New Energy Systems

New Energy Systems has experienced spectacular growth in recent years. Last summer, the installation company for sustainable energy systems based in Limburg even made it into the Top 250 Growth Companies. However, this change also asks for different communication tools. Plek offered a communication solution for New Energy Systems.

• Growth places different demands on your communication
• Work and safety instructions on one platform
• Communicate more and more specifically in groups and 1-on-1 chat

New Energy Systems has experienced spectacular growth in recent years. Last summer, the installation company for sustainable energy systems based in Limburg even made it into the Top 250 Growth Companies.

Research by the Erasmus Center for Entrepreneurship shows that companies in the Top 250 are progressive in developing new solutions and can also manage the growth of the organisation. However, the change also asks for different communication tools. Plek offered a communication solution for New Energy Systems (image: New Energy Systems).

Marketing & Communications employee Monique Smeets remembers well what it was like when she started almost seven years ago. “We were about 25 people at the time. The lines were short, and it was easy to ask each other something. The information board in the hall was our main internal communication tool”. The workforce has now almost quadrupled: “More departments arose, communication became less direct, and at a certain point nobody looked at the board anymore! During this period, departments and teams created more and more WhatsApp groups.”

Although initially handy and accessible, the use of WhatsApp in the growing organisation quickly caused the necessary problems. Monique mentions a practical example: “Our technicians work throughout the country and are on the road very early. If someone accidentally set off the alarm, they have to report through a separate WhatsApp group. As a result, as a member of that app group, you sometimes receive a message as early as 6 a.m. That’s, of course, not always fun!”


Another important reason for switching to an intranet was that there was no platform to share safety regulations and work instructions. Monique: “We consider quality to be of paramount importance, and that goes hand in hand with safety. That is our top priority.


With so many technicians, it is not convenient to send every individual a large file of documents. The intranet now offers digitally the possibility for everyone to view certain work instructions and safety regulations. We can also apply a management version to this, plus it is also a lot more sustainable than providing everything on paper”.

“We needed a different platform, and that's how we ended up at Plek. We rolled out Plek in April of this year and quickly decided to stop using the information board and remove all WhatsApp groups. All important information is now on the intranet. Everyone can find everything they need there. Everyone has a mobile phone, so they can see everything, even when they are on the road.”


And what do the employees think of it so far? “It took some time getting used to it, but everyone in the office has the intranet as a home page by default. Mechanics only work with their phones, so we give important messages extra attention there via push messages.”