Last February, the Czech member of Singapore-based Horizon Educational Group acquired Heliocentris Academia, or at least some portion of it (see The Break-Up of Heliocentris). Other assets, or, more specifically, part of the sales, advanced manufacturing and back-office divisions, went to the group’s companies in China and the United States. What remained in Berlin, where Heliocentris Academia has its headquarters, were engineering and quality control as well as some of the sales and production capacities.
The Czech business, located in the capital Prague, is an independent entity within the Horizon Educational partner network, specializing in learning programs and technical training in renewable energies, energy storage and energy management systems. It provides a wide variety of services, from demand analysis to customized solutions and installations to seminars and after-sales support.
The young CEO Timo Lukkarinen told H2-international that Heliocentris Academia’s previous management team had never been able to make the company profitable. He was confident, though, that he could turn the tide of negative financial results. Horizon and Heliocentris Academia employed similar technologies, he explained, which offered the opportunity to develop a synergy in purchase and manufacturing. Since both businesses’ product lines were a good match, the same, and more, could be said for sales, where as little as 20 percent of the products would need to be sold through separate distribution channels.
He added, “The longer-term goal of Horizon Educational is to supply middle and high schools with science kits and STEM programs. Heliocentris Academia, on the other hand, will concentrate on providing educational resources to job training facilities, universities and research institutions.”
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