Predictive data analysis and management is new to the facilities sector in the Netherlands. Entrepreneur Victor van der Wal: 'When you consider that billions of euros are involved in facility services and that an average of 30 to 40 percent of what is performed is not transparent, you know that something has to be done.' INPRC offers an answer to this. The product has recently earned its spurs with assignments for large organizations such as NS, ProRail, Circuit Zandvoort and Schiphol Airport. Van der Wal is therefore ready for the next step.
The entrepreneur explains, "In the production world, especially in the food industry, checking quality 'in the process' has long been commonplace. In facility services, it is not yet so. This also has to do with the high outsourcing rate of facilities services by organizations, where quality controls are often only carried out afterwards and the 'voice of the customer' is recognized at a much too late stage. I was the director of facilities management at a college and at one point thought: what am I actually spending all that money on? The service providers themselves often did not know either, while the customer satisfaction of students and employees was poor. The means of assessment that are in place mainly bring false security. You often see those lists hanging in public restrooms, checking off when cleaning has been done. I once saw a list that had already been checked off for the next three weeks ...'
Contract management tool
Van der Wal decided 23 years ago that it was time for a foolproof product that tests, analyzes and predicts on multiple components. 'INPRC consists of several components, both hardware and software. One of the principles of INPRC is that it is a convenient and simple tool for day-to-day operational services and contract management: both for clients and facility service providers. As such, there are multiple input variables. Not only do cleaners sign in and out in the INPRC app, but by "tagging" certain items, an area can be rated. In addition, users give their judgment through, for example, the familiar smiley boxes. Our product records productivity, activity and customer satisfaction. We process the resulting raw data in a data street with smart algorithms. These detect patterns and thereby create predictive power.'
Van der Wal continues: "The intention, of course, is that the customer benefits from this, that it saves costs and that customer satisfaction increases. Contract management has several aspects: not only monitoring compliance with agreements with KPIs (Critical Performance Indicators), but also assessing performance and understanding changes. INPRC is therefore a learning platform, accessible at different levels to stakeholders such as performers contract managers and, for example, boards of directors.' Only the well-known cleanliness surveys that organizations periodically circulate are of little use, the passionate entrepreneur knows. 'Then the damage has long since been done. INPRC was developed around the PDCA model: Plan Do Check Act. In our app you can see at a glance what the latest scores are in terms of work performed and customer satisfaction. This gives you as a client a grip on the service and you can intervene quickly where necessary.'
From gut feeling to facts
INPRC can now count big names such as NS, ProRail, Circuit Zandvoort and Schiphol Airport among its customers. It is slowly beginning to take shape," Van der Wal agrees modestly. 'Organizations are stepping in from different perspectives. One is more cost-driven, another from quality agreements and a third wants to reduce the risk of damage, such as the risk of disease due to poor hygiene. But vandalism can also be an aspect in which you gain insight through our data analysis, or the effect of weather influences. By having INPRC answer the right questions, you can respond in a targeted way. Everything, of course, complies with privacy laws. The experienced entrepreneur continues: 'Sometimes customers already have a certain gut feeling about performance or productivity. As the data variables increase, we achieve greater predictive power. We can therefore say with increasing certainty: this is going well and that is not going well. From a contract management perspective, this allows you to create a firmer foundation for long-term cooperation. A service provider can see the new transparency as a threat, or choose to improve cooperation with its client. That, of course, is what you want.'
Fantastic jump
Now that there are a number of launching customers, INPRC is ready for the next step. 'Once you start growing, other disciplines come around the corner and the costs also increase. That is why I started looking for a party that could provide support. That turned out to be the FOM. Thanks to their start-up funding, we were able to invest in hardware and software, marketing and R&D. And in the organization itself! And in the organization itself! Meanwhile, sixteen people work for INPRC and the NS' assignment has expanded significantly: from 44 stations to more than 100 stations. Van der Wal agrees, "We have made a fantastic leap. He adds, "The cooperation with Klaas Kooistra and the FOM is great. I didn't think a government organization could be so market-oriented. They are decisive and can switch quickly.'
Ready for healthy growth
The entrepreneur continues: "We have proven that INPRC is a viable and promising product. The company stands and we are ready for growth. The original idea is still the same, but it has developed into a unique product. It provides customers with real insight. Because they can take action faster, they achieve higher customer satisfaction and ultimately higher sales.' Van der Wal concludes, "We are therefore keen to roll out INPRC further. With the right people on board, great assignments and committed investors, we can achieve the healthy growth we are ready for.'
'INPRC is an innovative and unique product'
Investment manager Klaas Kooistra's first question to Victor van der Wal of INPRC was: doesn't this exist yet? 'I was surprised at that. The predictive capability of INPRC makes the system innovative and unique.' FOM provided start-up funding to Van der Wal in September 2022. 'The NS assignment was a good sign and Victor is strong in processes and keeping an overview. He works very precisely and is conceptually very good. In recent months there has been increasing interest from the market and Victor now has a team around him that is very loyal to him and to the concept. INPRC can now, thanks to follow-up funding from the FOM, scale up in both production and commerce. With this type of concept, it is important to maintain the lead the company now has. There is clearly a market for INPRC's solution, given the orders from large parties. With the right investors, INPRC can continue to grow.'