Belgium-based Pauwels Consulting acquires Amsterdam-based Science@Work

Belgium-based Pauwels Consulting, a life sciences, engineering, and IT consultancy firm, announced on Friday, September 23, that it has acquired Amsterdam-based specialist recruitment agency Science@Work, marking its fourth acquisition in the Dutch market. 

The Belgian consultancy firm has built a solid organisation in the Netherlands in under three years after acquiring specialised ICT and engineering consulting companies. Previous Dutch acquisitions include Open Web IT (Java and Bloomreach specialist), Bruggenbouwers (contract staffing firm), and Developers.nl (contract staffing firm specialised in IT projects). 

Science@Work is a specialist recruitment agency for the laboratory sector and helps talent from MLO to Ph.D. find permanent jobs in, among others, Life Sciences, Biotech, Chemistry, and the food sector. Last year, around 450 professionals found new jobs through the Dutch platform.

Science@Work enjoys a strong position in the science and laboratory industry in the Dutch and Belgian markets, and the acquisition will strengthen Pauwels Consulting in the pharmaceutical, biotechnological, chemical, medical devices, food, and beverage industries.

The acquisition also increases the number of experts Pauwels can deploy to more than 1,200. In addition, the group will have an extra office in Amsterdam, besides the ones in Rotterdam, Nieuwegein, and Hoofddorp. 

“After years of strong organic growth, we were looking for partnerships to shape our further ambitions,” says Dirk Burgmans, Director of Science@Work. “We noticed tremendous similarities in our services and range from our first meeting with Pauwels Consulting. We are also on the same page regarding business operations, culture, and vision for the future, and we both strongly focus on quality and sustainable growth.”

Pauwels Consulting: What you need to know

Founded in 1999 by Bert Pauwels, Pauwels Consulting is a Belgian consultancy firm with more than 1100 experts in engineering, life sciences, and IT. 

The Ghent-based company staffs, manage and execute projects for organisations in the (petro)chemical, civil engineering, industrial production, energy, and transport businesses with the design, supervision, support, and execution of long-term projects in Belgium, France, The Netherlands, and beyond. 

Pauwels Consulting is particularly active in automation, mechanical and civil engineering, instrumentation, piping, electrics, and electromechanics. Together with 3d Investors, Pauwels Consulting has already made 11 acquisitions in 7 years, and the turnover has increased fivefold from €25M to more than €120M.

Bert Pauwels, Managing Director of Pauwels Consulting, says, “The experienced Science@Work team has made our market position even stronger, not only for temporary projects but also to support clients in their search for the best talent to fill permanent positions. Together, we are better placed to provide our clients with specialists in and around the lab, quality assurance, and regulatory affairs in Belgium and the Netherlands.”