Motopp and AutoBinck Group: A strategic partnership with an eye on the future

How Motopp and Phu played a role in the launch of Mendix at AutoBinck Group

One of the first projects Phu Nguyen worked on at AutoBinck Group was the implementation of Mendix, an application-building platform. “Mendix had just started as an initiative within AutoBinck Group at that time. We had already found one Developer, but we were urgently looking for a second one,” he says. It was then that Motopp stepped forward. Through colleagues Wiebe and Martijn, contact was made with Motopp to find a suitable candidate. “We were looking for someone with specific skills in Mendix, and through Motopp we got in touch with Sadek,” he says.

“Motopp does a great job of not only training status holders, but also guiding them in their new careers.

Working with Motopp turned out to be a hit. “For us, it was great to have someone like Sadek on the team. He is hugely motivated and brings a fresh perspective. And for him, it provides an opportunity to further develop his career in IT,” Phu said.

A strategic decision

Although Phu had experience with platforms such as Microsoft Power Platform and Outsystems, Mendix was new to him. “Jeroen Bruinooge, then the new CEO of Moove Connected Mobility, together with an Executive from another venture, brought the potential of the Mendix platform and the idea of using it more broadly to the attention of the Board of AutoBinck Group. From the Board, Martijn Koning, CDO & CSO of AutoBinck Group, then gave me the strategic assignment to lead Mendix,” Phu said.

Collaboration with Motopp

Phu talks enthusiastically about the collaboration with Motopp, and how valuable it has proven to be. “It is difficult to find experienced Mendix Developers, especially at a high level,” he explains. “Training someone ourselves can be a good investment, but we don’t always have the in-house knowledge for that.” This has proven especially valuable for Sadek, one of our Developers. “The monthly check-ins with Motopp are very useful. They not only look at technical skills, but also, for example, his language development. Anything that helps him function better.”

Phu emphasizes that the cooperation with Motopp is not only aimed at supporting the holding company, but also the subsidiaries. “The goal is for those ‘’ventures’’ to eventually have their own people who can work independently with Mendix. Motopp can help us do that.” According to Phu, the partnership has even more potential for the future. “There is definitely a lot of potential. We are not going to hire new Developers every year for the holding company, but our subsidiaries will have to. So this could be very interesting in the long run.”

Sadek’s added value within the team

Phu explains how quickly Sadek has made a difference and that he has already contributed a lot to various projects. “Actually, we started with zero, because I don’t program myself, and now there are two of us working.

An example of Sadek’s approach was on a project where a link needed to be made. “Our partner suggested purchasing something as a solution, but Sadek thought beyond that. He came up with an alternative that would work better in the long run, and we ended up choosing that. He thinks long-term, looks for sustainable solutions, and we really appreciate that.”

“Within a day he already had a prototype and in a short time the application was live. That saved us so much time and effort.”

Sadek also quickly got to work on internal projects within the holding company. Phu tells how he asked Sadek to visit the finance department to see if there were processes that could be automated.

Phu emphasizes that communication within the team is smooth, even though Sadek is still learning the Dutch language. The team understands his learning process, and there is patience and space for him to share his ideas. In doing so, Phu notices that there are no obstacles preventing Sadek from being successful. “Sadek is given enough space to come up with his own ideas, and that works very nicely,” Phu says. The team Sadek now works for is Dutch-speaking, but there are also projects where English is spoken. Occasionally there are minor misunderstandings, but they are quickly noticed and resolved by the Product Owner,” he adds.

Future vision

Phu looks ahead to the future of AutoBinck Group with a positive outlook, as well as to the cooperation with Motopp and Sadek. He is proud of what has been achieved in a short period of time. “Sadek is our first experience with Motopp, and the cooperation has been excellent. As I said before, I see a lot of potential in our cooperation, not only within the group, but also for the various subsidiaries,” Phu said.