Description
List of the 5 largest IT companies in Germany
According to the Federal Statistical Office, there are more than 94,000 IT companies in Germany with approximately one million employees. In addition to many small companies, you can also find real heavyweights among them. The companies on which we have written reports are part of our list of the largest IT companies in Germany.
1. SAP SE, Walldorf
SAP is the only German software company that is also among the top 10 on a global scale. The SAP story began in 1972 with the founding of “Systemanalyse Programmentwicklung GbR” (= SAP) by five former IBM employees. Today, SAP is one of the world’s leading software developers for the electronic representation and execution of business processes. SAP solutions cover all areas of business performance: accounting and bookkeeping, purchasing, production, sales, human resources and logistics. In 2012, the Group generated sales of 27.8 billion euros with a good 107,000 employees. SAP has been listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange since 1988 and on the New York Stock Exchange since 1998. Most of the shares are in free float.
Update 2023: The software giant from Walldorf is hoping for great opportunities through the increasing use of artificial intelligence. According to SAP Executive Board member Christian Klein, the company’s growth will also benefit from the targeted use of AI. Whether texts, images or codes: AI is on everyone’s lips and recently triggered a media hype, above all through ChatGPT.
2. Ingram Micro Distribution GmbH, Dornach
Ingram Micro Distribution GmbH in Dornach near Munich is the German subsidiary of the American group Ingram Micro. The California-based company has established itself as the world’s most important wholesaler of information and communications technology. The German subsidiary follows this business model and is the largest ICT distributor in this country, with sales of around 7 billion euros (2020) and approximately 1,400 employees. Ingram Micro Germany has a large logistics center (80,000 square meters of space) in Straubing, as well as additional branches in Braunschweig, Wallenhorst, Lippstadt and Flensburg. The company also serves the rest of the DACH region and Eastern Europe.
3. Bechtle AG, Neckarsulm
A professor, a student and an entrepreneur founded the IT company Bechtle in 1983. Over the course of almost 40 years, this has developed into Germany’s largest IT system house. The Bechtle Group comprises around 100 subsidiaries with almost 13,000 employees and achieved revenues of 6.25 billion euros in 2021. The business is based on two pillars: IT system house & managed services and IT e-commerce. In the IT system house & managed services segment, cloud products and services are offered, Bechtle is an IT outsourcing partner, and develops and advises on IT system solutions. In IT e-commerce, Bechtle offers more than 70,000 IT products for online stores and website operators. Bechtle has been listed on the stock exchange since 2000.
4. Arvato, Gütersloh
Arvato is a division of the Bertelsmann Group that bundles various services activities. IT solutions are primarily developed and offered as part of the Arvato Systems GmbH subgroup. Arvato Systems offers solutions for companies to digitize internal processes and business models. The internationally active subgroup generated revenues of 457 million euros in 2021 with more than 3,000 employees. IT and software also play an important role in the other Arvato divisions. In particular, Arvato Supply Chain Solutions (logistics services with a focus on e-commerce) and Arvato Financial Solutions (financial services with a focus on electronic settlement support) are worth mentioning. The Arvato division generated revenues of 5.0 billion euros in 2021.
5. Tech Data GmbH & Co. OHG, Munich
Tech Data is another U.S. retail group in ICT distribution. Tech Data GmbH & Co. OHG not only represents the German trading activities, but also bundles important trading interests in Europe (including Switzerland, Sweden, Spain, Denmark, France, Croatia). In 2020, the company generated sales of around 4.6 billion euros and employed just over 1,000 people. Tech Data became big in this country with the 1998 acquisition of Computer 2000 AG by its U.S. parent. At that time, Computer 2000 was the leading European IT distributor for wholesalers and retailers.
This information is included in the database
- Company name
- General contact data (address, e-mail address, telephone number, URL)
- Serial letter suitable for addressing the management (e.g. “Sehr geehrter Herr Dr. Müller”)
- Name of the management
- Sales figures for the years 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016 and 2015 as well as employee figures for the years 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018 (taken from the annual and consolidated financial statements)
- Field of activity
Note: If the sales and employee figures are not included in a company’s own financial statements but in the parent company’s consolidated financial statements, the data from the respective consolidated financial statements are provided.
Map of the largest IT players
The German IT industry: Statistics and facts
IT companies are a supporting pillar of the so-called ICT industry. ICT stands for information and communication technology. In 2018, ICT companies generated revenues of EUR 260 billion in Germany and employed almost 1.2 million people. ICT service providers accounted for 63 percent of sales and ICT hardware manufacturers for 37 percent. The ICT sector is one of the most innovative industries in Germany and is characterized by dynamic start-up activity.
In 2018, there were almost 99,000 ICT companies in Germany. Almost 94,000 (approx. 94 percent) were active in the field of software development and IT services. These were predominantly micro and small companies. In addition, almost 1600 IT hardware manufacturers were active on the market. The rest of about 4,400 companies pursued business models in the areas of telecommunications services, telecommunications hardware and consumer electronics.
Germany plays a modest role in the IT hardware market in international comparison. Manufacturers from the Far East and the USA are clearly leading the way. For a long time, Nixdorf was a leading and internationally important computer manufacturer in this country. The company, founded in 1968, was sold to Siemens in 1990 and was completely absorbed by the latter. Of the German IT hardware manufacturers, only seven achieved an annual turnover of more than 250 million euros in 2018, another 42 achieved a turnover of more than 25 million euros. The remaining manufacturers – around 97 percent – are below this mark.
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Solid database with valuable data on revenue and number of employees. Just the information we needed.