Solvares Group acquires Opheo

With the acquisition of Opheo Solutions GmbH, Solvares Group is expanding its portfolio to include solutions for truck dispatching and route optimisation in the transport sector and is continuing its course of strategic growth.

Solvares says SaaS-based software provider Opheo is an ideal fit for its strategic course. Opheo optimises route planning across truck dispatching. This industry focus is on logistics for building materials and food & beverage, among others. The software automates the dispatch process and relieves dispatch teams of all calculations.

Thanks to AI-based route optimisation and smart forecasting algorithms, kilometres can be reduced and transport resources better utilised. Opheo combines route planning, route optimisation, telematics, and ETA forecasting in a modern workplace environment for dispatchers and drivers – the digital transport control centre.

Opheo, with its 50 employees, is now the fourth company in the Solvares Group. The beginning of the group was the acquisition of FLS – FAST LEAN SMART in 2018. FLS GmbH is the technology leader for route optimisation and specialises in software-supported real-time optimisation for efficient scheduling, route and delivery planning of vehicle, expert, and technician fleets.

Before Opheo, Austria’s impactit GmbH and Germany’s Städtler Logistik joined in 2021. With its SaaS solution portatour, impactit offers its customers targeted and personalised tour planning and route planning, especially in field service optimisation for sales, consulting, and service. Städtler Logistik optimises complex and company-specific logistics and transport processes with software products such as TRAMPAS and LP/2. It takes control of governance tasks such as freight auditing for its customers and has been advising on all logistics issues for over 60 years.

With the third M&A expansion this year, the Solvares Group demonstrates its ability to grow dynamically through mergers & acquisitions. The continued focus is that the group grows sustainably – as a team and to the benefit of all involved. Thus, Dr. Stefan Anschütz, CEO of Opheo, will continue his entrepreneurial work at Solvares and play a key role in driving growth in the tour optimisation business segment both strategically and operationally.

“Solvares convinced me because I can continue to act as an entrepreneur, but move as part of a team with related businesses and entrepreneurs,” said Anschütz. “This allows me to focus primarily on my product and my clients while benefiting from the know-how and synergies of the group. Opheo joining the Solvares Group is a booster for the growth of our business.”

Dr. Jens Stief, CEO of Solvares Group, is pleased with the group’s strengthening: “Stefan Anschütz complements our management team in the field of logistics and will help us to further expand the route planning segment in particular. Opheo enhances our penetrating power in logistics with a universally applicable intelligent product as well as a motivated and capable team.”

The Solvares Group is backed by its investment partner DBAG (Deutsche Beteiligungs AG). Like the Solvares Group, DBAG is thus focusing on SaaS-based solutions, a future market in the field of logistics along the entire value chain.

Ragnar Geerdts, member of the management board of Deutsche Beteiligungs AG, added: “With Opheo, Solvares Group is consistently pursuing its buy-and-build strategy to position itself as a European champion for resource optimisation and to grow both organically and through M&A.”