IGZ – Business of the Month!

SAP software expertise from Falkenberg
IGZ is the Business of the Month at Oberpfalz Regional Marketing

Around 180 employees are now coding and developing software in the three "software barns" that make up the corporate premises of IGZ Logistics + IT GmbH, based in Falkenberg in the district of Tirschenreuth. The two-man operation founded by brothers Wolfgang Gropengießer and Johann Zrenner has grown over the past 13 years into an international and highly specialized software company for SAP software. "IGZ provides secure jobs for highly qualified employees in Bavaria's eastern Oberpfalz region and its innovative company premises are also something of a local architectural landmark," commented Christoph Aschenbrenner, Director of Oberpfalz Regional Marketing, when presenting the award for December's Business of the Month.

The SAP Logistics integrators in Bavaria's eastern Oberpfalz region plan and implement demanding software projects for the rollout of SAP software solutions in warehouse logistics and production. IGZ is also one of the largest SAP partners worldwide that specialises in this domain. SAP is a software suite for the management of commercial business processes, including those deployed within logistics and production. The service provided by IGZ consists of tailoring the software to match the customer's needs, before then enhancing and integrating the software into existing logistics and production systems. "Our customer base consists of more than 300 companies and groups in all sectors, most of whom are large clients with over 1,000 employees," explains executive director Wolfgang Gropengießer. Among these are regional companies such as Conrad, Grammer or Hamm, as well as firms such as Bayer, Continental, Gerolsteiner or Hugo Boss.

Continuous Growth in Bavaria's Oberpfalz
IGZ's company history reflects a clear commitment to Bavaria's eastern Oberpfalz region. With two new company buildings in 2005 and 2010, and continuous employee growth to today's workforce of 180 people, the software company has maintained a constant presence in the Oberpfalz economic area. Twice awarded the accolade of "Bavaria's Best 50" (in 2008 and 2009), the company's recent expansion to its premises has also laid the groundwork for further growth over the next few years.

Software Barns 1.0 to 3.0
IGZ opened its first company offices in Falkenberg in 2000 in a renovated barn previously used for the agricultural business run by the directors' parents – hence the name "Software Barn". Software Barns v. 2.0 and 3.0 were then built at the company's new address on Logistikweg (and within sight of the family home), and feature an eye-catching and highly unusual architecture.

"Posts at our company are offered on a regional basis only and are held by highly-qualified employees," explains director Johann Zrenner. These include engineers, computer scientists, specialist/business informatics experts, mathematicians, and graduates of other technical courses. Newcomers with a thorough grounding in IT and an interest in IT processes in logistics are also welcome, as are experienced SAP consultants and developers, says the executive director. The company also offers apprenticeships in specialist informatics for application development and in business office communications. Currently, around 20 trainees are working in the Software Barns. Graduates of IT colleges in Wiesau are also in demand.

This is the kind of skilled expertise IGZ offers to its customers, who visit Falkenberg from all over Europe. "We have a specialised portfolio of services that our competitors can simply no longer offer," explains Zrenner, who intends to further expand this niche segment in the future. The approach has impressed Christoph Aschenbrenner from Regional Marketing Oberpfalz: "Companies like IGZ help give young people in particular the prospects of a future career and home life in Bavaria's Oberpfalz."