Improved knowledge management for manufacturing & engineering
On September 1, Technology developer and manufacturer Demcon acquired Enschede-based Eluxis, a specialist in knowledge management for the manufacturing & engineering industries. This will allow Demcon to expand its knowledge management services and to continue to make life easier for its customers. Demcon can continue to develop by actively supporting the entire product lifecycle, in addition to developing new products and technology, primarily by means of technical documentation and technical training. At the same time, Eluxis will retain and continue to expand its own customer base.
Eluxis’ service portfolio is complementary to Demcon’s, says Eluxis co-owner and founder Peter van Bart. “We enable people to work properly with the technical products and system that companies like Demcon develop and build, for example by writing practical manuals and work instructions, creating appealing training courses and animations, collecting sales-supporting information in, for example, product application manuals, and setting up training systems and knowledge bases. In summary: we do knowledge management, everything people need to properly operate manufacturing & engineering products and systems. We serve the entire chain, from manufacturers to owners and from users to service providers.”
Continuity and opportunities
In its quest for an acquisition, Eluxis approached Demcon, Van Bart explains. “The three shareholders are nearing retirement age and wanted to ensure the continuity of Eluxis. We all agreed that becoming part of a larger company would enable us to grow. What we liked most about Demcon were our overlapping customer bases and its focus on excellence and innovation to add value for the customer. We also have shared roots in Twente and both have a good relationship with the University of Twente. For Demcon, we saw opportunities to provide even more comprehensive, attractive services to their customers by adding knowledge management to their technology offerings.”
New services
It didn’t take long for Jan Leideman, new business development manager at Demcon, to realize the interfaces with Eluxis and the opportunities for Demcon. “Technical documentation is a key part of the design process. In the past, we would draft our own documentation or bring in an outside service provider. However, we gradually came to see the strategic importance of having a group of in-house specialists dedicated to knowledge management and were eager to explore how we could expand our services in this field. We had previously acquired specialist companies dedicated to a particular discipline, but had always been struck by how reluctantly they were adopted at first. Gradually, however, our people would begin to see the benefits before ultimately wholeheartedly embracing the new discipline. I expect that the process will be much the same with knowledge management. While everyone intuitively understands the importance of technical documentation and the benefits of having our colleagues at Eluxis take it off our hands, other applications will have to grow. Currently, we often provide customers with a product and a manual on a one-off basis, but we could do much more with documentation and support over the entire life cycle, such as writing instructions and creating training courses for all kinds of users. These services would be a valuable addition to our portfolio and we will have to master them gradually.”
New technology enhances support
Van Bart: “The key to success is full service throughout the full product life cycle. With the rise of “servitization,” companies are moving beyond products alone, tagging on a package of services to make customers’ lives easier. With Eluxis on board, Demcon can now actively embrace this new approach. A great example is multilingual documentation for products with multiple variants. We can harness special Component Content Management software to build modular documentation sourced from different building blocks, resulting in substantial savings on translation and development costs. Furthermore, more and more technology is emerging to support people in using and servicing products and systems, including virtual and augmented reality and artificial intelligence, AI. We also intend to leverage these new technologies, and have already started using AI-based tools to create animations. Our zeal to adopt new technology is yet another reason why Demcon, an innovative company in its own right, is such a good fit. I understand that people think of manuals first and foremost, but the possibilities are so much greater.”
Valuable combination
Demcon is eager to take advantage of these new opportunities in knowledge management, says Leideman. “That’s why we believe it’s so important for Eluxis, as part of Demcon, to keep and nurture its existing customers, as well as bringing in new customers. As I see it, a dual role in which they contribute to Demcon products while also retaining their own outside customers has tremendous benefits. It will keep them on their toes and expose them to direct market feedback. Some of our previous acquisitions are a testament to how successful such a dual role can be.”
About Demcon
Demcon (1,100+ employees) develops, manufactures and supplies technology and innovative products. The Demcon group has branches in Best, Delft, Enschede, Groningen, Leiden, Maastricht, Münster (Germany), Tokyo (Japan) and Singapore. The company was born out of its founders’ passion for combining creativity and technical skills to solve complex technological and social issues that directly or indirectly impact people and their environment. From medical solutions, to systems that keep us safe and sustainable innovations in the realms of water and energy, Demcon’s work benefits current and future generations alike. In addition to developing technical solutions, Demcon is committed to fostering entrepreneurship and investing in talent and education.
About Eluxis
Eluxis has more than 25 years of experience in knowledge management for the manufacturing & engineering sectors and specializes in learning & development and technical documentation. The Enschede-based company sees knowledge management as a multidisciplinary domain in which training, documentation, knowledge systems and knowledge organization are integrated into client operations. Eluxis has nine employees and will join the Demcon group on September 1, 2024. At the end of October, it will move to the Demcon branch based at Enschede’s Kennispark, opposite the University of Twente. Its official new name is Demcon eluxis. As Eluxis – Part of the Demcon group – the company will contribute to Demcon projects while continuing to independently serve its own customers. Peter van Bart, Eluxis’ current director, will stay on as managing director.