DE software and control
DE software & control GmbH is a German private software vendor founded in 1997 that provides modular shop floor information systems — middleware, scheduling, optimization, and AI-augmented worker assistance — to industrial manufacturing enterprises across 83 global installations.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1997
- HeadquartersDingolfing, Germany
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What DE software and control does
DE software & control GmbH, founded in 1997 and headquartered in Dingolfing, Germany, is a private software vendor specializing in shop floor information systems for industrial manufacturers. Its modular platform architecture centers on BACKBONE.DE (middleware for enterprise system integration), SCHEDULER.DE (production planning and scheduling), and OPTIMIZER.DE (algorithmic process optimization), supplemented by Halerium (AI engineering tooling) and the workstAItion 5.0 worker assistance system. The company reports 83 customer installations worldwide and more than 11,000 active workstations, with TISAX certification supporting sales into automotive and Tier-1 industrial accounts in the DACH region.
The company operates a hybrid revenue model combining recurring software platform licenses (BACKBONE.DE, SCHEDULER.DE, OPTIMIZER.DE) with professional services spanning implementation, Vision-as-a-Service consulting, custom development, and managed IT services. Go-to-market is direct enterprise field sales with a consultative "Request a Demo" motion, supported by industry events, an owned YouTube/LinkedIn/Instagram/Facebook presence, and participation in the DE group consortium alongside independent partner companies. Recent product activity (2024-2025) includes the workstAItion 5.0 launch, a video2workinstruction co-development with Erium, and the DeepFrame research consortium with Hochschule Karlsruhe (IRAS) targeting synthetic-data computer vision for industrial use.
DE software & control positions itself within the DE group ecosystem, combining design-driven approaches, optimization algorithms, agile software development, cybersecurity, and generative AI under a unified quality and strategic framework. Reported customer outcome metrics — 98% solution success rate, 95% repeat business, and sub-one-year payback — point to a sticky but small-scale enterprise software business with limited disclosed visibility into revenue, headcount trend, or named customer concentration.
DE software and control firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- DE software and control
- Legal name
- DE software & control GmbH
- Website
- https://de-gmbh.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1997
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- DE software & control GmbH is a German private software vendor founded in 1997 that provides modular shop floor information systems — middleware, scheduling, optimization, and AI-augmented worker assistance — to industrial manufacturing enterprises across 83 global installations.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
DE software and control industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Manufacturing Execution Systems (Shop Floor Information Systems)
- NAICS
- Software Publishers (51321), Software Publishers (513210)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Industrial Automation Software (SCADA, HMI, MES, Historian) (IMAHAHAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Digital Process Automation (DPA) & Orchestration Suites (HDAEAHAF), Process & Case Management Low-Code Platforms (HDAEAKAE)
Keywords
Where DE software and control is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Dingolfing
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Markets served
DE software and control business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Software Platform Licenses: Sale and licensing of software platforms including BACKBONE.DE, SCHEDULER.DE, and OPTIMIZER.DE for shop floor management and optimization.
- Implementation Services: Professional services for seamless implementation of digital transformation solutions, from individual conception to deployment.
- Consulting Services: Vision-as-a-Service consulting offerings providing customized strategies and innovative solutions for digital transformation.
- Managed Services: Administered services including expert management of IT infrastructure with proactive solutions, continuous monitoring, and comprehensive support.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels7 records
DE software and control product offering
Product offeringCore offering
DE software & control provides modular software platforms (BACKBONE.DE middleware, SCHEDULER.DE production planning, OPTIMIZER.DE process optimization, Halerium AI engineering) and worker-assistance, logistics, and order-picking solutions for industrial shop floors. The company complements these platforms with consulting, custom development, and managed IT services for digital transformation of manufacturing operations.
Product overview
DE software & control is a leading provider of innovative Shopfloor information systems offering a modular platform architecture. The core product portfolio includes the BACKBONE.DE middleware platform, SCHEDULER.DE for production planning, OPTIMIZER.DE for process optimization, and Halerium for AI engineering. These platforms are complemented by vertical solutions including Werkerassistenz (worker assistance system with 11,000+ workstations), Logistik (logistics), and Kommissionierung (order picking). The company also provides consulting services including methodology, Vision-as-a-Service consulting, software development, and managed services. The broader DE group unifies design-driven approaches, optimization algorithms, agile software development, cybersecurity, and generative AI under a unified strategic framework. BoomerZ represents another product in the industrial intelligence portfolio.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- DE group: The DE group unites independent companies to collaboratively find the best solutions for customers, sharing identical quality standards and unified strategic business goals.
- BACKBONE.DE
- SCHEDULER.DE
- OPTIMIZER.DE
- Halerium
- BoomerZ
Products and services
- BACKBONE.DE Customizable software platform used as middleware for seamless integration with existing enterprise systems, serving as the foundation for digital transformation journeys on the shop floor.
- SCHEDULER.DE Production planning solution enabling scheduling and resource allocation for manufacturing operations.
- OPTIMIZER.DE Optimization engine applying algorithmic optimization to industrial production processes for performance improvements.
- Halerium AI engineering tool for developing and deploying machine learning models in industrial settings.
- Werkerassistenz (Worker Assistance) Digital worker-assistance system covering planning, execution, and training of shop-floor operators; deployed across more than 11,000 workstations.
- Logistik (Logistics) Logistics software solution improving accuracy and efficiency of in-house logistics processes through digital tools.
