weclapp convinces expert jury: Also in 2019 among the finalists of the “ERP systems of the year” award

Marburg, Germany, 24 October 2019 – weclapp SE, a subsidiary of 3U HOLDING AG (ISIN: DE0005167902), once again achieved a leading position in the ERP System of the Year award (https://system-des-jahres.de/). A jury of renowned experts moderated by Prof. Dr. Norbert Gronau, University of Potsdam, awarded the prize after careful preliminary examination of the written applications. The catalogue of criteria comprised seven categories: Implementation methodology, customer communication, industry suitability, ergonomics, concrete customer use, research and development as well as technology. 17 companies were shortlisted and were given the opportunity to present three of the criteria in more detail in a competitive presentation.

In his presentation, Ertan Özdil, CEO of weclapp SE, first referred to the versatile online customer communication approaches. weclapp owes the growth of the first years on the market exclusively to intensive online communication via the Internet, among other things with the information site erp-system.de as well as specialist and reference articles in trade and online media. The resulting close customer loyalty and support is also reflected in the various information and interaction channels operated by weclapp.

The flexible use of the platform in various industries is supported by the architecture of the system, which is widely open to developers on the customer side in the weclapp community; it offers them various possibilities for programming their own, industry-specific add-ons. Customers will soon automatically receive the proven, special functionalities for their respective business model when identifying the industry they are active in.

Compared to other ERP systems, weclapp also stands out due to its fast and cost-effective implementation with the customers. Current examples demonstrate: Also thanks to the intuitive usability, a clearly structured onboarding project structure and the iterative implementation of customer requirements ensure low implementation costs and project durations.

The jury emphasized a number of points in its statement: As an open platform, weclapp enables the integration of numerous other applications and is characterized by a high degree of flexibility and individualization. Thanks to product-oriented research in the area of future topics such as artificial intelligence, the software constantly receives new, smart functionalities that make the customers’ workflows even more efficient. In terms of user experience, the intuitive usability of the system, weclapp was also able to set itself apart from the competition.

“We are grateful and proud of the result,” said Ertan Özdil pleased: “It motivates us to continue giving our best every day on our way to becoming Europe’s leading cloud ERP provider. A very special thank goes to our team, but especially to our customers and partners, whose constructive feedback contributes day after day to making weclapp continuously better!”

 

Further information:
Dr. Joachim Fleïng
Investor Relations
3U HOLDING AG
Tel.: +49 6421 999-1200
Fax.: +49 6421 999-1222
E-Mail: ir@3u.net

About 3U:
3U HOLDING AG (www.3u.net) has its headquarters in Marburg, Germany, and was founded in 1997. It is the operating management and investment holding company at the head of the 3U Group. It acquires, operates and sells companies in the three segments of ITC (Information and Telecommunications Technology), Renewable Energies and SHAC (Sanitary, Heating and Air Conditioning Technology). The 3U Group has successful and profitable business models based on megatrends in all three segments. It continues to expand its business activities dynamically, particularly in its strongest growth areas of cloud computing and online trading, in which it is striving to achieve leading positions in the market. 3U HOLDING AG’s shares are traded on XETRA, Tradegate and on the German regional stock exchanges (ISIN: DE0005167902; identifier: UUU).

3U HOLDING AG – Flashlight: 3U HOLDING AG creates basis for artificial intelligence cluster

3U HOLDING AG persistently pursues its strategy: artificial intelligence cluster to be established close to Würzburg University. Some background is being explained in an interview on October 8, 2019.

Watch interview on YouTube

3U creates the basis for groundbreaking artificial intelligence cluster in Würzburg

  • Acquisition of a plot of land at the University of Würzburg
  • Project under scientific supervision by Prof. Dr. Axel Winkelmann
  • 3U underlines cooperation with the University of Würzburg on Artificial Intelligence and further expands joint activities

Marburg and Würzburg, Germany, 7 October 2019 – InnoHubs GmbH, a joint venture of 3U HOLDING AG (ISIN DE0005167902) and WüWi Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH, has acquired an approximately 5,700 sqm site at the heart of the Skyline Hill commercial park in Würzburg, directly adjacent to the university. A corresponding purchase agreement was signed today. InnoHubs GmbH intends to construct an innovation and office property on this site. The building complex with an area of up to 14,000 sqm will offer opportunities for the further development of future-oriented technologies to large and small companies as well as research institutions and mixed working groups from universities and industry in close connection with research. The focus will be on the development of innovations in the field of artificial intelligence (AI). Construction planning for this “innovation hub” has already begun. The project will be scientifically supported by Prof. Dr. Axel Winkelmann, who is intensively committed to cooperation between industry and science.

The Chair of Business Administration and Information Systems under his leadership operates its own research and teaching laboratory for enterprise software, in particular Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), and has developed it into Germany’s largest ERP laboratory. The 3U subsidiary weclapp has been participating in this initiative since 2016 – among other things by working on joint research projects.

Prof. Winkelmann explains: “Current technologies are developing rapidly in global research. The InnoHubs project is intended to support companies in establishing a close connection to our renowned university with its research groups and students in terms of both content and location. In this way, it guarantees the necessary knowledge advantage for its own future products and technologies. Last year, the State of Bavaria decided to invest in a new research centre with a focus on AI in Würzburg, which will be completed by additional professorships and junior research groups. The Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg can look back on 14 Nobel Prize winners and, according to the Nature Index 2019, is one of Germany’s top four universities in the natural and life sciences. Reuters even ranks the university among the top 10% of the most innovative universities in Europe”.

At weclapp, 3U is pursuing an ambitious program to establish a team of specialists for the development of AI algorithms at several research sites worldwide. The future research unit in Würzburg, in close cooperation with the University of Würzburg, will play an important role.

