CHG-Meridian (spelled in capital letters) is a technology service company based in Weingarten, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.[1] It specializes in leasing and managing industrial assets for large companies, small and medium-sized enterprises, and public sector clients.[2] Founded in 1979 by Jürgen Gelf, initially as a trading company for computers, CHG-Meridian developed into an international leasing company.[3] The company has several branches in Germany, and subsidiaries in more than 25 countries.[4]

CHG-Meridian AG
Company typeprivate (AG)
Industryfinancial services
Founded1979; 45 years ago (1979)
FounderJürgen Gelf
HeadquartersWeingarten, Baden-Württemberg,
Area served
worldwide
Key people
  • Mathias Wagner (Chairman of the Board of Management)
  • Jürgen Mossakowski (Chairman of the Supervisory Board)
Servicestechnology leasing and management
Total assetsIncrease 10.01 billion (2023)
Total equityIncrease €801 million (2023)
Number of employees
Increase 1,400 (2023)
Websitewww.chg-meridian.com

History

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In 1979 Jürgen Gelf set up his own business in his home office in Berg near Ravensburg/Weingarten, Germany, brokering and selling large computers to second users. Leasing out IT systems became the focus of his business.[3] In addition to the provision of terminal equipment, the company helped its customers to manage the corresponding infrastructure, for example, to avoid unnecessary multiple purchases of peripheral equipment and software packages.[5]

In the 1990s, CHG underwent significant restructuring to create a basis for the acquisition of several competitors.[3] As a result, the owners converted the company into a public limited company (Aktiengesellschaft) under the name CHG-Meridian.[6] Jürgen Gelf, who had already retired from the operating business in 1992, headed the supervisory board. In 2003 CHG-Meridian opened its new headquarters in Weingarten, where the company is still based today.[7][8] While the company invested in the processing of leasing returns,[9] the portfolio in information technology was expanded to include industrial equipment and medical technology in 2004.[3]

The internationalization became more and more important for CHG-Meridian in the 2000s. Branches were established in many European countries, as well as Russia,[10] for example. An important step was the acquisition of a majority stake in El Camino Resources International, a leasing company based in Canada, Mexico, and the United States, in 2009. This enabled CHG-Meridian to become a global player in technology services.[3] As a result, in 2014, the company broke the billion-euro barrier terms of new investment volume.[11][12]

Jürgen Gelf, founder and chairman of CHG-Meridian, passed away in 2013. Since then, there have been various changes in the management.[13] Despite this, the company continued its horizontal and vertical growth strategy.[14] This again included takeovers, for example in Norway and Australia.[15][16]

2022, CHG-Meridian entered the global market for device as a service with its subsidiary named devicenow. In addition, the company is co-founder and main investor of circulee, which markets used and certified IT hardware to small and medium-sized enterprises.[17]

Company

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Corporate headquarters (2020)

CHG-Meridian is a stock corporation under German law. Its share capital amounts to 100 million euros. The company's business purpose is to buy, sell and lease industrial assets, in particular data processing systems and equipment, and to engage in all related businesses. The consolidated group includes 43 subsidiaries, which, together with the parent company, prepares its financial statements per HGB (German Commercial Code) and IFRS.[18]

According to the articles of association, the management board of CHG-Meridian consists of one or more persons. Currently, Mathias Wagner (Chairman of the Board of Management), Daniel Welzer (Chief Sales Officer) and Ulrich Bergmann (Chief Financial Officer) hold management positions. The supervisory board has six members and is headed by Jürgen Mossakowski (Chairman).[19]

Key facts

2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022[20] 2023[21]
Lease originations (€ billion) 1.243 1.511 1.995 1.758 1.727 2.23 2.45
Net income (€ million) 57.270 65.798 64.608 87.017 113.133 100.32 111.02
Net profit (€ million) 87 95 91 123 151 135.92 164.25
Managed technology portfolio (€ billion) 6.88 7.5 7.8 8.95 10.01
Number of employees 899 1,025 1,084 1,172 1,187 1,300 1,400

