SCR

What SCR does

SCR by Gottschalk GmbH is a German family-owned provider of document management services headquartered in Kerpen-Sindorf near Cologne. Founded in 2003 as a 100% subsidiary of Gottschalk Logistic Systems GmbH, the company delivers end-to-end physical and digital document workflows for enterprise clients and public-sector organizations across Germany, including pharmaceutical, legal, financial, automotive, and government verticals.

Its core service lines are secure physical archiving in proprietary VDSC high-security archives (which use ocean containers for physical client separation), document digitization (from receipts to DIN A0 format) using high-performance scanners with MRC-based searchable PDF output and qualified electronic signatures, certified on-site archive management, and DIN 66399-3 compliant document destruction with provided security containers and certificate-of-destruction billing. Underlying technology includes a patented archive carton (in use since 2001), barcode-based cataloging with index integration, a Scan-on-Demand retrieval service, and a digital mailroom product (SCR-Posteingangs-Service).

The business model is professional services plus managed storage, sold through direct B2B field sales with quote-based pricing tailored per client. Revenue streams span managed archive services, digitization project work, on-site archive consulting, certified destruction, and consulting/workshops. Customer engagement is high-touch and reference-driven, leveraging certifications (DIN ISO 9001:2015, DIN SPEC 66399-3, ISO 14001:2015, Entsorgungsfachbetrieb) as procurement credentials in regulated tenders. Operational delivery is enabled by the parent company's nationwide logistics network for transport and physical services.

Name

SCR

Legal name

SCR by Gottschalk GmbH

Website

https://scr-gmbh.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

SCR by Gottschalk GmbH is a German family-owned provider of secure document archiving, digitization, certified destruction, and on-site archive management for enterprise and public-sector clients across regulated industries including pharmaceutical, legal, financial, automotive, and government.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Document Management Services

NAICS

Document Preparation Services (56141)

SIC

Services-Computer Processing & Data Preparation (7374), Services-Services, Nec (8900)

akta.pro primary industry

Records Digitization & Archiving (Legacy Files, Retention Support) (BPAAAKAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Confidential Document & Media Destruction (On-site Shredding Programs) (BPABALAI), Confidential Document Destruction & Secure Recycling (Shredding) (IMAIAFAO), Document Scanning, Digitization & Archival Reproduction (Records, Transcripts, Microform) (EDAEAJAI)

Keywords

• Document archiving services
• Document digitization
• Secure document destruction
• Records management consulting
• Archive relocation services

Headquarters

HQ city

Kerpen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Archiving & Document Storage Services: Secure storage of physical documents in VDSC high-security archives with features including barcode cataloging, retention period monitoring, online search, document history tracking, and optional digital provision.
2. Digitalization/Scan Services: Professional document scanning services from receipts to DIN A0 format using high-performance scanners, including document preparation, indexing, validation, quality assurance, and PDF creation with OCR.
3. On-Site Archive Services: External archive management including planning of new archives, nationwide support of in-house archives, internal archive relocations, structuring and cataloging of file stocks, and archive software management.
4. Document Destruction Services: Certified document and data carrier destruction according to DIN 66399-3, including security container provision, scheduled or on-call exchange, and certified destruction certificates.
5. Consulting Services: Archive workshops (harmonization of file labeling, cataloging, data minimization), archive assessments (determination of tender-relevant volumes, evaluation of qualities), and monitoring services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

SCR by Gottschalk GmbH provides secure physical document archiving in proprietary VDSC high-security archives, full-service document digitization from receipts to DIN A0 format with searchable PDF/A output and qualified electronic signatures, certified document and data-carrier destruction per DIN 66399-3, and nationwide on-site archive management and consulting. Services are delivered as integrated, end-to-end paper-based information management for enterprise and public-sector clients across Germany.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SCR-VDSC Hochsicherheitsarchive: High-security archive facilities owned by the Gottschalk Gruppe for secure document storage
• SCR-Archiv-Service
• SCR-Posteingangs-Service
• SCR-Behälter-Service

