GANTNER Electronic Austria Holding GmbH (“Gantner”), a high-tech company specialising in electronic access, ticketing and accounting systems and intelligent cabinet locking systems, acquired Contidata Datensysteme GmbH (“Contidata”), the German market leader for cashless payment systems in company canteens, from the company founders Werner and Burghard Genter. The transaction was executed with the support of Ardian, a leading independent investment company, which has been the majority shareholder of Gantner since February 2016.
Founded in 1982 and based in Nüziders, Austria, Gantner is one of Europe’s leading suppliers of systems-based RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) and NFC (Near Field Communication) technology for automated and contactless identification. Gantner systems include integrated solutions for member or visitor administration, for cashless payment as well as for the areas of access (doors, lockers) and time tracking for operational organisation and security. With the acquisition of Syx Automations in June 2017, Gantner added ticketing and management software for leisure facilities to its product portfolio.
The customers of the fitness division are fitness clubs and medical fitness facilities. The attraction segment includes spas and thermal baths, museums and other cultural facilities, ski depots, golf courses and leisure and amusement parks. In the corporate sector Gantner offers intelligent employee lockers for flexible working as well as access control solutions for industrial companies, health care facilities and the public sector. This business area will be expanded in the current transaction to include Contidata’s cashless payment systems for company catering. In the education sector, the company also offers solutions for universities, libraries, and schools.
With more than 1,000 installations in German-speaking countries, Contidata is a pioneer, market leader and visionary for innovative and cashless payment systems in the field of mass catering. For more than 30 years, Contidata has specialised in the development, production and distribution of future-oriented, high-performance and secure ePayment solutions based on all common chip card technologies as well as time recording and access control systems. The company has its headquarters in Dortmund and branch offices in Berlin, Hamburg, Hanover, Cologne, Frankfurt, Stuttgart and Munich. Among the company’s customers are a large number of DAX-listed companies who have been relying on Contidata’s system solutions in the catering industry for years.
Elmar Hartmann, Managing Director of Gantner, said: “The acquisition of Contidata fits perfectly into our strategy to further expand our platform for contact-free access, ticketing, leisure management software and accounting systems. We expect the COVID-19 pandemic to act as a catalyst for various megatrends, such as flexible workplace solutions and contactless interaction in access and payment processes. Our company is ideally positioned for this. We intend to expand our offering both organically, through the development of new customers and industries, and through other strategic transactions that will allow us to expand our offering into adjacent application areas or increase our geographic coverage”.
Burghard Genter, Managing Director of Contidata, said: “We are delighted to have gained a partner and shareholder in Gantner who fully understands our business model and our market and who will join us in driving forward the internationalisation of our business. Gantner’s worldwide network will contribute significantly to this. Contidata has established itself in Germany as the market leader for cashless payment systems in company catering with numerous blue-chip customers. On this basis we are confident that with Gantner and our technology we can also achieve a leading position in Europe”.
Carlsquare acted as exclusive financial advisor to Contidata.
