Com&Sens is a growth company that delivers measurement solutions based on their own unique fibre optic technology. The company has proven the value of the technology in a broad portfolio of projects using steel, concrete and composite structures. These projects form part of various steps in the customer’s value chain, from design and production to construction and commercial exploitation. In all these phases, fibre optic measurement has proven an advantage.
The management team wants to take advantage of their position in the market, in a structured manner. The focus will shift from individual projects to a more ‘productized’ offering. The acquisition and delivery of new orders will be streamlined based on the product/market fit solutions for specific markets.
Setting up an advisory board
As this is a very different step to previous organic and project-driven growth, management is seeking the assistance of an advisory board for the upscaling of the company. This was their rationale for approaching the Sirris Future-Proof Business programme. This team has extensive experience setting up advisory boards for technological growth companies and has developed a formal method for that purpose: My Advisory Board.
This method aligns the work of the advisory board with a specific growth strategy over two years. The members of the advisory board are appointed and the programme and content are determined on the basis of this strategy. Many advisory boards struggle because of a mismatch between the (often implicit) strategy and the board’s agenda.
Hands-on assistance
The following profiles joined the advisory board based on the new focus on the productization of the portfolio, its international roll-out and the broadening and deepening of its scope via R&D: Geert Heyse, Global Director, Flow Control Systems at Vesuvius; Maarten De Block, founder and director at Entity One; Eric Finé, Business Development Manager at Smulders Projects; and Bart Peeters, New Business Development Manager at Nitto will attend a quarterly meeting with Com&Sens management for the next two years.
The hands-on assistance provided by the advisory board and Sirris is already paying off. Com&Sens is currently recruiting technical profiles to keep the growth on the right track.
(Image: Com&Sens)
