9altitudes buys Spanish industrial specialist Integral Group

Belgium-headquartered digital consulting group 9altitudes has expanded into a number of new markets with the acquisition of Integral Group, a smaller Spanish counterpart with teams in Spain, Portugal, Turkey and Brazil.

Established in 2021 following the merger between Belgium-based Ad Ultima Group and Netherlands-based Pylades and Cayentis, 9altitudes has since its inception grown from a team of around 300 staff in the Benelux to over 800 today.

That latest deal, that of Barcelona-based Integral Group, added around 130 professionals to its 800-person total, and comes on the back of previous acquisitions including Add-IT and Hillstar in the Netherlands, and Optimate in Denmark. 9altitudes now operates in eight countries in Europe, and in Brazil.

9altitudes is a technology consultancy and solutions firm specialised in (heavy) manufacturing sectors. The firm supports end-to-end digital transformation projects in areas such as enterprise resource planning (ERP), customer relationship management (CRM), computer-aided design (CAD), product lifecycle management (PLM), business intelligence (BI), and document management systems (DMS). The firm has technology alliances with Microsoft and PTC.

Integral Group specialises in digital and automation services to manufacturing businesses. The firm has more than 25 years of experience in implementing PTC software and is a leading player in the CAD and PLM segments (Integral Group firm also to a lesser extent delivers projects on HP and Oracle technologies).

“This acquisition is a significant milestone for us as it allows us to tap into new markets and territories, while strengthening our existing portfolio. The Integral Group brings with it a wealth of expertise, resources, and a strong reputation, which we believe will enhance our ability to deliver exceptional value to our customers,” said Filip Bossuyt, CEO at 9altitudes.

9altitudes’s buy-and-build strategy is backed by Waterland, a private equity group that also owns a majority stake in Valcon, a management and technology consultancy with now over 1,500 consultants across Europe. When Waterland came on board in 2019, the consulting firm had around 250 consultants.

Commenting on the joining of forces with the larger group, José Vicente Garrido, the CEO at Integral Group, said: “Together with 9altitudes we have a unique opportunity to be part of a strong organisation that truly can create a difference for the customers. By being able to create a digital transformation offering that combines the best from both worlds of Microsoft and PTC, we truly can help our customers reach new heights.”