The Swedish Axiell Group in global expansion: Acquisition of Adlib Information Systems makes Axiell the largest in Europe

Axiell Group AB develops and supplies advanced IT systems and services for archives, museums, libraries and schools. The acquisition of the Dutch company, Adlib Information Systems, makes Axiell the largest player in Europe in relation to museums and archives, and confirms the company’s position as one of the five largest players in the global market. The deal has given Axiell 1,600 new clients in 30 countries, and has provided a broad international platform for future growth.

“-The international expansion is fully in line with Axiell’s strategy to grow and maintain a cutting-edge position worldwide. Adlib Information Systems’ expertise, particularly with respect to archives, museums and specialist libraries, such as the Red Cross, dovetails perfectly with Axiell’s current offer. This strengthens our positions as one of only a few specialist companies which can offer these services globally”, says Joel Sommerfeldt, CEO of Axiell Group AB.

The acquisition of Adlib Information Systems improves Axiell’s presence, particularly in countries such as Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, the UK and Ireland. Axiell’s aim is to become the leading company in the sector worldwide and has a clear goal for 2015 – increased growth.
Adlib Information Systems’ head office is in Utrecht, in the Netherlands, and the company also has offices in Berlin and Swindon. In Joel Sommerfeldt’s view, the acquisition offers real potential:

“-We are convinced that the combined expertise of the two companies will help us to boost our offer towards the museums, archives and specialist libraries sector all over the world, and we regard this as an important part of our strategy. Adlib Information Systems provides services to a wide range of outstanding customers, for example Cern (the European Organi¬zation for Nuclear Research), Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, the van Gogh Museum and the British Film Institute. This speaks volumes about the quality of the company’s services.”

The current owners of Adlib Information Systems, Bert Degenhart Drenth (CEO) and Marijke van der Kwartel (CFO) will continue to work for the company and will join the Axiell management team.

“-We at Adlib are very proud to have become a part of the Axiell group. I feel that our combined products, markets and geographic spread enables us to take the next step into the future. However, this is not only important to us, but equally important for our customers, who will benefit from a truly European and sustainable supplier for their mission critical systems. Together we can do more: offer fully integrated solutions for Libraries, Museums and Archives on a large scale”, says Bert Degenhart Drenth, CEO Adlib Information Systems.

Further reinforcement will come in the form of a new Sales Manager. Adlib Information Systems will be run in parallel to Axiell CALM, a subsidiary in the Axiell Group which focuses on providing services for archives and museums.

“-The two companies won’t merge until 2014, to give us time to make the most of the synergies within each company and make the merger as smooth as possible”, says Joel Sommerfeldt.

For more information, please visit www.axiell.com or www.adlibsoft.com, or contact:
Joel Sommerfeldt, CEO, Axiell Group AB, mobile: +46 702 18 82 80 e-mail: joel.sommerfeldt@axiell.com
Bert Degenhart Drenth, CEO, Adlib Information Systems, phone +31 (0)346 - 586800 e-mail: bert@nl.adlibsoft.com

Axiell develops technically advanced and innovative solutions for libraries, schools, archives and museums in close cooperation with its customers. More than 1000 library organisations with thousands of branches in the Nordic countries and in the UK use Axiell’s library management systems and Axiell Arena, the tool for the virtual library. The system for archives and museums, CALM, is used by over 400 archives and museums in Europe. More than 3,000 schools use Axiell’s systems.
The Axiell Group, which is based in Lund and has more than 200 employees, has five subsidiaries in Sweden, Denmark, Finland and the UK. Together, we form the world’s fifth largest company in this sector.
To find out more about us and our products, please visit www.axiell.co.uk

Axiell Group
Box 5151
426 05 Västra Frölunda
Sweden

Press contact: Suzanne Jardenfall
P: +46 (0)46 270 04 00

This release was published on openPR.