Who are we?
Entrepreneurs since 1991
In 1991, Koen De Roeve founded De Roeve Automation, specializing in the automation of industrial machinery and processes. Major industrial players were among its customers from the very start.
1991
Founding
Koen De Roeve founds De Roeve Automation.
1995
Expansion
Launch of De Roeve Installations: custom industrial electrical installations, access control and security.
1999
Founding
Founding of De Roeve Industrial IT (DRIT), a company specializing in providing industrial IT solutions to manufacturing companies, co-founded by Tom Maddalena.
Relocation
Relocation to a new HQ in Lokeren, Spieveldstraat.
Strengthening leadership
Strengthening the leadership team with the appointment of Jeroen Baert and Peter Vangronsveld as Business Unit Managers for DRA and DRIN, respectively.
Partnership with D2E
Down2Earth joins with the aim of developing a regional automation group.
Merger
De Roeve Installations and De Roeve Industrial IT merge into De Roeve Automation, under the leadership of Tom Maddalena and Jeroen Baert.
Building a regional group
Koen De Roeve takes the lead in forging strong partnerships that culminate in a regional automation group.
De Roeve Automation.
One-stop-shop for industrial automation and digitalization.
We are a team of 60 professionals in IT, automation and electrical engineering, working together at our headquarters in Lokeren. We generate consolidated revenue of approximately €10 million, serving a broad base of Tier 1 customers, including TotalEnergies, Omer Vander Ghinste, Novartis, Inopsys and ArcelorMittal.
Three complementary teams work together in providing a single point of contact for industrial customers.
Installations
Electrical engineering and installation: electrical design, field cabling, control panel and switchboard building, access control and AREI services.
Automation
Control systems for industrial installations and processes: PLC programming, SCADA systems, plant and process databases, motor control and building automation.
Industrial IT
Digitalization of production environments: custom software, data integration, OT infrastructure, yard management and recipe management.
Trends in our industry
Industry is no longer just a world of steel and screws.
It is an ecosystem of technology, people and data.
"That is why we believe in creating a complementary network of automation and digitalization companies."
Discover the value for you
As an entrepreneur, you retain your operational autonomy, with partners who act as a sounding board. You can diversify your wealth by taking a significant portion off the table. By reinvesting in the capital of the new group, you also share in its upside through synergies and a higher multiple. In addition, you receive support with services such as finance, reporting and recruitment.
Your employees benefit as well. Within a larger group, they gain new opportunities to grow within the organization. They develop their knowledge through access to broader technical fields, and the new group guarantees continuity.
Our
ambition:
Within 5 to 7 years
A network with over €50 million in revenue
More than 250 employees
✽ Our path forward
Growth strategies
Growth Lokeren business unit
In 2026, De Roeve Installations and De Roeve Industrial IT merged into De Roeve Automation. Building on this foundation, with more than 35 years of experience and over 60 employees, we continue to grow in six business domains: Life Sciences; Chemicals and Petrochemicals; Food & Beverage; Manufacturing and Heavy Industry; Energy and Utilities; and Infrastructure, Mobility and Logistics.
We maintain a clear focus on our commercial priorities: delivering comprehensive industrial solutions in three core areas (electrical engineering and installations, production automation, and industrial IT, including OT/IT infrastructure and security) and, drawing on this expertise, building digital manufacturing ecosystems.
Partnerships with companies
We partner with strong automation companies that have a proven track record and are led by autonomous teams.
By bringing complementary companies together, we strengthen our ability to connect machines, systems and people in one coherent digital environment, achieve geographic coverage across the Benelux and realize synergies.
Partners share expertise, customers and projects, and build scale together without losing their own identity.
Establishing green fields
We establish greenfield businesses by partnering with entrepreneurial engineers who bring expertise in one or more of our core domains. Whether they are experienced freelancers, established independent professionals or engineers ready to take their first steps into entrepreneurship, we provide the platform to turn their expertise and ambition into a successful business.
Beyond technical and commercial backing, we provide practical support in areas such as administration, HR and IT, as well as a trusted sounding board for strategic and business decisions. By combining entrepreneurial drive and fresh technical talent with our proven expertise, established infrastructure and strong network, we create the foundations for sustainable growth across the Benelux.
Entrepreneurs at heart. Partners by nature.
Entrepreneurship is part of our DNA, as is a passion for technology and a commitment to joining forces for the long term. It is reflected not only in our brand, but also in who we are as an employer and partner.
Contact Koen De Roeve