Next strategic investment in the emerging IoT market: FP acquires stake in smart data start-up Juconn

- USP in the IoT market: Juconn is an incubator and develops solutions that can be adapted to any business need
- Using synergies: With FP Gateways and the Juconn platform, FP will be able to offer end-to-end solutions for the IoT sector in the future


Berlin, 22 January 2019 - Francotyp-Postalia Holding AG (FP), the expert in secure mail business and secure digital communication processes and a pioneer in the development of IoT devices for ultra-secure data transmission, has acquired a 15% stake in Juconn GmbH and is thus crucially enhancing its range of services along the IoT value chain. Thanks to its fast growth and its strategy of being a solution provider and an incubator simultaneously, Juconn GmbH has an eight-figure valuation. The shares acquired stem from a capital increase against a cash contribution.

The investment is the logical next step in FP and Juconn’s one-year-old cooperation in individual projects. FP has an option to increase its stake to 25% plus one share. In addition, the investment agreement gives FP the chairmanship of Juconn GmbH’s Advisory Board.

Juconn develops individual IoT solutions for its business customers and, by providing smart data, helps them to enter the Industry 4.0 era. In addition, the Munich-based start-up gives innovative business founders access to its flexible cloud platform. In return, Juconn obtains shares in the young companies, thus continuously building up its network and acquiring extensive know-how from a diverse range of industries.


FP technologies reach new markets with Juconn

In line with the ACT growth strategy, FP is using its traditional expertise in the franking sector to develop new digital products and business models and is striving for a strong position in the market for secure digital communication processes. The investment in Juconn will allow FP to offer comprehensive end-to-end solutions – from machines to the evaluation and use of smart data by the customer – from a single source in the future and to accelerate its growth in the emerging Internet of Things (IoT) market. For its part, Juconn is securing permanent access to the FP team’s technical solutions expertise and to the flexible collection and ultra-secure transmission of data via FP Gateways. Both partners are concentrating in particular on SMEs in Germany, but also operate internationally. The cooperation is expected to further promote growth at Juconn and in the IoT business at FP. For 2020, FP has set itself the goal of revenue of around €30 million from the new, digital business models.

Sven Meise, COO of FP, has high hopes for the investment: “Together, FP and Juconn will benefit from considerable synergies. We are already receiving promising enquiries for new projects. With our trusted and secure technology, our investment and our network, we are actively supporting Juconn’s strategy of guiding companies into the Industry 4.0 era.”


Juconn has unique solutions expertise

The key differentiating features of the Juconn platform are the data-agnostic structure of the platform architecture, the optional integration of blockchain technology and the adaptability to individual customer needs. Thanks to the open structure, data from various sources can be processed and therefore all markets covered. This is one reason why the company already has such a broad range of customers in industries such as energy, logistics and agriculture. Juconn solutions are also in use in facility management, where they monitor and manage property portfolios and security-related building components such as lifts and heating systems.

The company is already aiming for market leadership in specific segments such as Kitchen 4.0, where Juconn systems control the various data flows centrally in one application, for example for cold chain management or the correct cooking temperature of food. Its customers include system catering companies such as airline caterers and canteens of the German armed forces. Possible future applications include the monitoring of braking systems in rail transport, the collection and processing of RFID data from storage and transport logistics and the gapless monitoring of processes in the pharmaceutical industry.

“With FP, we have gained a partner that gives us an extra edge in the market,” explains Sven Dunker, CEO of Juconn. “We believe FP has the technologically leading gateways, which can read virtually every commercially available protocol and have unrivalled, scalable security in data transmission to the cloud – starting from a simple security level to the hardware security module with the highest security standards. Together, we are now in a position to offer our customers competitive end-to-end solutions from a single source. Customers can thus achieve considerable efficiency and cost advantages.” However, the benefits for customers also include services such as asset management, smart data management by way of self-developed dashboards, remote monitoring, and forecast models and alarm functions to prevent downtime and costly, unplanned maintenance.

The young company has rapidly evolved from a pure software developer into a provider of all-round solutions that is very flexible and can expand its developer team quickly if required. Dunker explains: “The market often only sees closed, individual solutions, but we offer open systems on the basis of ready-made standards, which can be easily adapted to individual needs and modified flexibly if requirements change. Our technology allows a company to monitor all relevant data from all areas on a single platform – from the supply chain and production to logistics.”


Renowned customers and partners in the IoT sector

The investment in Juconn is FP’s second acquisition in the IoT sector. In 2018, the company accelerated its entry into the emerging market by acquiring the Berlin IoT specialist Tixi.com. Its gateways can be connected to virtually any controller. There is now a shared, technologically leading product portfolio with a basic solution for every security requirement and many different customer requirements. Customers working with FP solutions currently include companies such as Metro, E.ON and Vattenfall, but also numerous SMEs.

Interested parties can learn more about FP, Juconn and the Internet of Things at the IoT Convention, which is being held in March in Berlin, Düsseldorf and Stuttgart together with Cisco, Vodafone and other partners: www.iotconvention.de


For press enquiries please contact:

Company contact:

Karl R. Thiel, Head of Brand PR

Tel.: +49 (0)30 220 660 123

Email: kr.thiel@francotyp.com


Investor Relations contact:

Dr. Joachim Fleϊng, Head of Investor Relations

Tel.: +49 (0)30 220 660 410

Email: j.fleing@francotyp.com


Juconn press contact:

Sven Dunker

Tel.: +49 89 41 41 73 10

E-mail: s.dunker@juconn.com


Follow us on social media:

Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Xing and YouTube. Or subscribe to our RSS Feed.


About Francotyp-Postalia:

The listed and globally operating FP Group with headquarters in Berlin, Germany, is an expert in the secure mailing business and secure digital communication processes. As the market leader in Germany and Austria, the FP Group offers products and services in the areas of "Franking and Folding/Inserting", "Email Services" and "Software" for the efficient processing of mail, consolidation of business mail and digital solutions for companies and public authorities. The Group reported revenues of more than 200 million euros in 2017. Francotyp-Postalia has subsidiaries in ten different countries and is represented by its own distributor network in an additional 40 countries. With a company history spanning 95 years, FP possesses a unique DNA in the areas of actuating elements, sensor systems, cryptography and connectivity. FP’s global market share for franking systems is more than eleven percent.

Further information can be found at www.fp-francotyp.com.