Toolmaker
Toolmaker Advanced Efficiency GmbH, founded 1986 in Kaufering, Germany, develops and sells 21 native IBM i / RPG software products for spool management, email, DMS, e-invoicing, PDF, CTI, and RPG modernization, serving 5,500+ DACH-region enterprise and mid-market customers via direct sales, an Italian channel partner, and an Advanced Efficiency value-share business model.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1986
- HeadquartersKaufering, Germany
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
Toolmaker firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Toolmaker
- Legal name
- Toolmaker Advanced Efficiency GmbH
- Website
- https://toolmaker.de
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1986
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Toolmaker Advanced Efficiency GmbH, founded 1986 in Kaufering, Germany, develops and sells 21 native IBM i / RPG software products for spool management, email, DMS, e-invoicing, PDF, CTI, and RPG modernization, serving 5,500+ DACH-region enterprise and mid-market customers via direct sales, an Italian channel partner, and an Advanced Efficiency value-share business model.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Toolmaker is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Kaufering
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Toolmaker business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
Revenue model
- Software Licenses ( Perpetual / One-time): Customers purchase software licenses for Toolmaker products. Perpetual licenses are the primary model indicated by the AGB (general terms), which reference purchase transactions. The AGB cover software license terms, not subscription terms, suggesting perpetual license sales with optional maintenance/support.
- Maintenance and Support Contracts: Toolmaker offers maintenance and support contracts (Wartungs- und Supportvertrag). Customers with active support contracts receive automatic updates via TIM (Toolmaker Installation Manager), new versions (e.g., Free RPG support for directaudit), and priority hotline access.
- Advanced Efficiency / Value-Share Model: An innovative business model where customers pay nothing upfront — no software purchase, no maintenance fees, no long-term contracts. Toolmaker finances itself from the efficiency gains (cost savings, productivity improvements) the customer realizes. The shared savings amount is mutually agreed upon. This model eliminates capital expenditure barriers.
- Professional Services (Training / Consulting): Toolmaker offers training courses (open enrollment, inhouse, online, streaming) on SQL, RPG, and related IBM i topics. Pricing varies by format. Consulting services for installation, configuration, and system optimization are also offered. Training AGbs detail course booking, cancellation, and pricing terms.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Advanced Efficiency Model — Zero Capital Expenditure |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Toolmaker product offering
Product offeringCore offering
No source-backed information is available in the provided input.
Product overview
Toolmaker Advanced Efficiency GmbH offers a portfolio of 21 software products for IBM i (Power i, System i, iSeries, AS/400) platforms. The product portfolio centers on IBM i productivity and modernization tools including: communication solutions (directmail for email management, directdial for CTI telephony, gsmtext for SMS and remote monitoring), document management and output management (directarchiv browser-based DMS, directspool spool-to-PDF converter, directview spool viewer, spoolmaster output manager), PDF generation (pdflib for high-volume professional PDF, pdf4i for direct RPG PDF output, zebra4i for label printing), data integration (directaccess4i for external database access, dataxpress for Excel-IBM i data exchange, directword for Word merge, xsql for Excel SQL queries), software development and modernization (rpgwx for browser-based apps, rpg2free for RPG conversion, directaudit for code analysis, toolbox developer utilities), and e-invoicing (e-rechnung for ZUGFeRD/XRechnung). Several products include optional programming APIs for integration into customer applications. Products are available as individual solutions or as integrated modules, and operate native on IBM i with optional browser-based interfaces.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Quantifiable outcome
- Email invoice delivery costs ~€0.03/document vs ~€1.50 for postal — potential ~98% savings per document. For 200 documents/day, annual savings of ~€70,000/year.
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Toolmaker
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Toolmaker technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration27 records
Feature20 records
Toolmaker partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- AIM italiana srlcoreAIM italiana srl (Via Lombardia 87, I-21029 Corgeno/Vergiate VA, Italy, Tel: +39 0331 964127) serves as the Toolmaker partner and distributor in Italy. The company represents Toolmaker for sales, support, and local market coverage for Italian IBM i customers.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Toolmaker competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- Maxava: IBM i high-availability and business continuity vendor. Maxava's focus on HA overlaps with Toolmaker's Business Continuity solution category, but Maxava primarily serves the UK/Australia/NZ markets with limited DACH overlap, making it a regional peer.
