Continuity of Noord Nederlandse Draadindustrie guaranteed after takeover by Anders Invest

Wire producer Noord Nederlandse Draadindustrie (NNDI) has been a household name in Dokkum for over a century. It was established in its present form in 1928, but its origins go back to the end of the 19th century. Since 2006, Piet Kooistra and Duco Hacquebord have been the owners. No successor came forward within the company or among relatives, both over-sixties called in Marktlink. With the 100% acquisition by Anders Invest , the Frisian company has a secure future ahead of it.

It turned out to be a great job for Koen Rutten, who, together with Okkie den Boon and Teije Hiltermann, supervised the process from the Drachten office. “You are dealing with a large employer: they have a great turnover and a great deal of stock in storage. Like any other company in the production and manufacturing industry, NNDI had to deal with the economic consequences of the pandemic and the war in Ukraine to name a few. The availability and prices of raw materials played a role throughout the process.”

Employment in the area

The company’s slogan, ‘Draadkracht uit Dokkum’ (‘Wire Power from Dokkum’), was the basis for both men’s wishes for the future. “NNDI is a good employer in Dokkum, the company employs a lot of people and therefore makes a serious contribution to job availability in the area. It was important to the retiring owners that this should be maintained. They did not want a strategic acquisition, for example by a foreign party, because of the risk that the company would leave Dokkum”, says Koen Rutten.

Future secured

There is little or no such risk with an acquisition by an private equity, and Koen Rutten saw that NNDI could count on interest from that angle too. “Of all the proposals and bids we received, Anders Invest Industrie Fonds’ story was the one we took to the most. They specialise in technical production companies as well. With this acquisition, Piet and Duco have secured the future and thus the continuity of NNDI.”

Receive trust

Piet Kooistra and Duco Hacquebord have a new future ahead of them. “And it is different for both of them,” Koen Rutten knows. “Piet is now general manager and will be winding down in the coming period while a successor is sought. That does not apply to Duco, however; he will continue to be involved in, for example, guaranteeing the quality of the machinery and supporting innovative developments. For us as a deal team, it is always great to receive trust and to see only happy faces at the end of the day.”