ABOUT COMPANIES R&D SERVICES SOLUTIONS MARKETS ESG FINANCIAL INFORMATION CAREER CONTACT Home > About > Our history Our history Data Respons is a truly a growth company with a strong customer focus and a technology driven culture. The company has grown from 50 million NOK in 1998 to almost two billion 20 years later through a combination of robust organic development and selected acquisitions – corresponding to an annual growth of 17 % Throughout our history, we have made tough priorities in order to arrive at the robust platform we have today. This includes establishment of new offices to secure proximity to customers, drive for internationalisation, smaller and larger acquisitions, recruitment of great talents, but also change of strategy and restructuring and close down of businesses that has not perform as desired. However, we have never given up on a customer development project – regardless of complexity – in the company’s 30 years of history. Our employees have always been the most important asset and our core values has always been the same; RESPONSIBILITY, PERFORM, BEING GENEROUS AND HAVING FUN. 1986 – 1999 1986 Data Respons established at Høvik in Norway with main business idea of engineering advanced specialist system solutions based on open standard technology. Operating as a project organization working for leading industry companies and start-ups. 1998 Established as a leading provider of embedded solutions in Norway with revenues of 50 million NOK. Focus remains on engineering of customised computer solutions for customers in defence, telecom and maritime industries. Assignments characterized as challenging both in terms of technology and in terms of environmental requirements. Expanding footprint in Norway through establishment of offices in Bergen and Trondheim. 1999 First expansion outside Norway through the establishment of Data Respons in Denmark 2000 – 2005 2000 Continued expansion in Norway with office in Kongsberg, an important industrial cluster with high density of engineers. Expansion to Sweden through the establishment of Data Respons AB 2001 Continued strong growth with revenues surpassing 100 million NOK Break-through in Sweden with major defence contract with SAAB 2002 Data Respons ASA listed on Oslo Stock Exchange in under the ticker DAT Data Respons OY established with office in Helsinki (Finland) – presence in all Nordic countries except Iceland The group now employs 125 employees and has 7 offices in Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland Growth continues with revenues surpassing 150 million NOK – Data Respons acknowledged as a leading player in Nordics with customers such as Ericsson, Kongsberg Group, VMETRO, ABB, Brüel & Kjær, Volvo and SAAB 2003 Kenneth Ragnvaldsen appointed CEO. Business restructured to improve margins – new management team recruited – 52 % growth outside of Norway New vision “Leading in embedded solutions in Europe by 2010” established (Data Respons was the first company using the term “Embedded Solutions”) 2005 Embedded Solutions continue to drive the grow counting for almost 70% of the business First step towards becoming a leading player in Europe taken through the establishment of Data Respons in Germany during the first quarter Rune Wahl appointed CFO First bolt-on acquisitions completed (Certified Computer Technology (CCT) – a supplier of advanced computer equipment to the maritime industry, and Centrex – a niche player with specialist competence within telecom) Data Respons integration center established to strengthen competitiveness and capacity to deliver larger customised embedded solutions 2006 – 2010 2006 The company continue to grow and reaches close to 400mNOK in revenues FPGA specialist company Digitas AS was acquired further strengthening the services offering in Norway Number of employees reaches 226, with approx. 50% in Norway 2007 The strong growth continued and Data Respons surpassed 0.5bNOK in revenues reaching 635mNOK Number of employees amounted to 376 – up from 226 in 2006 Throughout 2007, Data Respons continued to improve the local presence with a total of 14 offices across the Nordics and Germany including new locations in Jutland (Denmark), Linköping, Gothenburg (Sweden) Quality and technology centre in Taipei (Taiwan) established Sylog AB and Syrén Software AB acquired forming the platform for R&D Services in Sweden At the same time, Sweden overtakes as the market with most employees in Data Respons 2008 R&D Services continue to grow and counts for approx. 40% of revenues Strategic acquisitions include Lundinova AB in Lund (Sweden) and Ipcas in Erlangen (Germany) Two new offices established in Stavanger (Norway) and Västerås (Sweden) 2009 As many other companies, Data Respons was impacted by the financial crisis in 2008 and we experienced negative growth the first time in decades Several actions was taken to refocus the company 2010 A new vision is launched – “A smarter solution starts from inside”. This is our company’s DNA described in one sentence. We truly believe that we can make the world smarter and we think that this starts from the inside – whether it be inside the heads of our specialist engineers or new technology embedded into the world’s products and solutions. Sylog is awarded to Sweden’s most growing consulting company 2011 – 2017 2012 Data Respons positive development continues and profitability is improving significantly enabling the company to pay dividends for the first time since listing – and has since then paid annual dividend to its shareholders Strategy shift towards a more software oriented company implemented. Data Respons established TechPeople A/S as a joint venture with 50% ownership. 2015 The strong growth continues mainly driven by Sweden (48%) who becomes the largest region measures followed by Norway (36%). Start of mega trends like Internet of things (IoT) and industrial digitalisation The interest for Data Respons is picking up and international ownership increases to 10% Strategic decision to develop a stronger presence in Germany anchored in the Board 2016 Growth continues and revenues passed 1 billion NOK for the first time – a new milestone for the company In September, Data Respons acquires 100% of the shares in MicroDoc Computersysteme GmbH, a software technology company in Germany with HQ in Munich, establishing a platform for R&D Services in Germany Market value of Data Respons increases by close to 40% and investor interests is increasing significantly Sylog AB completes three bolt-on acquisitions to strengthen its position in Sweden 2017 Revenues continue to grow reaching 20% revenue growth – record revenue again! In March, Data Respons acquires the remaining 50% shares in TechPeople A/S Foreign ownership increased to 58% at year-end 2017 – 2020 2018 The company enjoyed solid performance across all business areas combined with an industry wide digitalisation trend, which enabled another record year. In addition Data Respons welcomed 125 new specialists through the acquisitions of Germany based IT SONIX and XPURE. Two leading R&D companies with niche software technology knowhow. 2019 An all time high for Data Respons contributing to an 17% annual growth over the last 19 years. The group represents more than 1400 specialists and have multiple operations across Germany and the Nordics. Data Respons also acquired Donat Group GmbH, a German R&D Services company headquartered in Ingolstadt with 140 employees, and inContext AB, a Swedish R&D Services company located in Stockholm with 80 employees. 2020 AKKA Technologies acquires all of the shares in Data Respons at an equity value of NOK 3.7 billion. The acquisition creates Europe’s largest digital solutions powerhouse, able to address the high-volume and fast-paced growth in the digital market. Data Respons also Launched Data Respons France. Located in Paris the company is able to access much of the European continent. And support our parent company, AKKA Technologies, and their customer base in France. 2021 – 2021 Data Respons acquired Frobese GmbH, a cooperative and successful team of experts specialized in consulting for banks and insurance companies. Frobese is located in Hanover with 96 employees. Contact Get in touch +47 67 11 20 00 © Data Respons 2020 | Privacy OUR COMPANIES Data Respons France Data Respons R&D Services Data Respons Solutions Donat IT EPOS CAT Frobese inContext IT Sonix MicroDoc Sylog TechPeople NEWSLETTER SIGN UP Get the latest news on innovative solutions and new technology Email Address First Name Last Name Industry Mobility Automation Telecom & Media Energy & Maritime Space, Defence & Security Medical Technology Other