Heerlen, August 27 2025
Bencis acquires majority stake in Cadac Group
Investment firm Bencis has acquired a majority stake in automation company Cadac Group from Heerlen. Bencis is taking over approximately 70 percent of the shares from founder Jan Baggen and from development company LIOF, which has been a co-shareholder since 1998.
Bencis is an independent Dutch investment company that invests in medium-sized, successful businesses in the Netherlands, Germany, and Belgium. Bencis supports entrepreneurs in realizing their growth ambitions, with a focus on engaged entrepreneurship and sustainable value creation. Bencis currently has 32 companies in its portfolio, together generating a turnover of €2.5 billion and employing more than 13,000 people.
“For Cadac, Bencis is the best option,” says founder Jan Baggen, who established the company in 1986 and grew it into a leading automation firm with a turnover of more than €66 million last year and nearly 200 employees. “By choosing a private equity partner, changes will be minimal; only the ownership structure of Cadac Group Holding will change.”
Confidence
Jacob Versteeg of Bencis expressed great satisfaction with the transaction:“We look forward to supporting Cadac with its growth ambitions. Cadac is a market leader in automation around design, engineering, and construction software, and is known for the high quality of its services. The company is active in various markets that are particularly interesting due to the increasing demand for automation and integration among chain partners. We therefore have a lot of confidence in Cadac, but above all in the collaboration with Jan Baggen, Paul Smeets (CTO), and the rest of the Cadac team. We have known Jan and his team for a long time and are excited to now intensify our cooperation.”
Two Options
The two parties have been in serious discussions behind the scenes for quite some time. “Since 2024,” explains Baggen. “Despite my love for Cadac and my desire to remain involved with the company forever, I had to be rational and think about Cadac’s future without me. Broadly speaking, I had two options: keep the shares and hope that one of our children would take over the company, or look for a new investor. The first option would have been the most beautiful, but it placed an enormous burden on our family. That’s why we started looking for a new investor. Bencis is the right candidate, I am convinced of that.”
Autodesk
Cadac is one of Autodesk’s largest partners, particularly in the Benelux, Germany, and Southern Europe. Autodesk is an American software company globally recognized for its advanced design, engineering, and construction software, such as AutoCAD and Revit. Digitalization is in full swing in the manufacturing industry, construction sector, and government. Cadac Group’s experts help clients embrace this digital transformation with both Cadac and Autodesk software and related services.
Baggen: “We could have chosen to partner with another major Autodesk partner, but with this transaction we safeguard Cadac’s independence, continuity, and identity. For us, it is important that the current vision and strategy are continued. During our discussions with Bencis, trust has grown. This was not just a financial transaction—it is also about our people and the resources to continue investing and growing.”
LIOF
Development company LIOF, which has been an involved investor, shareholder, and partner of Cadac for more than 25 years, fully supports the sale of its shares.
“We wholeheartedly support this acquisition,” says Siska van Houdt, Manager Investing. “Our collaboration dates back to the period when LIOF was actively investing in the then-emerging ICT sector. Cadac has since grown into a leading Limburg-based company within the ICT industry. The acquisition by Bencis strengthens the foundation for the future. Cadac retains both its international position and its regional ties with Limburg.”
Shares
The share transaction was officially signed on Wednesday, August 27, 2025, by all parties involved.
Jan Baggen will remain CEO of Cadac Group and will retain a quarter of the shares through his holding company TwinPort. Slightly less than 5 percent of the shares will remain with management and several key employees, including CTO Paul Smeets and CFO Astrid van de Sande.
Contact Information
Please contact Jan Baggen via +31 (0)88-932 2333.
Visit www.cadac.com for more information about Cadac and www.bencis.com for more information about Bencis.
