Stapler Plus

What Stapler Plus does

Stapler Plus eG is a registered German cooperative (Genossenschaft) founded in 2003 by 12 independent forklift dealers, headquartered in Bergneustadt. It operates as the largest manufacturer-independent (herstellerunabhängig) dealer organization in Germany's material handling equipment sector, aggregating 45+ member companies across Germany with selective presence in Austria and the Netherlands. The cooperative's core function is to pool member demand to negotiate better purchasing terms with forklift manufacturers and parts suppliers, provide cross-brand technical support, standardize service and rental billing rates across territories, and protect member territories from internal competition. Stapler Plus maintains no proprietary technology stack; its value is delivered through coordinated purchasing, shared brand standards, collective training (Stapler Plus Akademie), and 400+ mobile service technicians servicing approximately 70,000 customer forklifts with nearly 5,000 rental units available across the network.

The cooperative generates revenue through three streams distributed via the member network: one-time equipment sales (new and used forklifts), recurring rental services, and professional services (on-site maintenance, repairs, UVV safety inspections, and parts supply with 99% delivery within 12-24 hours). Pricing is quote-based through individual members rather than publicly disclosed. In September 2024, Stapler Plus launched 'clickforlift', an online marketplace enabling members to list used equipment and end customers to purchase directly — the cooperative's first direct digital sales channel. Governance is vested in a Vorstand (Executive Board) led by Götz Müller as Vorstandsvorsitzender, with Markus Mengel as board member and Thomas Schmehl chairing the Aufsichtsrat (Supervisory Board); Dr. Axel Wais serves on the supervisory board.

The cooperative is member-owned (not externally funded), operates as a nonprofit passing benefits directly to members, and pursues measured expansion through member recruitment rather than acquisition. Customers are predominantly industrial and logistics SMBs requiring forklift fleet management across Germany, with the member network delivering last-mile sales, rental, and service. The GTM motion is structurally channel-based: the cooperative orchestrates upstream supplier relationships and shared infrastructure while individual members retain end-customer relationships.

Name

Stapler Plus

Legal name

Stapler Plus eG

Website

https://staplerplus.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Stapler Plus eG is Germany's largest manufacturer-independent forklift dealer cooperative, founded in 2003, serving ~70,000 forklifts and ~5,000 rental units through 45+ member companies and 400+ technicians with pooled purchasing and cross-brand service.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Material Handling Equipment Dealer Services

NAICS

Merchant Wholesalers, Durable Goods (423), Professional and Commercial Equipment and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers (4234)

SIC

Special Industry Machinery, Nec (3559), Special Industry Machinery (No Metalworking Machinery) (3550), General Industrial Machinery & Equipment (3560), Wholesale-Durable Goods (5000)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYIMAHABAH

Bulk Material Handling Systems (Belt Conveyors, Feeders, Stackers, Reclaimers)

Industrials, Manufacturing & Construction/Industrial Machinery & Heavy Equipment/Material Handling & Logistics Equipment

Keywords

• Forklift dealer network
• Material handling equipment
• Warehouse equipment sales
• Cooperative purchasing
• Forklift maintenance service

Headquarters

HQ city

Bergneustadt

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Equipment Sales: Sales of new and used forklifts (Flurförderzeuge) through member companies and the clickforlift online platform. The cooperative bundles purchasing volume to negotiate better prices from manufacturers.
2. Rental Services: Nearly 5,000 rental units managed collectively by member companies for short-term and long-term forklift rentals to end customers.
3. Technical Service and Maintenance: Mobile technicians provide on-site service, repairs, and maintenance (UVV safety inspections). Parts supply with 99% delivery within 12-24 hours. Approximately 70,000 customer forklifts serviced.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Stapler Plus is a manufacturer-independent dealer cooperative that sells, rents, and services forklifts and warehouse material handling equipment through a network of 45+ member companies. It provides pooled purchasing, cross-brand technical support, nationwide maintenance delivered by 400+ mobile technicians, and a rental fleet of nearly 5,000 units. Members and end customers also access the clickforlift online marketplace for used equipment and the Stapler Plus Akademie for training.

