Point of Need - former DerAutomat

What Point of Need - former DerAutomat does

Point of Need, legally DerAutomat Harrer GmbH & Co. KG, is an Austrian engineering and manufacturing company that designs, builds, and deploys smart vending machines and retail automation solutions. The company was founded in 2014 by four founders and is headquartered in Kautzen, Austria, with operational offices in Vienna (Stutterheimstraße 16-18/3/22, 1150 Vienna and Döblergasse 2, 1070 Vienna). The team comprises 32 employees and has executed 723 projects to date, leveraging over a decade of experience in retail robotics and IoT distribution. Its product portfolio centers on IoT-enabled smart vending hardware with embedded AI/ML features for personalized recommendations, dynamic pricing, and real-time inventory management, complemented by omnichannel integration across online, offline, and mobile channels with multiple payment options.

The business serves B2B customers across at least six verticals: healthcare (24/7 medication and health product access), luxury retail (premium product vending), electronics (on-demand tech access), general retail (self-service automation), rental services (automated pickup/return), and food service (personalized meals). The company differentiates on end-to-end project delivery: consultation, custom engineering, in-house Austrian manufacturing, installation/commissioning, and training, with warranties beginning at formal handover. Pricing is custom and project-based, with payment structured as 50% at order, 25% at delivery readiness, and 25% within 14 days of acceptance; standard delivery runs 12 weeks with complex customizations up to 8 months. The company also generates revenue from software licensing (one-time or time-limited recurring fees), installation and training services, and self-service retail consulting.

The legal entity is a GmbH & Co. KG (an Austrian limited partnership combining a limited liability company with a limited partnership), and the company is privately held with no disclosed external investors, parent company, or funding rounds. Operations span the DACH region, with active commercial presence in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland. The company positions its offering as a 'Point of Need' alternative to traditional 'Point of Sale' retail, marketing 24/7 availability, reduced operational costs, and improved customer experience through automation and AI-driven personalization. The company is GDPR-compliant under DSGVO, DSG 2018, and TKG 2003, and has no publicly disclosed patents, trademarks, awards, named customers, or management team roster in the source materials.

Name

Point of Need - former DerAutomat

Legal name

DerAutomat Harrer GmbH & Co. KG

Website

https://derautomat.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Point of Need (formerly DerAutomat Harrer) is an Austrian manufacturer of smart vending machines and retail automation solutions, serving B2B clients across healthcare, luxury, electronics, and food service verticals in the DACH region via custom hardware, software, consulting, and installation services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Vienna

HQ country

Austria

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Smart Vending Machine Sales: Sale of customized smart vending machines and automated retail solutions. Pricing structured as 50% at order, 25% at delivery readiness, 25% after acceptance. Standard delivery 12 weeks, specialized customizations up to 8 months.
2. Software Licensing: Time-unlimited non-exclusive, non-transferable, non-sublicensable software rights with one-time payment, or time-limited rights with recurring fees for software used on specified hardware
3. Consulting Services: Advisory services for self-service retail channels and retail robotics, helping businesses implement innovative solutions like smart vending machines and autonomous robots
4. Installation and Training: Inbetriebnahme (installation, commissioning) and training services with handover protocol, marking beginning of warranty period

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

DerAutomat (Point of Need) engineers, manufactures, and distributes smart vending machines and fully automated self-service store solutions for B2B clients. Core deliverables include IoT-enabled vending hardware with AI personalization, omnichannel payment integration, installation/commissioning, training, and software licensing. The company offers end-to-end project execution from consultation through manufacturing in Austria to final handover and warranty support.

Product overview

Point of Need (formerly DerAutomat Harrer GmbH & Co. KG) is a smart vending and retail automation company providing fully automated store solutions. The core product portfolio consists of smart vending machines for various industries (healthcare, retail, luxury goods), complemented by retail automation solutions that encompass engineering, manufacturing, and distribution of automated retail systems. The company also offers consulting services for self-service retail channels and retail robotics. Their solutions are designed to provide 24/7 availability, enabling goods to be located where customers need them through self-service technology.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Smart Vending Machines IoT-enabled smart vending machines providing 24/7 unstaffed self-service shopping experiences with AI-driven personalization, dynamic pricing, real-time inventory management, and multiple payment options (cards and mobile wallets). Targeted at enterprises across healthcare, luxury retail, electronics, and general retail.
• Retail Automation Solutions Comprehensive automation solutions for retail operations including engineering, manufacturing, and distribution of smart vending machines and related technology. Delivered as end-to-end project engagements covering consultation, manufacturing, installation, and training for B2B clients.
• Self-Service Consulting Services Advisory and consulting services for self-service retail channels and retail robotics, helping businesses implement innovative solutions such as smart vending machines and autonomous robots to improve customer experience and operational efficiency. Targeted at enterprises planning retail automation deployments.

Quantifiable outcome

• 723 completed projects demonstrating extensive experience
• +3 more outcomes

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Westomatic Vending Services: UK-based designer, manufacturer, and supplier of vending machines and unattended coffee/retail solutions to foodservice, hospitality, and workplace operators. Comparable European specialty vending manufacturer with overlapping deploy-and-service model.
• N&W Global Vending: Italian-headquartered manufacturer of vending machines, hot-beverage equipment, and OEM platforms for global beverage and retail brands. Directly comparable to DerAutomat as a European vending machine manufacturer offering integrated IoT and software capabilities.
• 365 Retail Markets: Provider of self-service kiosks, micro-market solutions, and unattended retail technology primarily for workplaces and hospitality. Comparable to DerAutomat as a specialist in unmanned/automated retail formats with software-led management layers.
• Jofemar: Spanish manufacturer of vending machines, payment/telemetry systems, and energy solutions. Comparable to DerAutomat as a European producer of automated retail hardware with proprietary cashless and IoT integrations serving similar use cases.

Emerging players

• Vendon: Latvia-based IoT and cloud-management platform for vending and unattended retail, selling telemetry, payment, and back-office software rather than manufacturing hardware. Comparable to DerAutomat's software/AI layer and competes for the same operator customers.

Regional players

• WMF Group: German manufacturer of professional coffee machines, tabletop, and food/equipment solutions serving hospitality, foodservice, and retail across DACH. Relevant regional peer specializing in higher-end unattended beverage/food equipment with similar European engineering positioning.

Broad incumbents

• Selecta Group: Pan-European unattended retail and coffee services operator and equipment owner across workplaces and public spaces. Comparable as a dominant DACH-region automated retail player with both proprietary equipment and a large installed operator footprint.
• SandenVendo (Crane Merchandising Systems): Legacy vending-machine manufacturer now operating within Crane Co.'s Crane Payment Innovations organization, producing vending hardware, cashless payment systems, and telemetry at global scale. Relevant as the established incumbent against whom DerAutomat competes for automated retail deployments.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/der-automat-harrer-kg
• Facebookfacebook.com/der-automat-harrer-kg-1042977189131546

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 →

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