PVH FUTURE LAB GmbH

What PVH FUTURE LAB GmbH does

PVH FUTURE LAB GmbH is a Wuppertal-based technology subsidiary and strategic future initiative of E/D/E (Einkaufsbüro Deutscher Eisenhändler GmbH), Europe's largest purchasing and marketing association for the Produktionsverbindungshandel (production-connection trade). Founded in November 2018 by seven co-founders — two E/D/E executives (Frederik Diergarten and Thilo Brocksch, both managing directors) and five member-company representatives — the company develops and operates the flixxstore platform, a portfolio of approximately twenty AI-powered business applications organized into the sellflixx (sales), workflixx (process optimization), techflixx (hardware/technology), dataflixx (analytics), and Rapid3D (industrial 3D printing) families. Core AI capabilities include hybrid recommendation engines, predictive order analytics, customer churn detection, NLP-based meeting assistants, and computer vision for contactless fever screening, all positioned as GDPR-compliant and EU AI Act-aligned.

The technical stack combines proprietary machine learning models trained on anonymized E/D/E transaction data with third-party AI services for newer products like meeting transcription and conversational voice agents. Distribution is hybrid: a self-service portal for standard SaaS subscriptions (priced €40-€1,382/month per product), direct enterprise sales for complex deployments such as sellflixx Commerce 2 Everyone (a Shopware 6 community e-commerce platform with 100+ B2B functions), and channel partnerships with Web Fabric, MaxCluster, nextPIM, GEVIS, and Shopware AG. Revenue is generated primarily through recurring SaaS subscriptions, enterprise e-commerce licensing, and 3D printing services.

The company's go-to-market is community-led, leveraging E/D/E's member network for product co-development, pilot testing, and peer-driven adoption within the German B2B technical wholesale sector. Named reference customers include Grohe, HUG Technik und Sicherheit, Coenen Neuss, Rothhaas Technischer Fachhandel, Karl Koerschulte, Hadoco, and HUSE & PHILIPP — predominantly mid-market industrial and technical traders. While the company has no disclosed external funding, its parent-association backing provides a structural distribution and data advantage that supports ongoing product expansion across sales, HR/compliance, and operational use cases for European wholesale traders.

Name

PVH FUTURE LAB GmbH

Legal name

PVH FUTURE LAB GmbH

Website

https://flixxstore.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

PVH FUTURE LAB GmbH operates the flixxstore platform, a portfolio of approximately twenty AI-powered SaaS applications for European B2B technical wholesalers (the Produktionsverbindungshandel), organized into sellflixx, workflixx, techflixx, and Rapid3D product families. The company is a strategic subsidiary of E/D/E, Europe's largest PVH purchasing association, and sells primarily through its member network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

B2B Wholesale Software

NAICS

Commercial and Service Industry Machinery Manufacturing (3333)

SIC

Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823)

akta.pro primary industry

Developer Experience Platforms for Enterprise (IDEs, CI/CD, Dev Portals) (HDAEAKAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Additive Manufacturing Research & Innovation Labs (IMAAAJAA)

Keywords

• B2B wholesale software
• AI business applications
• SaaS trade platform
• Technical wholesale digitization
• Production connection trade

Headquarters

HQ city

Wuppertal

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. SaaS Subscriptions: Monthly and annual subscription pricing for AI-powered business applications (sellflixx, workflixx product families). Products like Recommendations, Expected Orders, Customer Protection, and Sales CRM are priced per month with annual billing options.
2. Enterprise E-commerce Licensing: Shopware 6 Beyond license distribution through PVH FUTURE LAB community model for sellflixx Commerce 2 Everyone. Provides cost advantages through group purchasing for E/D/E members.
3. Hardware Sales: Sale of BodyTempScan systems (starting at EUR 2,799) for contactless AI-based fever measurement in commercial settings.
4. 3D Printing Services (Rapid3D): Industrial 3D printing platform offering additive manufacturing services with over 100 materials including plastics, fiber-reinforced materials, and metals. Currently 30 traders activated for the Rapid3D business model.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

PVH FUTURE LAB GmbH develops and sells AI-powered SaaS business applications for the Produktionsverbindungshandel (technical wholesale trade) through its flixxstore platform, organized into three product families: sellflixx for sales, workflixx for productivity, and techflixx for technical infrastructure. The company also generates revenue from hardware resale and 3D printing services.

Product overview

PVH FUTURE LAB GmbH operates the flixxstore platform, a multi-product portfolio of AI-powered business applications for the Produktionsverbindungshandel (PVH) wholesale sector. The offering is organized into three product families: sellflixx (sales-focused AI tools including Recommendations, Expected Orders, Customer Protection, Profit Guide, Sales CRM, and Commerce 2 Everyone e-commerce platform), workflixx (process solutions including Catch Talents recruiting, Dokuneo document management, Craftboxx trades management, Eye Able accessibility, Whistle Law compliance, Document Reader, and AI assistants Jamie AI and Fonio AI), and techflixx (technical products including BodyTempScan fever detection, drones, and exoskeletons). Additionally, Rapid3D provides industrial 3D printing services and dataflixx offers data intelligence capabilities. The platform is EU-AI-Act compliant and GDPR-compliant, with products developed collaboratively by PVH member companies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• flixxstore: Central platform bundling various AI-powered business applications for the PVH, including sellflixx (sales apps), workflixx (process apps), and techflixx (technology apps).
• sellflixx
• workflixx
• techflixx
• Rapid3D
• dataflixx