“With this step we are combining two essential parts of our business and our strategy,” explains Michael Schmidt, CEO of 3U HOLDING AG. “On the one hand, 3U HOLDING continues its success story in managing its assets by developing this innovation and office property. On the other hand, we are increasingly focusing on artificial intelligence in the area of research and development. This will enable us to further consolidate and expand the technologically leading position of our ERP platform weclapp, but also of other 3U business models such as e-commerce. And the even closer cooperation with the University of Würzburg in the new InnoHubs will open up additional opportunities for us in this way.”

Supplementary information:
In June 2018, the State of Bavaria decided by cabinet resolution that the University of Würzburg would become the central location for artificial intelligence research. Accordingly, the university is to receive six new chairs, each linked to six already existing chairs of the faculties, which will conduct joint research on AI topics. In addition, financial resources will be made available for four junior research groups. Four additional professorships for AI and robotics will also be created at the Würzburg-Schweinfurt University of Applied Sciences in close proximity to another four existing research professorships.
In this context, Würzburg is planning a new district for 5,000-8,000 people and an additional university campus on 39 hectares in Hubland, which is currently being developed as a science location. The planning includes residential buildings, a park, kindergartens, schools, universities, dormitories and other infrastructure facilities. In the immediate vicinity, the city is currently marketing the “Skyline Hill” area with 61,000 square meters, preferably for use by IT companies.

 

Further information:
Dr. Joachim Fleïng
Investor Relations
3U HOLDING AG
Tel.: +49 6421 999-1200
Fax.: +49 6421 999-1222
E-Mail: ir@3u.net

About InnoHubs GmbH:
The company was founded in 2019 for the purpose of conducting real estate business, in particular the development, construction, management and leasing of a property in Würzburg. 3U HOLDING AG holds 75% and WüWi Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH 25% of InnoHubs GmbH.

About 3U:
3U HOLDING AG (www.3u.net) has its headquarters in Marburg, Germany, and was founded in 1997. It is the operating management and investment holding company at the head of the 3U Group. It acquires, operates and sells companies in the three segments of ITC (Information and Telecommunications Technology), Renewable Energies and SHAC (Sanitary, Heating and Air Conditioning Technology). The 3U Group has successful and profitable business models based on megatrends in all three segments. It continues to expand its business activities dynamically, particularly in its strongest growth areas of cloud computing and online trading, in which it is striving to achieve leading positions in the market. 3U HOLDING AG’s shares are traded on XETRA, Tradegate and on the German regional stock exchanges (ISIN: DE0005167902; identifier: UUU).

3U subsidiary Selfio is one of Germany’s best online shops for the third time in a row

  • Consumers awarded Selfio first place in five out of six categories in the Construction and Do-It-Yourself segment (excluding store network)

Marburg, 1 October 2019 – Selfio GmbH, a wholly owned subsidiary of 3U HOLDING AG (ISIN: DE0005167902), received the award “Germany’s Best Online Shop 2019” in the construction and DIY segment (excluding store network) for the third time in a row. The consumer survey was carried out by the DISQ – Deutsches Institut für Service-Qualität, a private company, on behalf of the news channel n-tv. The survey examined customer satisfaction with the online shops in six categories. Selfio achieved higher scores than the other competitors in the segment, in particular for its very good price-performance ratio and Internet presence. The SHAC online retailer from the 3U Group also achieved a top rating in this segment in terms of product range, customer service and ordering conditions.

Since its launch in 2011, the 3U subsidiary has more than tenfold increased its sales of sanitary, heating and air-conditioning systems and components from EUR 1.5 million to EUR 17.4 million in the 2018 financial year, giving it a strong position among the specialist suppliers in its sector segment; further growth is planned and foreseeable. In addition to the further expansion of its successful online marketing and online consulting services, the growth drivers include the ongoing expansion of its range to include attractive products and services, closer cooperation with renowned suppliers and the targeted use of private labels. The goal remains to join the ranks of the 100 strongest German online retailers in terms of sales and thus further increase profitability.

“We are proud that our commitment to our customers is being honoured in this way,” says Dominik Schmucki, Managing Director of Selfio GmbH, pleased with the renewed award. “The customer stands with us in the highest place, we provide a comprehensive planning and consulting offering – and our products are on offer at absolutely fair prices. Particularly in view of the generally good rating of the online shops in the DISQ customer survey, it is a special distinction that Selfio was able to assert itself at this high level and convince customers,” adds Dominik Schmucki. “We are continuing to work on maintaining and extending this lead.

Further information on the award can be found at: https://disq.de/online-shop-preis.html. You can find the n-tv feature here: https://bit.ly/2mDxUiX

 

Further information:
Dr Joachim Fleïng
Head of Investor Relations
3U HOLDING AG
Tel.: +49 (0) 6421 999-1200
Fax: +49 (0) 6421 999-1222
E-mail: ir@3u.net

About 3U:
3U HOLDING AG (www.3u.net) has its headquarters in Marburg, Germany, and was founded in 1997. It is the operating management and investment holding company at the head of the 3U Group. It acquires, operates and sells companies in the three segments of ITC (Information and Telecommunications Technology), Renewable Energies and SHAC (Sanitary, Heating and Air Conditioning Technology). The 3U Group has successful and profitable business models based on megatrends in all three segments. It continues to expand its business activities dynamically, particularly in its strongest growth areas of cloud computing and online trading, in which it is striving to achieve leading positions in the market. 3U HOLDING AG’s shares are traded on XETRA, Tradegate and on the German regional stock exchanges (ISIN: DE0005167902; identifier: UUU).