Aachen — S‑UBG AG, Unternehmensbeteiligungs-Gesellschaft für die Regionen Aachen, Krefeld und Mönchengladbach, together with its new managing director Ralph Bauer, acquires 100 percent of the shares in Schiffer Service GmbH as part of a management buy-in. As his successor, Ralph Bauer will take over the sole management of the logistics company from founder Rolf Schiffer as of 01.01.2019. In the future shareholder structure, S‑UBG will hold 25 percent of the company’s shares.
Business areas with strong sales
Rolf Schiffer founded Schiffer Service GmbH in 1995, from which today’s core business emerged. This is divided into the three areas of logistics, packaging and fulfillment (order processing in e‑commerce). Fulfillment employees take care of accepting orders, picking, packing goods and products, as well as shipping to the end customer and subsequent returns management. More than half of the company’s sales are generated here.
“Online trade — and with it the mail-order business — has been growing steadily for years,” says Ralph Bauer. “However, many retailers do not see their core competence in logistics, but in branding as well as marketing and shy away from corresponding investments. Here, the fulfillment we offer is a suitable solution.”
After the takeover, Rolf Schiffer will be available as a consultant for another three months, ensuring a transition without loss of know-how and knowledge. His successor, Ralph Bauer, gained years of experience in sales and marketing after graduating with a degree in business administration. The 50-year-old took on personnel management tasks at an early stage in both family-owned companies and multinational corporations, was a member of the management board and is thus ideally prepared for his new task.
Deputy remains on board
“Due to the product and service diversification in recent years, Schiffer Service GmbH is very well positioned,” says Bernhard Kugel (photo), CEO of the S‑UBG Group. “High flexibility, reliability and long-standing customer relationships help the company to build a good reputation that generates many customer inquiries. In addition, Schiffer is active in growth markets with all three business units, and so we expect the business to continue to develop healthily and successfully in the future,” adds Günther Bogenrieder, who closely accompanied the takeover as S‑UBG’s project manager.
“Thanks to the strong network of my successor Ralph Bauer, the company will continue to grow and strengthen its core competencies in the future,” Rolf Schiffer is certain. “In addition, we are also solidly positioned at the management level with Michael Pauly, Deputy Managing Director and entrusted with the business for more than 15 years.”
About S‑UBG Group:
The S‑UBG Group, Aachen, has been the leading partner in the provision of equity capital for established medium-sized companies (S‑UBG AG) and young, technology-oriented start-ups (S‑VC GmbH) in the economic regions of Aachen, Krefeld and Mönchengladbach for over 30 years. S‑UBG AG invests in growth sectors; high quality of corporate management is a key investment criterion for the investment company. In 1997, the shareholder savings banks established an early-stage fund under S‑VC GmbH to finance startups.
In 2018, together with Sparkasse Aachen, Kreissparkasse Heinsberg, Stadtsparkasse Mönchengladbach, NRW.BANK and DSA Invest GmbH, Seed Fonds III für die Region Aachen & Mönchengladbach GmbH & Co. KG was launched, providing around 21.5 million euros in seed capital for the start-up scene in the region. As the successor to the two fully financed seed funds, it stimulates the development of future-oriented technologies in the Aachen economic region and was extended to the Mönchengladbach region in 2018. The S‑UBG Group currently holds stakes in over 40 companies in the region, giving it a top position in the Sparkassen-Finanz Group. Further information: www.s‑ubg.de; www.seedfonds-aachen.de