- Kommissionierung (Order Picking)
Quantifiable outcome
- 98% success rate with solutions deployed
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use DE software and control
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
DE software and control technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability8 records
Feature7 records
DE software and control partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- EriumcoreDE software & control and Erium collaborated to present practical insights into AI for knowledge management at the Business Future Day in Passau, showcasing the video2workinstruction solution that enables AI-powered creation of work instructions from video content.
- Hochschule Karlsruhe (IRAS)coreDE software & control participates in the DeepFrame research consortium with Hochschule Karlsruhe (Institute for Research on Information Systems and AI Applications - IRAS). The project develops robust AI systems for machine vision using virtual worlds instead of expensive real-world training data, making artificial intelligence suitable for everyday industrial use.
- DE Group CompaniescoreDE software & control is part of the DE group, which unites independent companies to collaborate and find the best solutions for customers. The group shares identical quality standards and unified strategic business objectives, combining design-driven approaches, optimization algorithms, agile software development, cybersecurity, and generative AI.
- Industry Leaders (Unnamed)minorDE software & control works with industry leaders to deliver pioneering solutions. The company references page showcases multiple customer logos from various industries, indicating partnerships with leading manufacturing companies worldwide.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
DE software and control competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Siemens Digital Industries (Opcenter / SIMATIC IT): Siemens' Opcenter / SIMATIC IT is the dominant enterprise MES suite for discrete and process manufacturing. It competes with DE software & control for shop floor information system mandates at large manufacturers but is part of Siemens' much broader automation portfolio.
- SAP (Digital Manufacturing / SAP ME): SAP ME / Digital Manufacturing is an MES tightly integrated with SAP ERP, serving large global manufacturers. Overlaps with DE software & control in shop floor execution and worker assistance, but SAP bundles MES as part of a much wider enterprise software stack.
- Rockwell Automation (Plex / FactoryTalk): Rockwell's Plex and FactoryTalk MES platforms serve discrete and process manufacturers with production tracking, scheduling, and quality management. Competes with DE software & control in mid-market and enterprise manufacturing, with a much larger installed base and broader automation footprint.
- Honeywell (Honeywell MES / Forge): Honeywell's MES solutions (formerly part of its Connected Enterprise / Forge suite) target process and discrete manufacturers with execution, scheduling, and optimization. Directly overlaps with OPTIMIZER.DE and SCHEDULER.DE functionality but at a much larger enterprise scale.
Direct peers
- iTAC Software (Dassault Systèmes): iTAC provides MES for discrete and process manufacturers, now part of Dassault Systèmes' DELMIA portfolio. Closely comparable to DE software & control in functionality (shop floor execution, scheduling, worker guidance) and target customer profile.
- MPDV (MES Hydra): MPDV is a German MES vendor serving mid-market manufacturing with its Hydra suite — a directly comparable European mid-market MES peer to DE software & control, including shop floor data capture, worker assistance, scheduling, and quality.
- Critical Manufacturing: Critical Manufacturing offers a modern MES for high-tech and discrete manufacturers, focused on Industry 4.0 and IoT-enabled shop floor execution. Direct peer in modular MES with similar focus on advanced manufacturing use cases.
- Aegis Industrial Software (ForgeFX): Aegis provides MES / MOM software for discrete manufacturers, including production tracking, scheduling, and worker assistance. Comparable in scope and customer profile to DE software & control, though more focused on North American customers.
- FORCAM: FORCAM, headquartered in Germany, delivers MES / IIoT shop floor solutions for discrete manufacturing — a direct regional peer to DE software & control with similar Industry 4.0 positioning and mid-market manufacturer focus.
Emerging players
- Ascon Systems: Ascon Systems is a German MES / production optimization vendor with a focus on scheduling and shop floor intelligence. Comparable emerging peer with overlapping optimization and shop floor execution capabilities, though smaller in scale than DE software & control.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
DE software and control social profiles
Digital presenceDE software and control compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
DE software and control financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
DE software and control leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
DE software and control funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
DE software and control 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 DE software and control
What does DE software and control do?
DE software & control provides modular software platforms (BACKBONE.DE middleware, SCHEDULER.DE production planning, OPTIMIZER.DE process optimization, Halerium AI engineering) and worker-assistance, logistics, and order-picking solutions for industrial shop floors. The company complements these platforms with consulting, custom development, and managed IT services for digital transformation of manufacturing operations.
Is DE software and control a public or private company?
DE software and control is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was DE software and control founded?
DE software and control was founded in 1997. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is DE software and control based?
DE software and control is headquartered in Dingolfing, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does DE software and control make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Software Platform Licenses are the primary driver. The others are implementation Services, consulting Services and managed Services.
Who are DE software and control's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Siemens Digital Industries (Opcenter / SIMATIC IT), SAP (Digital Manufacturing / SAP ME), Rockwell Automation (Plex / FactoryTalk) and Honeywell (Honeywell MES / Forge). Direct peers are iTAC Software (Dassault Systèmes), MPDV (MES Hydra), Critical Manufacturing, Aegis Industrial Software (ForgeFX) and FORCAM. Ascon Systems is listed as an emerging player.
Does DE software and control have an API?
No public API is recorded for DE software and control.
What industry is DE software and control in?
DE software and control's product category is Manufacturing Execution Systems (Shop Floor Information Systems). Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAHAHAJ, Industrial Automation Software (SCADA, HMI, MES, Historian), with a secondary code of HDAEAHAF, Digital Process Automation (DPA) & Orchestration Suites. Its NAICS code is 51321 and its SIC code is 7372.