The IT group Materna, which specialises in IT consulting and digitalisation projects, increased its turnover to 712 million euros in the 2024 financial year - 6.4 percent more than in the previous year. Organic growth was 13 per cent. With the targeted sale of Materna IPS GmbH and the airport business, Materna has sharpened its focus and clearly aligned itself with promising growth areas. In a difficult market environment, this confirms the sustained strength of the core business.
"Our success shows that we are growing sustainably even under challenging market conditions. We are consistently focussing on innovation, particularly in the field of artificial intelligence, in order to further expand our leading market position," explains Michael Hagedorn, CEO of the Materna Group. "We are pursuing ambitious goals with our GRIP² strategy programme. Our focus is on sustainable growth, technological excellence and the further development of our employees."
The aim is to increase turnover to one billion euros by 2027 and to further strengthen Materna's market-leading position through the use of artificial intelligence (AI). As a trusted partner, Materna supports companies and public authorities in strategically utilising AI and integrating it profitably into their processes.
The Materna perspective on digital transformation
At Materna, digital transformation is based on four strategic dimensions: Platform-based Transformation, Human x Digital, Artificial Intelligence and Business Resilience. Platform-based transformation ensures efficient and scalable digital platforms. Human x Digital puts people at the centre and optimises collaboration between people and technology. Materna uses artificial intelligence to tap into new potential for its customers. Business Resilience supports companies with a comprehensive strategy to effectively counter threats, ensure cyber security and secure long-term stability and digital sovereignty.
By dovetailing these four dimensions in a targeted manner, Materna offers customised solutions for specific industry solutions, offers for domains and individual customer requirements. The added value for customers lies in more efficient processes, sustainable competitive advantages and the promotion of innovation.
Innovative strength through AI: strategic partnerships and pioneering projects
Materna is consistently driving forward its AI initiatives and setting new standards in the application of generative AI technologies. The strategic partnership with NVIDIA emphasises the company's innovative strength. By utilising NVIDIA's powerful AI and GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) technologies, Materna is developing modern solutions for business and public administration. This partnership makes it possible to process computationally intensive AI applications in real time and provide scalable AI infrastructures for customers.
The trend towards the digitalisation of public administration remains strong. Driving forces such as the platform-based digitalisation of specialist processes - particularly using AI - and the modernisation of registers contributed to the 8.1% growth of the Public Sector division, which achieved a turnover of 227 million euros. "Digital technologies such as low-code platforms and AI are the key to efficient and modern administration," explains Michael Hagedorn. "It is pleasing to see how we can support public authorities in successfully shaping the path to digital administration, both internally and for their customers. AI is now improving this process even further."
One key project is Forest Planning 4.0, in which a digital twin of the Bavarian Forest is being created. It is used to inventory the state forest and obtain detailed information on the composition, location and condition of the vegetation. Precise and up-to-date data obtained with the help of AI helps to ensure the health and sustainable management of the forest.
Expanding mobile solutions for digital transformation
With the increasing demand for secure and powerful mobile applications, Materna is stepping up its activities in this area. With SecurePIM from Materna Virtual Solution, the Group offers a leading solution for ultra-mobile communication. The successful integration of app developer Brace Enterprise into the new Mobile Solutions division expands development capabilities and enables an even broader portfolio for the digital transformation of customers.
SAP consulting business and enterprise service management as growth drivers
cbs Corporate Business Solutions once again increased its revenue by 20 per cent compared to the previous year - despite the noticeable weakness in growth in the industry, which continues to drive investment in digital transformation as a key future-critical capability in a controlled manner. The management consultancy is benefiting from its global positioning and holistic consulting services for IT-driven business transformations in the SAP environment and was able to generate revenue of EUR 277 million (previous year: EUR 231 million).
Materna is also growing strongly in the area of Enterprise Service Management. Partnerships with BMC, OpenText, ServiceNow and now also Atlassian are fuelling business growth, with ServiceNow standing out as the main revenue driver. A key factor in this growth is the successful use of ServiceNow in the public sector, which has been further strengthened by the start of the internationalisation of the business unit. "ServiceNow has developed into a centralised platform that efficiently connects various applications and thus creates real added value for our customers. Our in-depth expertise and industry experience make us the ideal partner here," explains Uwe Scariot, the Materna Group's Chief Operating Officer. agineo, which specialises in ServiceNow technologies, recorded impressive growth of 40.3 percent and achieved a turnover of 55.9 million euros. The partnership with Atlassian complements the portfolio with powerful solutions for IT service management and collaborative working environments.
Cybersecurity as a growth area
The cyber security business area is also developing dynamically for Materna. The growing need for security solutions, new regulatory requirements and the increasing complexity of threat situations are driving demand for comprehensive security concepts. Materna offers end-to-end solutions and is increasingly focussing on innovative technologies in order to meet the high demands of the market. For example, AI-based security systems and modern cloud security architectures are being implemented to help companies recognise threats at an early stage and protect their IT infrastructure in the long term.
The strategic partnership concluded with STACKIT last year is a central component of this. Together with the provider of sovereign German cloud solutions, Materna develops secure infrastructure solutions and services hosted in Germany - especially for companies and public sector clients with the highest requirements for digital sovereignty and cyber security. The combination of sovereign cloud infrastructure, AI service solutions and modern service management offers customers maximum security, compliance and future viability.
Investments in innovation and new headquarters in Dortmund
Materna invested almost 20 million euros in innovation in 2024, with a significant proportion going towards employee training and the development of new technologies. At the same time, with the sale of Materna IPS GmbH, Materna deliberately disposed of peripheral areas in order to focus even more strongly on strategic growth areas. "Particularly in a market environment characterised by uncertainty and volatile conditions, we are investing in key strategic areas and continuously strengthening our innovative power. Our solid capital structure allows us to make all investments from our own resources, independently of the capital market. This gives us the financial flexibility we need to continue to grow consistently in the future," explains Dr René Rüdinger, CFO of the Materna Group.
Another milestone is the successful move into the new headquarters in Dortmund. The state-of-the-art building for 1,800 employees, which was realised with an investment of 150 million euros, has officially been in operation since June 2024. The location sets new standards in sustainability and workplace quality and strengthens Materna's position as an attractive employer and innovation leader. At the same time, it is a clear commitment by the company to the Dortmund location. Materna currently employs around 4,500 people worldwide.
"Our company is growing with a clear focus on innovation, quality and customer proximity," summarises Michael Hagedorn. "We will continue to actively utilise our market opportunities in the coming years, drive forward new technologies and continue our sustainable growth."
