This article is a translated copy from the original published at De Tijd on Thursday June 11, 2026. 

"In a difficult economy, it's tempting to stay put and defend what you have. But, at Craftzing, we believe you must not let yourself be paralysed. What matters more, now more than ever, is looking for where the next growth opportunity lies. Sometimes attack is the best defence."

This is advice that Craftzing founders Roeland Tegenbos and Thomas Van Orshaegen give almost daily to the clients we support in their strategic transformation. But that Roeland and Thomas also practice what they preach is evident from the double deal we are now able to announce.

With it, Craftzing is not only acquiring the renowned innovation studio Made, but the group is also entering into a deep alliance with transformation specialist . Through this scaling-up, the group grows from 200 to 300 employees and is targeting a turnover of 45 million euros in 2026.

The nearly 20-year-old Made is a well-known name in the world of design and innovation. The company, which for several years formed part of tech group Techyard, is known as an innovation studio in the maritime, logistics and manufacturing industry, and has seen a rapidly growing consumer branch for the past two years. The agency is involved in the digitalisation of port operator Brabo, contributes to digital products for building materials manufacturer Etex, and develops growth strategies for brands such as KraftHeinz and Honda. The acquisition of Made brings 45 new strategic innovation experts on board and instantly makes Craftzing the reference in the maritime, logistics and consumer sector.

INNOCOM, meanwhile, is a reference in the field of strategic transformation and "enterprise architecture", laying a puzzle in which strategy, people, processes and technology are aligned. In INNOCOM, Craftzing becomes a shareholder, but both founder Johan Cattersel and the management team reinvest to retain a minority stake. While the people from Made will join the existing Craftzing team, INNOCOM will continue to operate under its own flag as part of the larger group.

Rapid growth

The double deal is meant to give Craftzing yet another push in an impressive track record. That journey started back in 2011, but accelerated further after Roeland Tegenbos and Thomas Van Orshaegen joined forces in 2020. "Over the past four to five years, we have grown by an average of 20 percent organically," says Van Orshaegen.

That is an impressive figure in a sector that is having a particularly hard time. "Our business is weathering quite a few storms," says Tegenbos. "The latest figures from tech federation Agoria show that our sector is actually shrinking. But because we are growing strongly organically, it’s more like an opportunity for us to push ahead with investment right now. We always say internally that we are the salmon of our sector. We swim against the current."

For its buy-and-build strategy, Craftzing has long had Antwerp investment fund Meja on board as a minority shareholder. But thanks to its strong growth and "very healthy" operating profit (EBITDA), the group is managing to finance its acquisitions largely from its own resources, it says. "Our organic growth is our fuel," says Tegenbos.

Analysis paralysis

With the acquisition of Made and the partnership with INNOCOM, Craftzing is putting into practice the vision it wants to convey to clients. "In the current economic and political moment, we face a fundamental choice," says Tegenbos. "We can simply analyse everything and watch from the sidelines as decisions are made in our place. Or we can push back against that. We advocate for the latter."

Especially now that a wave like AI is washing over us, Tegenbos and Van Orshaegen see what they describe as analysis paralysis in boardrooms. "The fear of making decisions is palpable, out of fear of making the wrong choices," says Tegenbos. "Companies suddenly become very conservative and postpone investments, hoping that the storm may blow over. They prefer to focus on efficiency, something on which the consultancy sector built its name in the past. But efficiency is becoming something of the competence of yesterday. Today, companies can differentiate themselves more by becoming agile, and that is what you will notice at each of our clients. A considered offensive towards the future and the willingness to challenge the status quo."

"We notice that implementing AI or technology is often no longer the great challenge for clients," Van Orshaegen adds. "The real challenge is bringing people along into a new way of thinking. And if you don't handle that correctly, heels dig in. Being able to think carefully and smartly about that, and translating that strategy into something that is embraced across the organisation; that is what we become even better at with these acquisitions."

Discover the full original article by De Tijd here.

By Roeland Tegenbos

I'm CEO and founder of Craftzing. As a digital strategist I love to work with clients on a strong vision for their future and on a strategy that empowers them to take the lead. I'm a big fan of foresighting: thoughtfully anticipating what the next best move might be.