Product overview

Stapler Plus is a cooperative (eGenossenschaft) operating in the forklift and material handling industry, founded in 2003. The company operates as a manufacturer-independent buying collective and service network. Its core offerings include: (1) the clickforlift equipment sales platform launched in September 2024 for buying and selling used material handling equipment, (2) sales, rental, and financing of forklifts and warehouse technology equipment from multiple manufacturer-independent partners, (3) comprehensive service including maintenance, repairs, and spare parts supply with nationwide coverage through 45+ member locations and 400+ service technicians, and (4) training and expert opinion services through the Stapler Plus Akademie. The cooperative model enables members to benefit from pooled purchasing power, uniform service standards, cross-brand technical support, and collective marketing under the Stapler Plus quality label.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• clickforlift: A used equipment sales platform launched in September 2024, allowing members to offer their used machines or find vehicles from the cooperative's selection.
• Stapler Plus eG

Products and services

• clickforlift Equipment Platform Online marketplace platform for buying and selling used forklifts and material handling equipment, operated by Stapler Plus eG on behalf of its member dealers.
• Forklift and Warehouse Equipment Sales Sale of new forklift trucks and warehouse technology equipment from multiple manufacturer-independent partners, with financing options and cross-brand support, delivered through the member dealer network.
• Forklift and Material Handling Rental Short-term and long-term rental of forklifts and material handling vehicles from a collective fleet of nearly 5,000 units, with uniform nationwide rental billing rates across the member network.
• Material Handling Equipment Service and Maintenance Manufacturer-independent mobile service, repair, and maintenance for forklifts and material handling equipment, including UVV safety inspections, supported by 400+ service technicians and centralized spare parts supply with 99% of parts delivered within 12-24 hours.
• Stapler Plus Akademie Training Regular training sessions and specialized courses (including accident prevention regulations / UVV) provided to qualify employees of member companies and customers to the cooperative's quality standards.

Quantifiable outcome

• 99% of spare parts delivered within 12-24 hours overnight
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered member.

• Overbeek Intern TransportmemberChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNetherlands-based member company participating in the Stapler Plus cooperative network, located at Vèèneslat Noord, Koningsweg 219, 7102 DT Winterswijk, Netherlands. Represents the cooperative's presence in the Netherlands market.
• Pfitscher Staplertechnik GESGMBHmemberChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAustria-based member company in the cooperative, located at Gewerbepark 4, 6068 Mils, Austria. Represents the cooperative's Austrian market presence.
• Schauer Gabelstapler GmbHmemberChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAustria-based member company located at Landscha an der Mur 119, 8424 Gabersdorf, Austria. Represents the cooperative's presence in the Austrian market.
• Zeiss Forkliftcenter GmbHmemberChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAustria-based member company located at Sarasdorferweg 3, 2453 Sommerein, Austria. Represents the cooperative's Austrian market coverage.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Manitou Group: French-listed manufacturer of material handling, rough-terrain and warehouse equipment. Comparable because it sells forklifts and warehouse equipment into overlapping European industrial/logistics customer bases and competes for dealer relationships.
• KION Group (Linde Material Handling, STILL, Dematic): Frankfurt-listed parent of Linde and STILL forklift brands and Dematic warehouse automation. Directly comparable as the dominant German-based material handling group whose captive dealer networks overlap with Stapler Plus's independent members in the same geographies.
• Crown Equipment Corporation: US-based privately held forklift and warehouse equipment OEM with a growing European presence via company-owned branches and dealers. Comparable as an OEM whose warehouse-equipment focus overlaps with Stapler Plus's warehouse technology equipment offering.
• Clark Material Handling: Long-established global forklift brand operating through independent dealer networks across Europe. Comparable because Clark's dealer-program economics and product portfolio directly intersect with the manufacturer-independent dealer model Stapler Plus embodies.
• Hyster-Yale Materials Handling: US-listed global forklift OEM selling through dealer networks across Europe. Comparable as a competing OEM whose products and dealer programs influence the forklift and parts availability that Stapler Plus members rely on.
• Doosan Industrial Vehicle (Bobcat Company): Korean-origin forklift OEM (now part of Doosan Bobcat) expanding in Europe. Comparable as an OEM whose independent dealer model competes directly with Stapler Plus members for forklift sales, service, and rental contracts.
• Toyota Material Handling Europe: European arm of the world's largest forklift OEM, operating a mix of direct sales and independent dealers across DACH. Comparable because Toyota's dealer strategy and pricing directly shape the competitive environment for Stapler Plus members.
• Jungheinrich AG: German-listed forklift and intralogistics OEM with its own direct dealer and rental network. Comparable because it operates across the same German material handling equipment market and increasingly competes with Stapler Plus's independent members for fleet service contracts.

Emerging players

• Hangcha Group: China's largest forklift OEM, rapidly expanding in Europe through dealers and direct sales. Comparable as a price-aggressive challenger whose presence pressures margins for independent dealers like Stapler Plus members, particularly in standardized counterbalance forklift segments.
• EP Equipment: Chinese-origin material handling company specializing in lithium-ion forklifts and warehouse equipment, with growing European distribution. Comparable as a disruptive entrant reshaping pricing and technology expectations in the segments where Stapler Plus members operate.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights4 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/stapler-plus-eg

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Stapler Plus