Services

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CHG-Meridian leases out information, industrial, and healthcare technology and, at the same time, offers solutions for financing and maintaining related equipment such as computers, machinery, and plant.[4] It is managed using in-house software that significantly improves the efficiency of the technology used, for example, by booking the service costs for each property transparently.[22] The company relies on the combination of technical and commercial data.[23][24]

References

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  1. ^ "Company Profile". Bloomberg. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  2. ^ "Rekordjahr für Technologiefinanzierer CHG-Meridian". Schwäbische Zeitung (in German). 10 April 2019. p. 8.
  3. ^ a b c d e Pfeffermann, Bettina (18 December 2010). "Vom Ein-Mann-Büro zur weltweit tätigen AG". Darmstädter Echo (in German).
  4. ^ a b "Was macht CHG Meridian eigentlich?". Schwäbische Zeitung (in German). 14 February 2015. p. 19.
  5. ^ Müller, Heribert (24 October 1990). "Mit eigenen Dateien und Programmen individuell die Aufgaben erledigen. Informationsqualität ohne Wildwuchs". Handelsblatt (in German). p. 16.
  6. ^ "CHG-Meridian mit Rekordjahr" (in German). Econo Verlag. 12 April 2019. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  7. ^ "Neues Firmengebäude: CHG-Meridian investiert 40 Millionen Mark in Weingarten". Südkurier (in German). 2 February 2001.
  8. ^ Drescher, Daniel (14 February 2014). "Spatenstich: CHG erweitert Firmenzentrale". Schwäbische Zeitung (in German). Retrieved 1 October 2019.
  9. ^ Pfeffermann, Bettina (18 December 2010). "Zweites Leben für Leasing-Rückläufer". Darmstädter Echo (in German).
  10. ^ "CHG Meridian expandiert nach Russland". Handelsblatt (in German). 26 October 2004.
  11. ^ Linßen, Hildegard (10 February 2012). "CHG Meridian peilt Milliarde an". Südkurier (in German). p. 7.
  12. ^ "CHG-Meridian bleibt über der Milliardengrenze". Schwäbische Zeitung (in German). 14 February 2015. p. 8.
  13. ^ "Stühlerücken bei CHG-Meridian". Südkurier (in German). 17 January 2014. p. 6.
  14. ^ "CHG Meridian wächst nicht nur in die Höhe". Schwäbische Zeitung (in German). 18 February 2015. p. 20.
  15. ^ "CHG-Meridian kauft skandinavisches Unternehmen". Schwäbische Zeitung (in German). 25 August 2014. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  16. ^ Knoch, Andreas (9 April 2018). "CHG-Meridian übernimmt australische Equigroup". Schwäbische Zeitung (in German). Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  17. ^ "Informationstechnologie: Dienstleister CHG Meridian will Computer weltweit vermieten". Zeit Online (in German). 24 April 2022. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
  18. ^ "Company Register" (in German). Bundesanzeiger Verlag. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
  19. ^ Wagener, Benjamin; Knoch, Andreas (26 March 2017). "Doppelinterview: Wer hat bei CHG das Sagen?". Schwäbische Zeitung (in German). Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  20. ^ "CHG-Meridian on a Growth Path: Record Figure for Lease Originations". CHG-Meridian. 30 November 2023. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
  21. ^ "CHG-Meridian achieves further successful growth in 2023". CHG-Meridian. 23 April 2024. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  22. ^ "Eine Software, die den Unterschied macht". Schwäbische Zeitung (in German). 13 April 2016. p. 20.
  23. ^ "Big Data ist das neue Rohöl". Schwäbische Zeitung (in German). 5 July 2018. p. 34.
  24. ^ "Neugeschäft entwickelt sich bei CHG Meridian positiv". Schwäbische Zeitung (in German). 3 November 2017. p. 22.
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