Industry players are interested in joining QMG

QMG is growing rapidly in Finland with new acquisitions being published every now and then. At Calto, we have been part of the group for more than three years, and after us twenty new companies have already joined.

The last time I visited a supplier’s event, several people came to pull my sleeve and ask what kind of companies QMG is interested right now. This confirms what we have anticipated. QMG has a solid and good reputation in the technical installations market.

In accordance with our strategy, we seek continuous growth and there are several ways to achieve it. After all, acquisitions follow the same logic as recruitment. In Finland, there are brokers who connect buyers with owners who are interested in selling. Sometimes we get a tip through other channels, or we take direct contact to interesting companies.

There is no exact selection criteria. We evaluate geographic coverage with certain parameters, and the amount of services is important. But as a rule, we are looking for good players. When the right one comes across, neither the location nor the company’s service palette prevent the acquisition.

A CRYSTAL BALL COULD BE HANDY

When Calto joined, we held negotiations and made evaluations for more than six months. The process is nowadays faster and more refined, but the business of all candidates are still carefully scrutinized. In other words, both commercial and legal aspects are thoroughly analysed.

You can’t see into the future without a crystal ball, but in the evaluation phase we map out the possible risks and find out the company’s continuity. We have to be able to conclude whether the company’s market situation will look the same a few of years later.

In the purchased companies, daily work continues in the same way as before. This is what our decentralized operating model means. In the takeover, common systems will be introduced, as well as guidelines for reporting. This unites us as one family and we have a common target. Now, lat’s ask how a company that joined QMG this year has felt the change.

HALF A YEAR IN QMG – WHAT HAS CHANGED?

Alti-Systems, founded by Timo Alanne, and Ref-Engineering, the engineering agency owned by Alanne and Miska Lehtinen, joined QMG in February 2022.

– We have been satisfied with the change. What was agreed upon before the deal has been kept by both parties. It is important to us that we can continue to work like entrepreneurs, which means that our own identity and name is preserved. Cooperation with QMG’s regional director Johan Löfgren has been smooth. The biggest change for a company of our size is certainly the implementation of the group’s various systems, sums up Timo Alanne.

Johan Löfgren
CEO, Calto