05/06/2021

q.beyond accesses logistics market and wins major customer

• New subsidiary offers all-round IT services to small and medium logistics companies
• Double-digit million euro order received from Röhlig Logistics
• Investment in software specialists for the logistics sector

Cologne, 6 May 2021 – q.beyond AG is accessing another market shaped by medium-sized players, in this case logistics. Germany has almost 15,000 small and medium-sized logistics companies and q.beyond will offer its turnkey IT services to this new target group. The key focus will be on providing fully equipped digital workplaces, including sector-specific applications that can be made available worldwide in just a few hours.

q.beyond’s CEO, Jürgen Hermann, explains: “We are expanding out of our attractive core business into a neighbouring sector whose challenges we know well.” q.beyond has supported the retail sector in its digital transformation for years now and draws on its Cloud, SAP and IoT solutions, for example to optimise the flow of goods. According to Jürgen Hermann, this expertise opens up various growth opportunities: “Digitalisation is gaining traction in logistics. The coronavirus pandemic has shown how important digital processes are, whether they relate to the individual workplace or to the global supply chain. With us, logistics companies can advance into the new age.”

Turnkey IT services for the logistics sector

q.beyond will in future pool activities in what will be its fourth focus sector alongside retail, manufacturing and energy in a separate company. This will offer the full portfolio of services expected of an IT service provider – from consulting for the CargoWise logistics solution and SAP BI/BW/Finance to the full operation of global cloud infrastructures and data integration services through to a global 24/7 helpdesk.

With the long-established Bremen company Röhlig Logistics GmbH & Co. KG, q.beyond will have a major customer and partner right from the outset. The international owner-operated specialist for intercontinental sea freight, air freight and contract logistics, which has more than 2,200 employees in 150 offices in 35 countries, has commissioned q.beyond to advance its “Röhlig Digital Strategy”. Alongside customary IT operations topics, q.beyond will also support Röhlig in expanding the central CargoWise system, the system platform for contract logistics, in SAP Finance topics, and in tackling data analytics challenges. The contract has a five-year term and a mid double-digit million euro volume.

Philip W. Herwig, Managing Partner at Röhlig Logistics, explains the decision: “We see digitalisation in the logistics sector as an opportunity for our business model. Together with q.beyond we are further accelerating our digital initiatives. In q.beyond we have found an ideal partner to accompany the implementation of our digital strategy. This way, we aim on the one hand to fully automate our processes and on the other to generate digital added value for our customers, i.e. to provide data and software solutions.”

Development of platform-based innovations

Furthermore, Röhlig has long been developing software for logistics with its own team. Together, Röhlig and q.beyond now aim to press ahead with developing platform-based innovations for the logistics sector. Among other aspects, this will require digital solutions for tracking consignments and for setting quotas, making entries and handling payments.

Jürgen Hermann sets out his goals: “The fully equipped digital workplace for logistics companies is just the start. Together with Röhlig, we will gradually develop a software portfolio that will cover the future needs of small and medium-sized logistics companies in the digital age. To this end, we will pool our specialist competence, sector knowledge and IT/software expertise. This will create the best conditions for developing solutions that offer genuine added value to our customers.”

Not only that, the cooperation with Röhlig is a blueprint for collaborations in further markets. In the current situation, attractive companies are rarely put up for sale, or only at high valuations. Innovative approaches are therefore required to find sustainable and functional solutions for all involved. Simultaneously developing a new sector, winning a major new customer and cooperating as partners by pooling competencies is one such model. It fits in well with q.beyond’s culture as a medium-sized company and also offers additional major growth momentum.

About q.beyond AG

q.beyond AG is the key to successful digitalisation. We help our customers find the best digital solutions for their business and then put them into practice. Our strong team of 900 people accompanies SME customers securely and reliably throughout their digital journey. We are experts in Cloud, SAP and IoT.
q.beyond AG resulted from the rebranding of QSC AG in September 2020. With nationwide locations and its own certified data centres, it is one of Germany’s leading IT service providers.

Contact
q.beyond AG
Arne Thull
Head of Investor Relations/Mergers & Acquisitions
T +49 221 669 8724
invest@qbeyond.de