Products and services

• SCR-Archiv-Service (Secure Document Archiving) Secure physical storage of client documents in VDSC high-security archives owned by the Gottschalk Gruppe, with packing at client premises, transport logistics, barcode cataloging, indexing, retention-period monitoring, online search, transparent document history, and optional digital provision via Scan on Demand. Targeted at enterprise and public-sector clients across Germany needing EU-GDPR-compliant storage.
• Document Digitization Service Professional document scanning services ranging from receipts to DIN A0 format using high-performance and large-format scanners, including document preparation, indexing, validation, and quality assurance, producing high-quality searchable PDF files with MRC technology across all PDF formats (PDF/A) and qualified electronic signatures. Targeted at enterprises, public-sector bodies, and professional services firms migrating paper records to digital archives or electronic files.
• Vor-Ort-Service (On-Site Archive Management) External on-site archive management including planning of new archives, nationwide/multi-site support of in-house archives, internal archive relocations, structuring and cataloging of file stocks, and management via individual archive software with DSGVO-compliant transparently documented processes delivered by qualified archive specialists. Targeted at multi-site enterprises and public-sector bodies operating their own archives.
• SCR-Aktenvernichtung (Certified Document Destruction) Certified destruction of documents and data carriers per DIN 66399-3, provided as a standalone service or as part of digitization and archiving processes after written release, including provision of lockable security containers in four sizes (70, 240, 415, 660 capacity units), scheduled or on-call exchange, and issuance of certified destruction certificates. Targeted at enterprises and public-sector organizations requiring GDPR-compliant destruction.
• SCR-Posteingangs-Service (Digital Mailroom) Digital mailroom/postal service for incoming mail handling, including mail redirection to an SCR postbox or daily collection at the client site, followed by classification and same-day provision tailored to individual client specifications. Targeted at enterprises and public-sector bodies seeking to digitize inbound correspondence workflows.
• SCR-Behälter-Service (Security Container Service) Provision of lockable security containers in four sizes (70/40kg, 240/100kg, 415/200kg, 660/300kg capacity units) with on-call or scheduled exchange, paired with certified destruction and billing per exchanged container plus certificate of proper destruction. Targeted at organizations of any size generating ongoing confidential waste streams.
• Archive Consulting (Beratung / Workshops, Assessments, Monitoring) Consulting services including archive workshops (harmonization of file labeling, cataloging, data minimization), archive assessments (determination of tender-relevant volumes, evaluation of qualities and quality-relevant sample files), and monitoring services offered as internal or external engagements. Targeted at enterprises and public-sector clients preparing for archive digitization, tenders, or compliance programs.

Quantifiable outcome

• Shelf life of archive cartons: minimum 15 years under dry storage conditions
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Gottschalk Logistic Systems GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner100% parent company (Muttergesellschaft) and founding entity. Founded in 1975 as a family-owned traditional company with approximately 300 qualified employees. Leading German moving company specializing in office and project relocations. Provides transport logistics, packing services, and archive relocations for SCR. Archives (VDSC high-security archives) are owned by the Gottschalk Gruppe.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• d.velop: German digital document management and process automation vendor that competes with SCR's digital archive and digitization service line through a SaaS platform, often used by the same enterprise and public-sector buyer personas.
• DocuWare: German-founded document management and workflow automation software vendor. Overlaps with SCR's digitization and digital archive service line, though DocuWare is primarily a SaaS DMS whereas SCR is a physical-to-digital services provider; complementary rather than head-to-head.
• Ceyoniq: German enterprise content management and digital archiving software vendor. Competes with SCR's digital archiving offering on the software layer; clients often use such ECM platforms alongside physical archive services like SCR provides.

Regional players

• Bundesdruckerei: German federal security printing and digital identity company with secure document, archival, and e-government offerings. Comparable to SCR in German public-sector and regulated document handling, though anchored in sovereign identity rather than archival services.
• Kötter Document Management: Part of the German Kötter security and services group, providing document destruction, archival, and digital records services. Comparable to SCR's full-service secure document lifecycle offering for German enterprise clients.
• Optimal Systems: German enterprise content management vendor focused on digital archiving, document workflows, and information governance. Comparable to SCR in serving German enterprise and public-sector clients with records management needs, though via software rather than physical services.
• Zander (ZANDERPAPIER): German secure document and data carrier destruction specialist operating nationwide. Direct competitor to SCR's Aktenvernichtung and on-site container services, with comparable DIN 66399-3-compliant operations.

Direct peers

• Shred-it (Stericycle): International document destruction and secure information management provider, now part of Stericycle. Competes with SCR on secure shredding and on-site container services for enterprise and SMB clients across regulated industries.
• Reisswolf: German-headquartered specialist in confidential document destruction, data carrier destruction, and archive services. Directly comparable to SCR as a domestic full-service secure document lifecycle provider with comparable certifications.

Broad incumbents

• Iron Mountain: Global leader in physical and digital records storage, secure destruction, and information management. Operates in Germany with the same end-to-end archive, digitization, and destruction service set as SCR, but at vastly greater scale and international reach.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 SCR