Green NTX

What Green NTX does

GRÜN Software Medien GmbH, operating as Green NTX, is a German vertical software provider focused on publishing and book-retail business operations for the DACH market (Germany, Austria, Switzerland). Founded in 1986 as Fornoff und Heintzenberg GmbH and headquartered in Endingen am Kaiserstuhl, the company is now a wholly-owned subsidiary of the GRÜN Software Group GmbH (Aachen) following a 2020 ownership transition. Its product suite centers on GRÜN NTX — a modular publishing management system covering title management, product information, order processing, royalty/honorarium billing, warehouse and distribution — and is complemented by the acquired GRÜN EDDY (2021, formerly Triagon), the metadata middleware GRÜN itex (2023), the bookstore operations platform GRÜN bookhit, and the POS software GRÜN cashhit. Architecture supports IBM Informix, Oracle, and PostgreSQL backends with a layered separation of database, business logic, and UI, and offers on-premise, cloud/SaaS (NTXaaS), and hybrid deployment on German-hosted infrastructure.

The company's commercial model blends perpetual on-premise licenses with SaaS subscriptions (NTXaaS), recurring support and maintenance, and project-based consulting/customizing services for publisher-specific workflow adaptation, plus a digital agency offering TYPO3 and WordPress websites with native NTX integration. Go-to-market is sales-led and event-driven: enterprise field sales (with named account managers such as Peter Lederer for book retail) plus active presence at Frankfurter Buchmesse, VDZ Tech Summit, B2B Media Days, and the company's own NTX-TREFF and IMPULSE events. Customer base spans 650+ publishing and book-retail accounts and approximately 150 enterprise publishers with several thousand workstations, including named logos such as Breitkopf & Härtel (30+ year NTX user), Egmont Verlagsgesellschaften, Philipp Reclam jun., Verlagsgruppe Oetinger, Ch. Links Verlag, AT Verlag, and Katholisches Bibelwerk.

Leadership under CEO Rainer Heckmann (since February 2021) and CTO/Prokurist Matthias Meier, with Christian Herkel as Managing Director, has overseen generational change, two acquisitions, a SaaS product launch, and continuous regulatory-compliance features (ZUGFeRD 2.1 / XRechnung, BZSt/VIES VAT validation, Kassensicherungsverordnung-ready POS), all under recurring BITMi 'Software Made in Germany' and 'Software Hosted in Germany' certifications through 2026.

Name

Green NTX

Legal name

GRÜN Software Medien GmbH

Website

https://gruenmedien.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

GRÜN Software Medien GmbH, operating as Green NTX, is a German vertical software provider serving 650+ publishers and bookshops in the DACH region with modular publishing management software covering title management, order processing, royalty accounting, warehouse, and distribution.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Publishing Software

NAICS

Software Publishers (513210)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

E-book Retail & Reading Platforms (Stores, Apps, Devices) (MPAJAMAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

IP Management, Patents & Trademark Software (BPAEAPAN), Records Management, Information Governance & Retention (BPAEAPAO)

Keywords

• Publishing software
• Book trade management
• Subscription management
• Metadata platform
• Bookstore point of sale

Headquarters

HQ city

Endingen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Software Licenses and Subscriptions: GRÜN NTX offers both perpetual on-premise purchase licenses and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) subscriptions under the NTXaaS model. This dual licensing approach allows customers to choose between self-hosted deployment or cloud-hosted managed services.
2. Professional Services (Consulting & Customizing): Implementation consulting, custom development, and customizing services are offered to adapt the software to each publisher's specific workflows. These services are a key component of the revenue model.
3. Support and Maintenance: Ongoing technical support, software updates, and maintenance services are provided, likely as recurring contracts tied to the software licenses and subscriptions.
4. Digital Agency Services: The company offers digital agency services including TYPO3 and WordPress website development with real-time interfaces to the publishing software, expanding revenue beyond core software.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Green NTX develops and sells modular publishing and book-trade management software for the media industry. Its flagship GRÜN NTX platform automates the full publishing operations workflow — title management, product information, order processing, subscription/circulation management, royalty accounting, warehousing, and distribution — and is complemented by GRÜN EDDY (book publishing), GRÜN itex (metadata middleware), GRÜN bookhit (bookstore operations), and GRÜN cashhit (point-of-sale). Software is sold as on-premise licenses or SaaS (NTXaaS), bundled with consulting, customizing, support, and digital agency services.

Product overview

GRÜN Software Medien GmbH offers a modular suite of publishing and book trade software under the GRÜN brand, centered on the GRÜN NTX platform — a comprehensive publishing management system covering title management, product information, order processing, royalty accounting, warehouse, and distribution for book, journal, specialist, music, and educational publishers. This core platform is complemented by GRÜN EDDY (acquired in 2021), a book-publishing-focused solution serving as a departmental data backbone; GRÜN itex (acquired in 2023), a metadata middleware platform for integrating and distributing title metadata; GRÜN bookhit for bookstore management; and GRÜN cashhit for point-of-sale operations in bookstores. Additional specialized modules extend the platform including NTXaaS (cloud/SaaS delivery), the NTX Besorgung module for foreign-title procurement, NTX-Belegverzeichnis for document archiving, NTX E-Mail-Dokumentation for CRM email management, NTX ZUGFeRD/XRechnung for electronic invoicing, the NTX Inventory module, NTX Product Planning, NTX-Connector for Google Merchant Center integration, and the NTX CRM. The products are offered on a modular basis with on-premises, SaaS, and hybrid deployment options.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• GRÜN NTX: Comprehensive publishing software (Verlagssoftware) for publishers managing title management, product information, order management, royalty accounting, warehousing and distribution.
• GRÜN EDDY
• GRÜN itex
• GRÜN bookhit
• GRÜN cashhit

