On 6 December 2006 Radio Holland Group (Rotterdam) celebrated its 90th anniversary in the maritime shipping industry. The company was founded in 1916 in Amsterdam as the "Nederlandsche Telegraaf Maatschappij Radio-Holland" by a group of Dutch ship owners. They saw the significance and necessity of radio communications to the safety and efficiency of shipping. Radio Holland began installing radio stations on board of Dutch merchant vessels. In those years and up to the nineties Radio Holland also employed the radio-officer (also called 'sparks') on board, who operated the equipment and in the early days, the morse key. For this purpose, Radio Holland founded a special own training college for radio-officers after the first World War, in Amsterdam. When the radio-officer job ceased to exist on board in the beginning of the nineties, several radio-officers ended up in the Radio Holland organisation in various functions, from technician to purchaser, where they could very well exercise their expertise in maritime electronics. In the years following this pioneering start, the company expanded its activities considerably and soon built up a worldwide network of branches, starting off in the East Indies(1920s), Curaçao (1930s) and continuing to for example Hong Kong, Singapore, USA, Middle East and Africa in the seventies & eighties.

Today, Radio Holland is a wellknown name in the maritime shipping industry, with a worldwide network of 54 branches. Radio Holland has a special Historic Foundation (Stichting Historisch Materiaal Radio Holland) who takes care of and restores a unique collection of antique communication and nautical equipment and harbours a rare collection of old maritime publications and photos. The people of the Foundation (most of them former Radio Holland employees) also provide maritime musea with this historic equipment, for example a radio hut as used at the beginning of the century.

Dé Slager, CEO of the Radio Holland Group comments; "On 6th December 1916, the Nederlandsche Telegraafmaatschappij "Radio Holland" was founded. In itself 90 years is not something that requires substantial celebration. However, I do believe that in our case it is more than justified to at least think back to December 6th, 1916. Many things have happened since then and this not only pertains to the shareholders. The entire business switched from "Morse" to "Satellite". We have established a very strong position in our maritime market. For this we obviously have to thank all of our predecessors. Because they were at the start of the company and its gradual growth since then. But I also have to thank our personnel. Because without them we wouldn't be where we are today. Today, it is possible for us to work for a company which is strong, has a fantastic position in the market, has an unrivaled worldwide network and in which we can enjoy ourselves too. I'm looking forward to our 100th anniversary!".

Profile of Radio Holland Group

Founded in 1916, Radio Holland Group is a product and supplier-independent international maritime specialist in the field of satellite and radio communications, automation, observation and navigation systems. Other activities include safety facilities onboard ships, onboard IT networks and airtime for satellite communication. Radio Holland Group has an excellent position in the service and aftersales market owing to its worldwide service network. Since May 2006, Radio Holland Group is part of Imtech N. V., renowned international technical service provider in the field of information & communication technology and electrical & mechanical engineering. With more than 15,000 employees Imtech realises an annual turnover of approximately 2,5 billion euro. Imtech shares are listed on the Euronext Stock Exchange (Amsterdam), where Imtech is included in the Amsterdam SmallCap Index (AScX) and the Next 150 index.

The head office of Radio Holland Group is located in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. The company has a network of more than fifty international offices along all-important global shipping routes. This network ensures global coverage and is the strength of Radio Holland Group. Hence, service is provided quickly and efficiently where and when the customer demands it. A global service database offers added value in the field of service, maintenance and management. A rapidly increasing activity is ‘satellite airtime’ solutions, offered through Radio Holland subsidiary Radio Holland Connect. In 2005, with a staff of over 750 maritime specialists, Radio Holland Group realised a revenue of approximately 157 million euro, of which approximately 65% resulted from new building and development and the complete replacement of technological infrastructure onboard ships and 35% from service, maintenance and repair.