Products and services

• sellflixx AI-powered sales application family within the PVH FUTURE LAB portfolio, targeted at technical wholesalers (Produktionsverbindungshandel) to digitize and automate sales workflows.
• workflixx Productivity and collaboration application family within the PVH FUTURE LAB portfolio, designed to streamline back-office and operational workflows for member wholesale firms.
• techflixx Technical infrastructure application family within the PVH FUTURE LAB portfolio, providing the underlying technical capabilities for member wholesalers' digital operations.
• flixxstore platform Central digital platform operated by PVH FUTURE LAB through which member wholesalers access sellflixx, workflixx, and techflixx applications, hardware products, and 3D printing services.
• 3D Printing Services Additive manufacturing services offered to E/D/E member wholesalers, complementing the SaaS portfolio with physical production capabilities.

Quantifiable outcome

• 22.5% of customers purchase items from AI product recommendations
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

AI capability11 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and flagship.

• ShopwarecoreTechnology or IntegrationStrategic partnership with Shopware AG for e-commerce platform provision. PVH FUTURE LAB developed the sellflixx Commerce 2 Everyone (C2E) solution on Shopware 6 (Beyond edition), creating a community architecture with over 100 B2B functions specifically tailored for PVH traders. The partnership enables E/D/E members to access Shopware's e-commerce capabilities at reduced costs through the community model.
• Web FabriccoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerWeb Fabric from Wuppertal serves as the Lead Agency partner for sellflixx C2E implementations. With Gold Partner status (one of the top 30 Shopware agencies in Germany), they provide implementation, customization, and development services for PVH trader deployments.
• MaxClustercoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerMaxCluster from Paderborn provides hosting services for sellflixx C2E deployments, offering reliable infrastructure and technical support for the Shopware 6 community solution.
• nextPIMmajorTechnology or IntegrationnextPIM serves as the PIM (Product Information Management) partner, providing seamless integration between the E/D/E systems and sellflixx C2E Shopware deployments for efficient product data synchronization.
• E/D/E (Einkaufsbüro Deutscher Eisenhändler GmbH)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerE/D/E is the parent organization and strategic partner - Europe's largest purchasing and marketing association for the Produktionsverbindungshandel. The PVH FUTURE LAB is a strategic future initiative fully supported and driven by E/D/E. The company develops solutions specifically for E/D/E members and leverages the association's network for distribution and product testing.
• GEVISmajorTechnology or IntegrationGEVIS integration enables live price queries and data synchronization between ERP systems and sellflixx C2E Shopware 6 deployments, providing seamless B2B e-commerce capabilities for PVH traders using GEVIS systems.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Pipedrive: Pipedrive is a sales-focused CRM with AI-powered features for SMBs, including deal recommendations and sales analytics. Highly comparable to PVH FUTURE LAB's sellflixx product family (Sales CRM, Recommendations, Customer Protection, Expected Orders) targeting similar sales use cases for mid-market B2B.
• Shapeways: Shapeways operates an industrial 3D printing marketplace offering access to 100+ materials and on-demand additive manufacturing services. Comparable to PVH FUTURE LAB's Rapid3D business model that provides industrial 3D printing services through a partner network for B2B customers.
• Freshworks: Freshworks provides a multi-product SaaS portfolio (Freshsales, Freshteam, Freshdesk, Freshservice) targeting SMBs and mid-market. Comparable to PVH FUTURE LAB's flixxstore model of AI-augmented sales, HR, and process apps on a unified platform with subscription pricing.
• Materialise: Materialise provides industrial 3D printing services, software, and solutions for B2B manufacturers. Comparable to PVH FUTURE LAB's Rapid3D service, though Materialise is a much larger established player in additive manufacturing with broader geographic reach.
• Zoho: Zoho offers a multi-product SaaS suite for SMBs and mid-market companies spanning CRM, sales, HR, finance, and operations. Comparable to PVH FUTURE LAB's flixxstore strategy of bundling multiple AI-powered business apps on a single platform, though Zoho targets a broader horizontal market.

Broad incumbents

• SAP: SAP provides ERP and business applications for distributors and wholesalers globally, including AI-augmented sales and analytics features. Comparable as the dominant incumbent in business apps for the B2B wholesale/distribution sector that PVH FUTURE LAB serves, with much broader portfolio scale.
• Salesforce: Salesforce is the dominant enterprise CRM platform with Einstein AI for predictions, recommendations, and churn detection. Comparable to sellflixx Recommendations, Expected Orders, and Customer Protection but at much larger scale and broader market reach, creating competitive pressure.
• HubSpot: HubSpot is a leading CRM and marketing automation platform with AI features (Breeze AI) targeting SMBs and mid-market. Comparable as a broad incumbent offering overlapping sales CRM and marketing capabilities that compete with sellflixx for the same buyer persona.
• Microsoft Dynamics 365: Microsoft Dynamics 365 offers CRM, ERP, and business applications with embedded Copilot AI. Comparable as a broad incumbent competing for the same mid-market B2B sales and process automation budgets that PVH FUTURE LAB targets with sellflixx and workflixx.

Emerging players

• Showpad: Showpad provides sales enablement and content management for B2B sales teams, including AI-driven recommendations and analytics. Comparable to PVH FUTURE LAB's AI-powered sales tooling focus, particularly for industrial and distribution sales organizations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pvhfuturelab

Compliance4 records

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 PVH FUTURE LAB GmbH