The partnership between Unidis and Made4Data
Unidis was founded by current director-major shareholder Hugo Greefhorst in 2004. With over 20 years of expertise, it is the expert in the field of business software. The company has since grown into one of the largest suppliers of Multivers and the largest partner of Made4Data. What started as a lack of independence grew into a strategic and close partnership. ‘’Today, when we talk about the cooperation and processes between Unidis and Made4Data, we are talking about ’we and us’,’’ says Hugo.
Growth and independence
The founder saw the need for a tool that saves time and energy by automating operations and avoiding repetitive tasks. Such a tool could be of great value to entrepreneurs. ‘’And at that time not even so much an integration tool, but just something to automate all kinds of things. Actions you do on a keyboard, lists you look at every day, things that waste a lot of time and energy. There just had to be something like that,’’ Hugo says. Unidis started with a tool from an external developer, which formed the basis for the current BPM Server. It first developed an integration with Multivers itself, but the dependence on third parties felt like a limitation. It was therefore eventually decided to develop its own integration tool and immediately create a clear separation from Unidis to ensure independence. ‘’At some point we said, ‘we'd better not depend on others, so we're going to make that core ourselves too’’.’‘ In 2014, Made4Data was founded, then still under the name BPM Software. The first Unidis employees transferred to Made4Data. ’‘The partnership you then get is that you can now say to the client, ’tell us what you are now losing a lot of time and energy on so that we can automate that process.’’ If a customer can explain how they would like to work, we can make that happen,'' Hugo says.
Professionalisation and new direction
Made4Data, then still BPM Software, had previously faced internal challenges. The technical base had room for improvement and process work was limited in the organisation, resulting in inefficiencies. We even seemed to be a competitor of Unidis for a time. Consequently, in 2024, the founder took full ownership of Made4Data by adjusting the shareholder structure. This led to a new, fresh wind with a focus on professionalism, process-oriented work, rejuvenation of the team and starting to develop modern software ourselves. ‘’The different team members complement each other well; management sees opportunities and is entrepreneurial, while others are more operational and process-oriented. We are about to complete ISO 27001 certification, which also indicates process-oriented work,’’ Hugo says. ‘’We do it all together, we work in the same way. There is a legal separation between the two companies, but we all work with the same software, the same principles and the same mentality. If something goes wrong, we fix it and move on. It's a well-oiled machine.’’ The partnership is really something we can be proud of.
Focus and ambition
There is a strong belief that the services we offer can also be successful in Belgium, Germany and beyond. Partnerships with internationally operating companies strengthen this potential. Although this is not included in the planning for next year, the ambition is certainly there. For now, the focus is on controlled growth, quality and scalability. ‘’First, the focus is on consolidating the market in the Netherlands, but we will always continue to see opportunities. Right now there is something really great going on, and this is just the beginning,’’ Hugo said.
The partnership you then get is that you can now say to the customer, ‘tell us what you are currently spending a lot of time and energy on so that we can automate that process.’ If a customer can explain how they would like to work, we can make that happen.
