Builtech becomes part of the Dutch VDK Groep

The requirements for building technology are changing rapidly: decarbonization, digitalization, and modernization are among the biggest infrastructure challenges facing Europe. At the same time, the skilled trades are facing structural challenges. The shortage of skilled workers, increasing sustainability requirements, and an increasingly tense succession situation are weighing heavily on many companies. In Germany alone, almost 70,000 skilled trades companies will be looking for successors in the coming years. It is therefore becoming increasingly important for the industry to pool expertise, share knowledge, and network more closely.

This is precisely where the merger of Builtech and VDK comes in. Both groups have been pursuing the same goal for years: to strengthen the skilled trades without destroying established structures. While Builtech has grown as a reliable succession partner in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Sweden, the VDK Groep in the Netherlands has successfully demonstrated how entrepreneurially managed, locally based companies can be further developed with strong central support. Together, they are now forming an alliance that combines the advantages of regional identity with the power of a European network.

“Next Level Skilled Trades” – on a European stage

For Builtech, this step means new growth opportunities. The strong employer brand, the company’s own academy, and the innovation department form a solid foundation for reaching the next stage of development and successfully integrating additional companies into the group. CEO Maurice Freiherr von Dalwigk emphasizes that “Handwerk Next Level” will remain the central driving force in the future and that the partnership with VDK is ideal for accelerating this development in the core markets.

The merger is also a strategically important step for VDK. The group, which has previously been active primarily in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany, is thus expanding its presence in Central and Northern Europe. CEO Frans van der Kolk sees this as an opportunity to transfer the successful Dutch structure to new markets and, together with Builtech, to become one of the most important European players in the field of building technology.

Shaping the future of the TGA trade

The new joint group will form an alliance that will play a key role in shaping the technical infrastructure in Europe – from electrical engineering and building automation to air conditioning, heating, and ventilation technology. Both companies will remain true to their core principles: strong local brands, reliable regional responsibility, and the ability to implement large-scale technical projects. The merger forms a strong foundation – for the companies, for the employees, and for the role of the trade in Europe.