Why was the decision made to open another location at this particular time?
Due to the consistently strong growth of the entire group, the existing office capacities are inevitably reaching their limits at full occupancy. Access to new qualified employees is also becoming increasingly difficult in the Munich IT industry. Opening a new location is therefore the logical and, above all, necessary consequence in the medium term. And true to the motto ‘act instead of react’, now is the perfect time for us to take this important step early and proactively.
What factors were decisive in choosing the location?
When selecting a suitable location, we had to consider a multitude of factors. It was important to us to keep the employees’ commutes as short as possible and thus avoid excessive travel. We also oriented ourselves towards the proximity to our regional existing customers and potential new customers. Our decision was also significantly influenced by good infrastructural conditions and good access to qualified workers through local universities and relevant industry focuses.
Considering all these factors, Nuremberg quickly came into our focus. Many of our colleagues, including myself, originally come from the region and some still live there today. Thus, we already have numerous local experts on site without long commutes. The Nuremberg metropolitan area also has good transport connections, including to our Munich office. It also offers one of the most comprehensive and differentiated study programs in Germany with over 260 degree courses at renowned universities. We are already using this excellent opportunity for further education and recruitment through cooperations such as with the Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nuremberg (FAU).
The ICT industry is of great importance in the Nuremberg region with more than 100,000 employees in over 7,000 companies. In combination with a strong mid-sized sector and numerous large companies, it offers very promising growth potential. Due to Nuremberg’s central location, we are also able to optimally cover the entire Franconian economic region.
Then the move to Nuremberg was the logical consequence. What are the concrete goals for the coming months?
We are starting with an experienced and well-coordinated team that has already proven itself in various project constellations. As soon as possible, we then want to inspire new colleagues to join digatus in the next step. To achieve this goal, we are already paying attention to creating an attractive working environment when designing and equipping the premises, for example through height-adjustable desks. To recruit talented young professionals, we will be present at regional events to establish valuable contacts and increase our level of awareness. It is also important to us to deepen and expand cooperations with universities such as FAU, for example through further practical partnerships and our internal mentoring program for working students and juniors.
By reducing the distance, we especially want to demonstrate customer proximity and set a very targeted focus on intensive, high-quality support for our existing customers there.
Our focus will also be increasingly on acquiring new customers. To achieve this, we will establish our event series, such as the business breakfast, in Nuremberg as well to engage in dialogue with local companies.
Thank you for this interesting background information and much success at the new location!
Stephan Bals
He studied Business Administration with a focus on Management at the Beuth University of Applied Sciences Berlin. After completing his studies as a graduate in Business Administration, he began his career at Siemens AG in Munich.
Early in his career, he gained experience in various executive positions. Among other roles, he was responsible as managing director for medium-sized IT consulting and service companies, most recently Xiopia GmbH, as well as serving on the board of Allgeier IT Solutions AG. With the founding of digatus it group, he continued his career as a founder and entrepreneur. In early 2015, together with Felix Kirschner, he founded digatus it group AG with the goal of "building" a market-relevant IT service provider in Germany. His main focus within the digatus Group is in the areas of sales, growth management, and M&A. At the interfaces between business and IT, he is a sought-after mediator, sparring partner, and idea generator.
In addition to his role as CEO of digatus it group AG, he is involved entrepreneurially as a co-founder and investor, volunteers in various non-profit initiatives and associations, and serves as an advisory board member, senior advisor, and supervisory board member.
