About Gekartel

In the capital of the “Silicon Saxony”, gekartel AG has developed from a technology pioneer to a market leader in the field of digital system house solutions for the point of sale, industry and economy as well as the real estate sector since its foundation in 1998. Retailers such as REWE Group, Globus Baumarkt or hagebau, industrial customers such as Beiersdorf and Henkel, as well as the housing cooperative München-West or Industria Wohnen GmbH count on hardware and software from gekartel.

gekartel AG offers its customers individual solutions and all-round support throughout all phases of a project.

We realize digitization projects for retailers and resellers, brand manufacturers, real estate and property management companies as well as housing cooperatives, for medium-sized and large companies, and for public institutions.

founded

Employees in all locations

satisfied customers

Point of sale devices delivered to date

Digital house panels" installed to date in the housing industry D-A-CH

Together with our partners, our project and development team can cover comprehensive consulting services. Our team is happy to advise on suitable device sizes, user interface layout design, rollout planning, suitable service components and the integration of individual applications.

In our in-house production, the devices are assembled and subjected to a 24-hour endurance test before delivery. This ensures stable continuous operation of our hardware.

Extensive or frequently changing product range? Only limited personnel resources available that cannot cover the maintenance effort? Outsource content maintenance and updates and free up capacity to focus on your core business.
In our function monitoring, we regularly check the status and usage of your systems at all sites.

In addition to our function monitoring, there may be incidents that cannot be detected despite careful technical monitoring and quality control. With an individual service package, you are flexible at all times.

Transparency about the successful use of your systems at all times: We regularly deliver - depending on our agreements in the service contract - the usage analyses of your devices including an evaluation by our specialists.

Hardware "Made in Germany" in industrial quality for 24/7 continuous operation
own, certified and award-winning product developments
Collaboration with a pioneer in telecommunications and media technology
Android-based device software customizable according to customer requirements (interfaces, surfaces, processes)
digital solutions from a single source: hardware, digital signage software, interface development, initial installation, additional services and support
Own developer team for software and security topics
Cloud software in German data centers

Innovation is in our DNA.

The Frankfurt-born manager Klaus Schäfer studied industrial engineering at the HTW Dresden with a focus on founding and managing medium-sized companies. Innovation and a doer mentality are therefore very important at gekartel, and not without reason: After successfully graduating, Klaus Schäfer won the start-up competition of the HTW Dresden and the Ostsächsische Sparkasse in 1998 with the founding concept of gekartel AG.
In the years to come, his company received awards such as the IBM Innovation Award and the Popai Award in Gold in Las Vegas for products in the business area of digitalization at the point of sale.
The business innovation Digitale Haustafel, which has been introduced to the market since 2013, was awarded as the best digitalization solution in the housing industry by the GDW (Federal Association of German Housing and Real Estate Companies) in Berlin.
Klaus Schäfer is an active member of the Digitalization Working Group of the German Shopfitting Association, co-author of the Digitalization Guide and, together with other members, pioneer of the nationwide fire protection guideline VdS 6024 in the Device Integrated Fire Protection Working Group under the auspices of VdS Schadenverhütung GmbH.

From pioneer to market leader

More than 20 years ago, gekartel AG started with the development as well as the operation of mobile devices (mobile phone booths) without infrastructure and thus laid the foundation for the rapid, dynamic further development in the direction of digitalization. Today, the company’s focus is on the area of digital industry solutions at the point of sale and in the housing industry. We offer industrial-grade tablets with Android-based device software for the retail, industrial and business sectors, as well as our “Digital Houseboard” product for the real estate industry.

gekartel AG history

gekartel AG History

gekartel Historie

gekartel AG History

1998

2002

2004

2009

2012

2013

2015

2016

2017

2023

Foundation

gekartel AG, headquartered in Dresden, was founded by Klaus Schäfer in 1998 and has since successfully established itself in the market. The original concept of the company was the development and operation of mobile telephone booths.

Multimedia focus

In the course of the next 4 years, the focus of gekartel AG changed towards multimedia development. In 2002, Germany’s first multimedia phone booth as well as the first multimedia terminals could be used. gekartel launches the first GPRS-controlled media player.

Remote maintenance function of kiosk systems and introduction of an in-house development department

In 2004, gekartel AG presented the remote maintenance function of kiosk systems for the first time at the Cebit and thus laid the foundation for the development of the POS-AIR radio module.
In the course of the next years the multimedia terminals were constantly developed further, supplemented by service modules and adapted to the customers. A wide range of products consisting of hardware components and service modules was created.
The latest state of the art is not enough for us, our IT specialists are constantly researching innovations for our customers.

Market launch POS-AIR radio module

The introduction of the POS-AIR radio module in 2009 revolutionized the entire service area: Content updating, function monitoring and statistical evaluations can be carried out centrally since then and are a considerable cost and time saving for our customers.

Market launch POS tablets

Since 2012, we have been able to supply our self-developed POS tablets. This means that elaborate presentations are now possible without PC systems at an attractive price.

8,000 devices in the markets
1.5 terabytes of data transmitted to the end devices
55 t hardware in equipment logistics
Development of the “Digital House Panel” business unit for the housing industry
Market launch POS-AIR radio module II

15,000 remote operating system updates
Development into a full-service system house for all aspects of digital information in residential and commercial real estate as well as in municipal buildings

Relocation of the main office in Dresden to the new office on Berliner Straße, enlargement by a factor of 4

Market launch of a completely new product range: POS tablets with circuit board designed in Dresden

Over 25,000 devices shipped at the point of sale and for business organization

Employee management in all 6,000 REWE stores
Consulting systems for retail chains, DIY stores and gas stations (e.g. Bosch, Mattel, Philipp Moris, BRILLUX, etc.)
Access control systems and hygiene info points in retail and public buildings

More than 5,000 devices installed in the housing industry DACH region

gekartel is a supporting member of the German DIY and Garden Association (BHB) and the main industry contact in the “Roundtable Digitalsierung PoS”. This is made up of retailers from the D-A-CH region and companies from the DIY sector.

We are a bronze partner of VdW – Die Wohnungswirtschaft Bayern. This association organizes and networks 502 member companies, including 356 housing cooperatives and 107 municipal housing companies.

gekartel is a co-sponsor of the House of the Future of the GdW, the umbrella organization of regional housing and real estate associations in Germany. Around 3,000 housing associations and cooperatives are organized in the GdW.

Klaus Schäfer, Managing Director of gekartel, is a member of the VdS working group on fire protection and safety technology for the development of a worldwide standard-setting VdS guideline for (device-integrated) fire protection in media technology.

We are a member of the digitalization working group of the German Shopfitting Association. The dLv connects all relevant areas of shopfitting and actively promotes the interaction of producers, planners, general contractors, service providers and retailers.

The Competence Center Digitalization of the Housing Industry makes digitalization in the housing industry tangible – we push the exchange of experience between housing companies and integrate the know-how of our technology partners.

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