From a one-man operation to the market leader of the Benelux: this year we are celebrating that AED-Partner is 20 years old! Our adventure is one of hard work, great moments, and always pulling together. Jan Smale took a dive into our history:

The start in ‘03
AED-Partner started in 2003 as Vivon, a company dealing with emergency response plans and similar services. Soon, then-owner Stephan Hulsbergen also started selling AEDs. He sold 150 AEDs of his first brand in record time. Until a recall occurred... and the brand went bankrupt. A major setback, but he persevered. Through an acquaintance, Vivon became a distributor for Philips and later for ‘our’ brand, Cardiac Science.

2007: New owner Jan
Sales then increased, and thus did the busyness. Time for staff! In 2007, just after 3 employees had started, Stephan offered Vivon for sale. It happened as it did back then, in a magazine between supply and demand for businesses. ‘Wellness company for sale’ it read. That caught my attention, and after some online research, I called Stephan. The company turned out to be called Vivon, while I myself was just setting up a holding company named Vivens. It had to be, so I went for it. Within 4 months, we had a deal and the financing was secured.

A breath of fresh air
We then immediately went multi-brand. We also expanded our service because we wanted to do something for emergency responders. After all, deploying an AED is no small feat. Since then, we are always on-site within 6 hours after deployment. For AED maintenance and as a listening ear.

Proud of AED-Alert
Around that time, we also started the development of AED-Alert for call centers in the Netherlands. It was a great success: in the event of a 112 call about cardiac arrest, this software immediately sent an SMS to citizen first responders. AED-Alert was active in 50% of all call centers at the time, and our brand recognition grew rapidly. The ambulance service acquired AED-Alert in 2012 and allowed it to grow into HartslagNu (HeartbeatNow). It's special that we were there at the inception!

Growth
Between 2011 and 2018, we experienced considerable growth. We merged with our fellow companies Clinitec (importer of Cardiac Science) and Vita Nova Supra Belgium. We also made a number of acquisitions in the Netherlands and Belgium, including AED Service Nederland and AED.nl. Furthermore, we experienced substantial autonomous growth, which led to a doubling of our revenue between 2015 and 2018.

A new home
Naturally, our growth also included new company premises in the Netherlands and Belgium. In 2018, we moved from Ekkersrijt 1121 to our new, sustainable building at number 4301. Fully visible from the main road and with plenty of space. In Belgium, we also moved to a new location in Genk (we are now in Beringen). At these new locations, we have grown further. In the meantime, we are not only an official distributor of ZOLL, Cardiac Science, and Philips, but Mindray is also now ‘our’ brand.

Under the wings of SK Fire/Chubb
At the end of 2019, we decided to sell AED-Partner to SK Fire/Chubb (now part of APi Group). A choice that opens all sorts of doors, but where our entrepreneurship – fortunately – can continue to exist.

One team
And although the past few years have been hectic with supply chain issues in the industry, it's good to see that we continue to make it happen. We have achieved a tremendous feat not only since 2019 but also before that. In many different compositions and circumstances, and yet always as one team. I find everyone's enthusiasm for resuscitation one of the most beautiful things to witness. As well as the collaboration between our Belgian and Dutch colleagues!

And from now on?
We are becoming an increasingly professional club. We will continue to grow in the coming years and also want to establish a position outside the Benelux. And that can nicely happen under the wings of SK Fire/Chubb.

But first things first... our anniversary weekend! Because 20 years of AED-Partner wouldn't have been possible without our people. Where exactly we're going is still a surprise for everyone, but one thing is for sure: it will be fun and enjoyable!

Jan Smale