The baton has been passed.
Dear partner,
In 2004 we started First Case with one conviction. Let a company focus entirely on taking care of the client. No fuss, just done. What began as a small, headstrong company in Wateringen grew into a specialist that installs, monitors and maintains the power infrastructure across EMEA of the largest data centers in the world.
We never did that by wanting to be the biggest, but by being the most reliable. OEM-independent, with our own engineers, and with clients who know us by name and call us by name, even at three in the morning.
For twenty years I drove to Wateringen every day with the same feeling: we make sure the power stays on. That feeling never wore off. But there comes a moment when you have to dare to pass it on. For me that was early 2026. Since this year Olivier van de Weerdhof has been CEO. Olivier had been with us for a while, knew our clients and knew our way of working. In him I found the successor who continues my vision while steering the company towards the future. I myself have stayed involved as an adviser.
"I have every confidence. Under Olivier's leadership First Case will carry on through the coming decades just as stable and client-focused as the past twenty years."Ad Smulders
I consider it an honour to carry this forward. What Ad built is not a company but a promise. Being the people behind the cloud, who keep the power running. No fuss, just done. Certainty without compromise, because where uptime is everything, almost-good doesn't exist. And remaining the partner every brand trusts, whatever system is installed. That promise does not change.
What you'll notice most is what stays the same. The same engineers, the same numbers in your phone, the same standard. And where we can, we build on: more monitoring, more own production, more professionals through our Academy. We remain the party you call when it really has to be right.
