IFS Ultimo accelerates asset management software development with NetRom Software

 A crane that stops operating, a machine that breaks down, or a building that is no longer safe: in sectors such as logistics, manufacturing, and healthcare, the consequences of poor asset management are immediately noticeable. Asset Management Software helps organizations prevent these issues. IFS Ultimo, recognized by Gartner as a global market leader in Enterprise Asset Management, has worked with NetRom Software for more than ten years on platform development and support. The key to this long-standing success is a strong cultural fit that enables a constructive and productive working relationship. 

IFS Ultimo was founded in the Netherlands in 1988 as a small, independent software developer and has since grown into an international organization with approximately 2,500 customers worldwide, including London Gatwick Airport, BASF, Vion Food Group, and Hutchison Ports ECT Rotterdam. In 2022, the company was acquired by IFS, a Swedish software provider with more than 5,500 employees across over 50 countries. IFS Ultimo is ISO 9001 certified and holds an ISAE 3402 Type II certification.

Challenge: further developing EAM software in a tight labour market.

Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) software is continuously evolving. Erik Huisman explained: “Users are increasingly adopting augmented reality (AR) applications and artificial intelligence. Data streams play a critical role in this, and IFS Ultimo’s solutions must support these technologies. Data analysis is also being used more frequently to identify patterns and anomalies, enabling capabilities such as predictive maintenance.”

At the same time, existing customers using on-premises versions of the software must transition to the cloud—a technically complex migration process that places additional pressure on available development capacity.

Attracting sufficient developers in the Netherlands proved to be a significant challenge. Huisman added: “In 2014, we evaluated various nearshore and offshore options. We were primarily looking for a partner that could scale flexibly and that offered a strong cultural fit.”

Solution: integrated collaboration with an external development team

The collaboration began with a pilot project focused on a standalone module. Huisman explains: “That gave us more than enough confidence to continue and expand the team.” IFS Ultimo ultimately scaled the NetRom team to ten developers and testers. The original model, in which Dutch Scrum teams guided the NetRom developers, proved to be insufficiently flexible in practice. “We therefore moved toward integrated Scrum teams, with a shared stand-up and backlog,” Huisman recalls. This shift proved to be a turning point for both speed and quality.

As the collaboration expanded, so did NetRom’s responsibilities, including cloud migrations, API integrations, and Level 2 support for international customers. Huisman explains: “Migrations involve a range of automated and manual processes. For some customers, the software has been significantly extended with customizations, which need to be carefully assessed during a cloud migration. We assigned the technical aspects of this work to NetRom.” In total, twenty NetRom professionals now work for IFS Ultimo.

Results: accelerating innovation through a shared culture

What distinguishes the collaboration is the strong cultural fit. Huisman explains: “The NetRom developers are comfortable speaking up when they believe something is or is not a good idea. That kind of directness is also familiar in the Netherlands. The difference in working style between Dutch and Romanian developers is minimal.” The long-term collaboration also provides continuity in both knowledge and ways of working. “Of course, people occasionally leave the team, but NetRom has strong internal processes in place for knowledge retention and knowledge sharing.”

Huisman also emphasizes the importance of continuing to invest in personal contact: “You have to shape the partnership together. Involving each other in strategy, contributing to operational decisions, sharing successes, and celebrating them together are all part of it.” With twenty NetRom professionals supporting IFS Ultimo, the company has the development capacity to serve existing customers effectively while continuing to innovate.