20 years of D&G-Software

To recognize problems clearly and to define them precisely in order to reach creative and practice oriented solutions: This is what marks the method of operation at D&G-Software all the way from the founding days of our company until today. We are professionals in mail order and direct marketing software.

In April 2007 we solemnized our 20th company anniversary in the castle of Ettlingen. Many customers, friends and business partners took the opportunity to celebrate with us in the baroque scenery.
The prognosticated sales increase was considerably exceeded by 42%. The reason for that was a huge increase of various services on the one hand and on the other hand many interesting projects which made the VS/4 attractiv for other branches.

Thanks to intensive testing efforts for several months the added value tax adjustment, which took place at the beginning of this year went go off without a hitch, similar to other big events such as the year 2000 changeover and the Euro conversion. All this to the delight of our customers who didn't experience any problems. After acquiring some new customers the number of VS/4 users rose to over 270. And the outlook for the year 2007 -the year of our 20th anniversary- was an enjoyable one. Based on the forecast numbers we expected an increase in sales of over 20%.

In 2005 we achieved the best net operating profit after taxes since the founding of our company more than 20 years ago and this in spite of the difficult market conditions surrounding us. On one hand this was made possible by the loyalty of our satisfied return customers and on the other hand we could enlarge the circle of our customers to over 260. In this context we integrated once again attractive enhancements and additional modules, for example a comprehensive publishing procedure, an automatic monitoring of repacking boxes, an easily managed eBay interface, universal administration of rebates, cost saving replenishment controls, among many other innovations. We also added two more countries to our portfolio: Slovakia and Sweden.

10 years after launching our company we said good-bye to our idyllic country estate located in Karlsbad-Auerbach. The continuously growing number of our employees - nowadays there are 23 of them - required an expansion of our offices. At the beginning of the year we moved, within only a few hours, into our new building in Waldbronn-Reichenbach. The move was carefully organized, and we had no problems at all. As planned we finished our gigantic project, the conversion to VS/4, at the end of 2004. On top of that we added numerous new functions to our D&G-Versandhaus-System: support for merchandise planning based on behavioral curves, an eBay interface, the integration of the klickTel-Database, logistical software to optimize delivery procedures, a graphical display of the product profitability on a customer level, a perfect email correspondence system and a formidable method of archiving, and many more.

Most of the VS users were successfully changed over to the Windows version of D&G-Versandhaus-System. Another highlight was the conversion of the already present D&G-Internet-Shop to the shop software of our new cooperation partner WEBSALE AG, one of the primary market leaders for high-carat eCommercial solutions.

After 1 1/2 years of successful practical experience with more than 40 VS/4 users on the Windows version (VS/4) of the D&G-Versandhaus-System, we started to migrate more than 200 VS/2 users over to the newest software version in January.

The Windows version of the D&G-Versandhaus-System VS4 replaced the proven, but at the time visually outdated, MS-DOS version (VS/2). The clarity and user friendliness of the graphical user interface paired with a revolutionary software design as well as an increased number of functions found more and more followers, so that our number of customers increased to over 240.

At the beginning of the millennium the user numbers of the D&G-Versandhaus-System increased to over 200 customers. The completely integrated D&G-Internet-Shop the system and offers customers an easy entry into the fantastic market opportunities of the Internet.

A continuously growing cooperation network formed around the D&G-Mail-Order-Business-System allowing especially small and midsized mail order companies the benefit of professional services.

The D&G-Versandhaus-System replaced the legendary D&G-Mail-Order-Business-Computer. In the meantime more than 150 mail order companies worked with the software solution developed by D&G-Software.

The expansion to the new offices in Karlsbad-Auerbach met all prerequisites for the continuation of successful business development.

D&G-Software GmbH was separated completely from the enterprise group of D&G-Direct Marketing-Gerardi and was taken over within a MBO by Liane Schmauser and Claus D. Reinbacher.

D&G-Software accomplished the jump from the 'insider tip' to a widely recognized professional enterprise for intelligent and, at the same time, user-friendly software. All our IT solutions were created by practical experience for practical experience and are being continuously perfected. Users especially appreciate the flexible possibilities of adaptation to individual operational sequences.

In the meantime more than 70 mail order companies used the D&G mail order computer on a daily basis for their complete sales processing.

The orientation and development phases were completed. D&G-Software GmbH became independent and found extensive recognition rather quickly due to their modern and practical software solutions and above all, because more and more small and midsized mail order companies conquered their positions in the market by using innovative work processing methods.

The time was ripe for the realization of a new idea: personal computers became more powerful and less expensive - so, why not use them to design more economic mail order processing, one never seen before? The D&G-Mail-Order-Business-Computer was born. The direct marketing insider Claus D. Reinbacher found support and encouragement at Donnelley & Gerardi through Alfred Gerardi - soon a competent comrade-in-arms.