Materna 2027: Clearly on course for one billion euros in sales and market leadership in AI
IT group presents new business strategy "GRIP2" for sustainable growth and innovation until 2027.
location Dortmund, Date 2023.12.12
The Materna Group is setting itself ambitious new goals with its "GRIP2" strategy: By 2027, the Dortmund-based IT service provider is aiming for one billion euros in sales and an unrestricted position as market leader for the application of AI in public administration and private companies. GRIP2 replaces the "Mission 2025" strategy announced in 2020, as its goals have already been achieved ahead of schedule: The doubling of turnover to 700 million euros and the doubling of the number of employees to 5,000 will be successfully completed by 2024.
"I am very proud that we at Materna have achieved such impressive success together in such a short space of time. My heartfelt thanks go to all the dedicated employees who have made this achievement possible," says Materna CEO Martin Wibbe. The group of companies has made impressive progress in recent years, with sales growth from 355 million euros in 2020 to more than 650 million euros in 2023. This corresponds to average annual growth of over 20 percent. The number of employees has risen to around 4,250 and is on track to double by 2025. Nearshoring capacity has already been doubled. This has enabled Materna to optimize the use of international resources and shorten delivery times for even greater efficiency.
"We achieve these successes with a high level of customer satisfaction, a unique atmosphere in our family business and top employee satisfaction ratings," adds Wibbe. "We have impressively demonstrated our ability to grow. Now we are setting new standards in our strategy with AI technology. The goal is further strong growth, focused on content and clear positioning in the AI sector."
Employees, AI expertise and Group synergies are key growth drivers
With GRIP2, the Materna Group is focusing on five key areas. These are aimed at optimally exploiting promising market opportunities through continuous innovation, the development of new markets and the effective use of synergies within the Materna Group.
Growth: Materna aims to continue to grow above market level and achieve sales of one billion euros and 7,500 employees by 2027. The aim is to become one of the top 3 German IT consultants in terms of turnover.
Retention (employee loyalty): The Materna Group is placing increased focus on retaining and developing employees, including further development and targeted talent promotion.
Innovation: As the AI market leader, Materna is strengthening its innovative power by testing new AI technologies and expanding its technological expertise.
Processes (process optimization): Materna is modernizing internal structures and processes. This includes an integrated platform for all Group members to manage growth effectively.
Profit (profitable management): Increased sales and cost-conscious management enable sustainable growth.
The strategic realignment is taking place at an early stage in order to focus on growth despite geopolitical uncertainties, the challenging economic situation in Germany and the shortage of skilled workers. "Although we still have challenges in our processes and structures, this does not affect our ambitions. We are still aiming to grow faster than the market," emphasizes Wibbe.
Strong investments in staff, infrastructure and acquisitions secure the future
Materna has done a lot to secure its future viability. This year alone, the Group invested a total of around 60 million euros in the acquisition of HR specialist projekt0708, the expansion of the workforce, training and further education, the development of sales and the modernization of locations. Targeted measures such as the office redesign in Berlin, Frankfurt and Munich and the construction of the new headquarters in Dortmund not only promote a corporate culture geared towards interaction and networking, but also increase employee flexibility. Responding flexibly to individual preferences combined with a high level of employer attractiveness gives Materna a valuable competitive advantage.
The rapid growth in the workforce this year is a clear sign that investing in employees pays off.2023 will be a new record year, with an increase of around 750 employees.The IT service provider already increased its workforce by a record total of 500 in 2022.
Strategic acquisitions and versatile positioning in focus areas ensure resilience
The Group has positioned itself well through targeted strengthening through strategic acquisitions, partnerships and the introduction of a new brand in the area of cyber security.With solutions from nine focus areas, Materna addresses current challenges in almost all industries.Wibbe emphasizes: "This versatile positioning distinguishes us and makes us resilient."
Particularly noteworthy is the success in the field of AI, where Materna is already generating significant sales from real projects with well-known partners. Partnerships with Aleph Alpha, Microsoft (OpenAI) and the establishment of the Materna Generative AI Factory underline the company's innovative strength. This is where the Group's expertise is pooled, with all departments and know-how carriers involved. The factory already provides a comprehensive toolkit for AI solutions, including assistance systems, intelligent administration portals and specialist processes for public authorities.
Materna AI Factory: model for the efficient use of group synergies
In order to establish itself as a market leader, Materna intends to rapidly expand its technological expertise and range of services in the field of AI.In addition to overarching digital megatrends such as cloud transformation and cyber security, there is another trend that is relevant to Materna: customer challenges are becoming increasingly complex and therefore require a clever combination of solutions and skills. "It will therefore be crucial for us to make optimum use of the synergies within the Group," says Wibbe.
The Materna Generative AI Factory shows the way by bringing together various departmental and company-driven projects and measures.Examples include the development of Generative AI for public administration in the Public Sector and for ServiceNow, a platform for IT service management, AI-supported software development in the Industries department and AI-supported approval documentation, initiated by Materna Virtual Solution.Numerous internal projects for the use of AI are also in progress. The Generative AI Factory is intended to serve as a model for cross-group collaboration at Materna in other technology areas as well.
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Martin Wibbe is CEO of the Materna Group Source: Mike Henning
About Materna
The Materna Group implements sustainable IT and digitalization projects for customers from corporations, SMEs and the public sector. With currently more than 4,000 employees worldwide, Materna is expected to generate sales of more than 650 million euros in 2023. Know-how and expertise are bundled in nine focus areas. Materna has been the market leader in the focus areas of Digital Administration, Enterprise Service Management and Passenger Journey for many years. With the focus areas SAP Transformation, Journey2Cloud™ and Cyber Security, Materna offers solutions for the most pressing challenges in almost all industries. In the focus areas of Digital Experience, Sustainability & Resilience and Data Economy, Materna offers solutions that enable customers to position themselves sustainably and generate long-term added value.
