Qualogy’s Suriname connection: offshoring without (big) cultural gap

‘The work ethic really stood out: people really went for it. They adapted quickly, learned new things quickly, studied eight hours a day. Obtaining certificates went much faster than in the Netherlands. That mentality positively surprised us and ensured that the transformation went much faster than we had expected. An additional advantage is that it also helps us combat the brain drain. Many highly educated people fled the country because there were no opportunities. By offering opportunities, well-paid work in Suriname, talented people stay.’

An unexpected competitor
Offshoring was not on the roadmap for Qualogy for a long time. For more than 20 years, the company focused primarily on consultancy and product development for nearly 100 customers. ‘We always go for solutions that still work tomorrow,’ states Kay van Scharrenburg, account manager at Qualogy. ‘Laying complex puzzles, that’s what makes us happy.’

Nevertheless, things accelerated in 2019 when AS Watson – one of the world’s largest health & beauty retailers and owner of Kruidvat, among others – knocked on the door with a specific challenge. ‘They were looking for a partner who could think along about the renewal of their application landscape,’ says Van Scharrenburg. ‘And were curious to see what Qualogy, with its knowledge and experience in Suriname, could do in that regard.’

That interest quickly grew into a concrete demand: the need for a team of well-trained, motivated developers. Within two months, Qualogy assembled a team of ten professionals, most of them from Suriname. ‘We also made an agreement to periodically add a junior – this is how we train local talent within a professional team. Since then, several team members have advanced to become experienced developers and even team leads.’

The benefits of ‘small but fine‘
In a few years, Qualogy Caribbean grew from 30 to 100 employees. ‘We work as one team, spread over two locations,’ says Van Scharrenburg. ‘The team comes to the Netherlands for a month every year, and last October we traveled with AS Watson to Suriname.’

That limited scale has unexpected advantages. ‘We have extremely low turnover,’ Van Scharrenburg states. ‘For clients, it is frustrating when well-employed consultants leave early because they are snatched away by the competition. With us this rarely happens. We have a close-knit team and therefore very little turnover. Clients see that directly reflected in the continuity of their projects.’

The time difference – the Netherlands is four to five hours ahead of Suriname – also proves to be a practical advantage. ‘Where our working day comes to an end, it is just beginning in Suriname. For our customers, we can offer a 16-hour working day,’ Mehilal explains. ‘What we can offer is exceptional: follow the sun at very good rates.’

A new industry born
Mehilal looks back with pride at what has been achieved so far. ‘Anyone with an affinity for IT wants to work at Qualogy Caribbean,’ he says. ‘That is super nice to see. In Suriname, if you do HBO/IT, the only place you want to go is Qualogy.’

The impact goes beyond employment. ‘Some of our senior developers teach ICT subjects at local schools in the evenings,’ says Mehilal. ‘That’s how we’ve built a good reputation with young talent.’

Qualogy also runs its own boot camp program that prepares young IT professionals in three to four months. For us it’s all about building and transferring knowledge. We have become a breeding ground for talent.

The secret recipe
What makes Qualogy different from thousands of other IT companies? The core lies in how Qualogy Caribbean and Qualogy Netherlands function as one company. Dutch customers deal with Dutch account managers and senior developers, while much of the development takes place in Suriname.

‘Language and culture make the difference,’ says Mehilal. ‘In the Netherlands, documentation and communication often still have to be in Dutch: we can just provide that. There is no other party that outsources to Suriname.’

‘This set-up ensures that Dutch customers have the quality assurance and communication they are used to, combined with the cost advantages of offshore development – but without the language and culture gap that it usually entails.’

The future: more than offshoring
After 27 years of entrepreneurship, Mehilal is especially proud of independence. ‘We have been approached several times by big players for acquisitions or integrations, but we want to keep our autonomy. We have our own culture within the organization, with about 80 to 100 employees – between tablecloth and napkin. We do have large orders, but we still know each other by name. We are very proud of that.’

With recent oil discoveries, Suriname is getting quite an economic boost. Foreign investors such as TotalEnergies and APA Corporation are making hefty investments. ‘Automation is becoming crucial for foreign investors,’ says Mehilal. ‘As the country’s largest IT company, we take that responsibility seriously.’

For Dutch companies, he still sees a lot of potential. ‘There is still a scarcity of quality developers in the Netherlands. That’s where we have a great role to play. We want to become the number one offshore party for Dutch companies and continue to help Suriname digitize.

Written by: Jasper Spanjaart