Products and services

• GRÜN NTX (Verlagssoftware / Publishing Software) Comprehensive publishing management software that steers and automates daily publishing operations — title management, product information, order processing, royalty accounting, warehousing, and distribution — for book, journal, specialist, music, educational publishers and corporate publishers.
• GRÜN EDDY (Buchverlagssoftware / Book Publishing Software) Book publishing software (Buchverlagssoftware) that forms the data backbone for book publishers, supporting daily publishing workflows across all departments.
• GRÜN itex (Metadaten-Plattform / Metadata Platform) Metadata platform operating as middleware for the integration, transformation, and export of metadata for offered titles in the publishing industry. Supports ONIX and other metadata standards.
• GRÜN bookhit (Buchhandelssoftware / Book Trade Software)

Quantifiable outcome

• 60% time savings on inventory processes for a customer using the new NTX permanent inventory feature
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

AI capability3 records

Feature13 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• BOOXITEminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 June 2025Strategic partnership announced June 2025 between GRÜN Software Medien and BOOXITE for the benefit of publishers. Specific details of the collaboration were not disclosed in the available source material.
• GRÜN itex (Metadaten-Plattform)coreTechnology or Integration · 3 February 2023GRÜN NTX assumed/incorporated the metadata platform itex, adding it to the integrated product suite alongside GRÜN NTX, GRÜN EDDY, and GRÜN bookhit.
• Triagon Software GmbH (now GRÜN EDDY GmbH)coreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 23 April 2021GRÜN NTX GmbH (via GRÜN Software Group) acquired all shares of Berlin-based Triagon Software GmbH, manufacturer of the EDDY publishing software with 30+ years of market presence. The acquired company operates as GRÜN EDDY GmbH. Notable customers include Egmont Verlagsgesellschaften, Philipp Reclam jun., Ch. Links Verlag, AT Verlag, and Verlagsgruppe Oetinger. CEO Rainer Heckmann took over management.
• Barsortiments Libri and UmbreitcoreTechnology or IntegrationNTX integrates with the web services of Barsortiments Libri and Umbreit for real-time third-party title availability checking, automated ordering (BSO workflow), and non-availability handling within the NTX-Besorgung module.
• Barsortiments LibricoreTechnology or IntegrationIntegration via NTX-Besorgung module enabling automated third-party title ordering through Libri's web services.
• Barsortiments UmbreitcoreTechnology or IntegrationIntegration via NTX-Besorgung module enabling automated third-party title ordering through Umbreit's web services.
• Medienverband der freien Presse (MVFP)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerGRÜN Software Medien is a member of the Medienverband der freien Presse (MVFP), the German media association for the free press.
• Deutsche FachpresseminorGTM or Marketing PartnerGRÜN Software Medien is a member of Deutsche Fachpresse, the association of German trade press publishers.
• Börsenverein des Deutschen BuchhandelsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerGRÜN Software Medien holds membership and a traffic number (Verkehrsnummer 18007) with the Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Klopotek: Klopotek is a German publishing software vendor providing ERP, rights and royalty, and production planning solutions to book and journal publishers. It is the closest direct DACH competitor to Green NTX with overlapping publisher customer base and similar workflow focus.
• PubFactory: PubFactory is a cloud-native publishing platform used by academic and trade publishers for content hosting, e-commerce, and reader analytics. It competes with Green NTX for digital-first publishers evaluating SaaS replacements for on-premise ERP.
• Atypon: Atypon (a Wiley subsidiary) provides a publishing platform for online content delivery, access management, and analytics, primarily serving academic and professional publishers. It is a direct peer in the publisher platform category.
• HighWire Press: HighWire Press hosts online journals, books, and reference works for scholarly publishers. It serves the same publisher customer segment as Green NTX for digital distribution, discovery, and engagement.
• Silverchair: Silverchair provides platform services for publishers and scholarly societies including content hosting, analytics, and member engagement. It is a direct peer in the publisher-platform category.
• Ingenta: Ingenta provides publishing technology solutions (content management, online hosting, access control) to academic and professional publishers globally. It overlaps with Green NTX's publisher customer segment and platform offering.

Emerging players

• 67 Bricks: 67 Bricks is a UK-based publishing technology company building custom software and platforms for publishers (content delivery, discovery). It is an emerging player with comparable use cases in publishing technology services.

Broad incumbents

• censhare: censhare is a content/customer experience platform with strong presence in publishing, media, and brand-driven organizations. It serves the same publisher segment as Green NTX but with a broader content/experience-management scope.
• Adobe (Experience Manager / Document Cloud): Adobe offers publishing and content management capabilities through Adobe Experience Manager and Document Cloud. As a broad incumbent, its solutions overlap with Green NTX's document, content, and marketing-automation features for publishers.
• Quark: Quark provides publishing production software (Quark Publishing Platform, QuarkXPress) used by book, magazine, and corporate publishers for layout, XML workflows, and automated publishing. It is adjacent to Green NTX in publisher workflow automation with a broader incumbent footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Gruen.NTX
• Instagraminstagram.com/gruen_ntx

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Green NTX