist seeks additional engineering talent to sustain its strong growth
Vintecc has also had another bumper year in 2023, with growth once again exceeding 30%. The specialist in AI and software solutions for industrial players aims to continue this expansion and is therefore opening an office in Ghent in early 2024. As well as being closer to clients and industrial prospects in East Flanders, Vintecc’s main aim with this new base is to attract engineering talent from Ghent University and expand the current team by a quarter through ten new hires. The ambition is to further develop the product portfolio in the short term and to make further inroads into international markets.
Vintecc is thriving. Since its foundation in 2016, the scale-up, headquartered in Roeselare, has grown by an average of 30% annually – organic growth that has, in recent years, led to the opening of additional offices in Leuven and Delft in the Netherlands; in the team, which now numbers 42 employees; and in a client portfolio comprising industrial heavyweights from a wide range of sectors. Names such as Agristo, Picanol, Movu Robotics, Daikin, DEME, CNH and Poppies Bakeries are currently streamlining and automating their production processes or machinery using Vintecc’s bespoke software and AI-driven solutions.
“A key factor in our success story is that we were able to work for global players from a very early stage,” says Jochen Van Lysebettens, Head of Business Development and Marketing at Vintecc. “Since the outset, we have been a technology partner of Movu Robotics, a key part of the Stow Group, which is the world’s second-largest provider of warehouse solutions with a turnover of more than 1.2 billion. Furthermore, given their strong portfolio for clients including PSS, AVR, Poppies Bakeries and ILVO, our computer vision team is in high demand from both manufacturing companies and machine builders who are keen to fully embrace accessible automation. These projects have established us as a reliable partner and enabled us to invest in the further development of our portfolio. Today, we have everything under one roof to digitally simulate processes and thus deliver complex projects more quickly, with solution teams specialising in computer vision, digital twins, autonomous systems and industrial IoT & data analytics.”
To write the next chapter in this success story in 2024, Vintecc is recruiting ten additional staff members. The AI and software specialist is primarily looking for bright minds with a hands-on approach. “Among other roles, we have vacancies for an IoT solutions engineer, a project engineer and front-end and back-end developers. Developers are the brains of our group, the driving force behind our added value, but unfortunately such candidates are few and far between on the labour market,” says Van Lysebettens.
Vintecc is therefore kicking off 2024 with the opening of a new office in Ghent, in The Loop – the thriving business park for technology companies behind Flanders Expo, easily accessible via the E40 and E17 motorways and by public transport. But above all, the office is close to Ghent University (UGent), a source of new talent. Engineering students who wish to continue living and working in Ghent after their studies will find Vintecc to be the ideal first workplace.
In addition, the new office brings Vintecc closer to customers and prospects in East Flanders. “There are a great many industrial players in East and West Flanders. We want to expand our presence in the region and make it easier to meet face-to-face, test solutions in practice and thus achieve concrete results more quickly.”
What growth ambitions does Vintecc have for 2024? First and foremost, the scale-up wants to continue developing its product portfolio and consolidate its partnerships with existing clients by applying its technology to other processes or aspects of their business operations. “Take ArcelorMittal, Atlas Copco or DEME, for example – these are huge companies where there is still plenty of potential. Not least because, like many other industrial players, they are under pressure. It is becoming increasingly difficult to find trained, competent staff.”
In addition, sustainability and energy management are becoming increasingly important. “The Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) stipulates that by 2026, companies will have to report on their progress and efforts in the field of sustainability, including CO₂ emissions, water and energy consumption, and so on. This can only be achieved with the help of data insights. Only technology can provide a solution to these challenges.”
Furthermore, the growing company from Roeselare is looking abroad. The most obvious move Vintecc can make is into the Netherlands, where there is no language barrier and the company already has a branch office in Delft. “It is our ambition to gain an even stronger foothold with our northern neighbours. The Netherlands has a large and open industrial market. In addition, we remain ambitious on the international stage. And with good reason. Although we do work 80% for Belgian companies, our technology does have an impact on a global scale. We want to continue this trend, so that our technology can create value at customer sites all over the world”, he concludes Jochen Van Lysebettens.
