Estonian IT company OIXIO Group is acquiring German industrial IoT firm erminas GmbH — a deal that started with a handshake at Hannover Messe, under Invest Estonia pavilion’s roof.
Estonia has been an FDI champion for years, attracting hundreds of millions in investments and acquisitions. But now Estonian companies are ready to go in the opposite direction, scooping firms from abroad. This week, Tallinn-based OIXIO Group, which specialises in business digitalisation, and Oldenburg-based technology company erminas GmbH have signed a strategic partnership agreement to merge. Following completion of the transaction, expected within the next month, erminas will join OIXIO Group.
The collaboration between the companies began last year at Hannover Messe, where OIXIO participated in the Estonian joint pavilion organised by Invest Estonia, and a year later — at the same trade fair — a merger agreement was signed.
The partnership is part of OIXIO Group’s international growth strategy and marks an important step into the German market, one of Europe’s largest and most demanding markets for industrial and digital solutions. The collaboration combines OIXIO’s strong competencies in IT, cybersecurity and business process digitalisation with erminas’s deep industrial and IoT expertise in Germany.
“The German market offers significant potential, but requires an excellent understanding of the local market and strong technical capability. Working with erminas allows us to enter this market alongside an experienced local team and offer clients comprehensive solutions ranging from IT infrastructure and cybersecurity to the application of IoT data,” said OIXIO Group CEO Ivo Suursoo.
erminas GmbH is a well-known developer of industrial IoT solutions and business systems, helping connect real-time production data with IT and management systems. Under the partnership, erminas will continue operating in Germany with its existing team, serving as a strategic partner and centre of excellence within OIXIO Group for industrial IoT and customised enterprise applications.
“Partnering with OIXIO Group enables us to expand the scope of our solutions and offer clients more comprehensive support, particularly in the areas of cybersecurity and IT operations. Our goal is to build this collaboration into a strong, long-term platform that creates value for German industrial companies,” said erminas GmbH CEO Hilmar Bunjes.
The partnership also brings direct benefits to Baltic clients. erminas’s experience developing IT and IoT solutions for German industrial companies strengthens OIXIO’s ability to support Baltic businesses in their digitalisation efforts. In addition, OIXIO will be better positioned to assist clients planning to expand into the German market or develop IT capabilities for their branch offices and operations there.
From a Hannover Messe contact to a signed deal for OIXIO
For OIXIO, the relationship with erminas began at last year’s Hannover Messe, where the company participated in the Estonian joint pavilion organised by Enterprise Estonia. A year later, the same trade fair served as the setting for signing the strategic partnership agreement.
“It is truly remarkable that we found this company last year when we took part in the Enterprise Estonia joint pavilion at Hannover Messe. Now, a year later, we are signing the agreement — this is our shared success story,” said OIXIO Group CEO Ivo Suursoo.
According to Suursoo, the great value of the Estonian joint pavilion lies in making participation in a major international trade fair simpler and more cost-effective for companies. “In my view, the benefit of attending a trade fair depends greatly on the company’s export strategy, which is why trade fair participation should be more closely linked to export strategy advisory services. I also see that Estonian companies could give more consideration to establishing a local presence in their target market, as this makes trade fair participation more effective as well,” he added.
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