Direct peers
- Profound Logic Software: Direct competitor in IBM i web-application modernization. Profound Logic's Profound UI and Node.js integration tools are the closest analog to Toolmaker's RPGWX, both targeting RPG developers who need to deliver browser-based applications without abandoning the IBM i platform.
- Fresche Solutions: Direct peer specializing in IBM i application modernization, RPG Web development, and database analysis. Fresche's X-Analysis and Presto products compete with Toolmaker's Db2Analyse and RPGWX offerings in the IBM i developer productivity category.
- BCD Software: Direct peer offering IBM i modernization tools including Presto (web enablement) and DBCS/DDS-to-DDL migration. BCD's Presto product is a direct alternative to Toolmaker's RPGWX for browser-enabling 5250 green-screen applications.
- ARCAD Software: Direct peer in IBM i DevOps, modernization, and RPG tooling. ARCAD provides DM (change management), iUnit testing, and RPG modernization — overlapping with Toolmaker's rpg2free and directaudit products for the same DACH and global IBM i customer base.
- Remain Software: Direct peer providing IBM i DevOps and change management tooling (TD/OMS, Gravity). Remain Software competes with Toolmaker's developer productivity and code modernization (rpg2free, directaudit) offerings in the European IBM i market.
Broad incumbents
- LRS (Levi, Ray & Shoup): Established output management (spool) vendor with PSPDF/Pserver products overlapping Toolmaker's directspool and SpoolMaster. LRS operates at the enterprise mainframe/IBM i cross-platform level as a broader incumbent.
- HelpSystems (Fortra): Dominant broad incumbent in the IBM i ecosystem. HelpSystems/Fortra owns multiple IBM i tooling brands (SEQUEL, Powertech, Robot, Bytware, Skytap) that compete with Toolmaker across output management, monitoring, security, and modernization categories.
- Rocket Software: Broader incumbent offering overlapping IBM i capabilities including output management (RM/COBOL, Spool), PDF (RSPDF), and modernization tooling. Rocket's portfolio competes head-to-head with multiple Toolmaker products in the enterprise IBM i segment.
Emerging players
- Eradani: Emerging player in IBM i integration, APIs, and web modernization. Eradani's Node.js-based tooling overlaps with Toolmaker's RPGWX and directaccess4i products, particularly for IBM i customers seeking modern API-first integration patterns.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Toolmaker social profiles
Digital presenceToolmaker compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Toolmaker financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Toolmaker leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Toolmaker subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Toolmaker funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Toolmaker M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Toolmaker
What does Toolmaker do?
No source-backed information is available in the provided input.
Is Toolmaker a public or private company?
Toolmaker is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Toolmaker founded?
Toolmaker was founded in 1986. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Toolmaker based?
Toolmaker is headquartered in Kaufering, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does Toolmaker make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Software Licenses ( Perpetual / One-time) is the primary driver. The others are maintenance and Support Contracts, advanced Efficiency / Value-Share Model and professional Services (Training / Consulting).
Who are Toolmaker's main competitors?
Maxava is listed as a regional player. Direct peers are Profound Logic Software, Fresche Solutions, BCD Software, ARCAD Software and Remain Software. Broad incumbents are LRS (Levi, Ray & Shoup), HelpSystems (Fortra) and Rocket Software. Eradani is listed as an emerging player.
Does Toolmaker have an API?
Yes. Multiple Toolmaker products offer optional programming interfaces (APIs) for integration into customer applications. directmail offers optional Email APIs for sending, receiving, and automating email workflows from IBM i applications. directspool offers optional mail APIs for composing individual or mass emails with attachments (Power-i, IFS files), priority settings, send scheduling, read receipts, encryption, and digital signing. xsql functions as an Excel AddIn for SQL queries, enabling database access directly from MS Excel. gsmtext provides an SDK for IBM i and Windows enabling integration of SMS, monitoring, and remote operating functions into custom applications. directaccess4i uses ADO.NET technology for database access from RPG/Cobol programs to external databases. directarchive provides API commands callable via 5250 (e.g., EXPARCDOC for document export).