Xitaso choose Leipzig for new branch office location
Steven Ponndorf, site manager
“The support we received from Invest Region Leipzig GmbH, was extremely helpful, because we were not in Leipzig at the time we were seeking a new location and had little knowledge of the region apart from visiting the city. The cooperation with Invest Region Leipzig helped us a lot…”
In addition to the headquarters in Augsburg and an existing branch in Ingolstadt, we set up a XITASO Leipzig in mid-2021. Münster (Germany) and Madrid (Spain), along with Krumbach (Germany), will be added in 2022. The diversified company for high-end software engineering implements individual software solutions in the B2B sector.
XITASO can now look back on more than ten years of company history. Since being founded in Augsburg in 2011, it has grown to more than 160 colleagues. The first employee at the newly opened location in Leipzig was product owner Steven Ponndorf in September 2021. For the transition and arrival in the region, the first thing to do was move into the Design Offices’ flexible workspaces. As a result, there are now six Leipzig XITASOnians.
“We like highly complex environments and are very strong when it comes to interface competence. This is our USP. We are perfect for very complex challenges. For example, if the customer already has an existing infrastructure that needs integrating with new components,” says Steven Ponndorf, site manager, describing the company’s services. There is no specific industry focus. Historically, there have been strong focal points in the areas of mechanical engineering, robotics and healthcare. Still, although we don’t commit ourselves, the company is targeting the high-end technological area. At the new location, XITASO is gaining customers short to medium distances in and around Leipzig to Jena. “Because we implement individual customer projects, proximity, including geographical, is essential to us. And because of its location, Leipzig is simply perfect for covering central and eastern Germany,”
Product Owner and Site Manager Steven Ponndorf.
The large companies from the logistics sector that have settled in the immediate vicinity of the economic location of the Saxon metropolis are also interesting. The fact that Leipzig is now Germany’s second-largest cargo airport and one of the top 5 cargo hubs in Europe was one of the reasons why the founder and managing director of XITASO, Ulrich Huggenberger, together with the other managing directors, including his brother Martin Huggenberger, decided to expand to Saxony. The first talks between the two brothers started in the summer of 2019 with Invest Region Leipzig GmbH, which actively supports companies with expansion projects in the Leipzig region. “Alongside Dresden and Chemnitz, Leipzig is the economic center of Saxony. As a result, more and more companies are opting for Leipzig, which gives the city sustainable growth. Moreover, Leipzig broke the 600,000 population limit last year, and there is no end in sight. In addition to the location, the city itself with its universities, where potential skilled workers will follow in the medium and long term, and the high quality of life that Leipzig can offer, which really also ensures that people want to work here, these were reasons for choosing the location.”, according to Steven Ponndorf. In addition, they were happy about the support of Invest Region Leipzig GmbH with their range of services. The official settlement agency, Invest in Region Leipzig, networked XITASO with personnel service providers, recommended appropriate funding from the Sächsiche AufbauBank (SAB) and organised the inspection of possible office properties. “The support that we received because we weren’t in Leipzig at the time and apart from visiting the city and had little regional knowledge, helped us a lot. It was excellent cooperation, reflected by our management team, and I can only confirm it,” explains Steven Ponndorf. “This cooperation is characterised by a very high level of collegiality for the joint achievement of goals,” he adds.
“We at XITASO attach great importance to working in partnership; that’s one of our great assets,” adds Johannes Schaffer, Marketing Manager at the company. “All employees live the XITASO Code and, if necessary, further developed with the involvement of all XITASOnians. As befits a software development company, we use agile methods to make adjustments where necessary. We live by Inspect and Adapt from day one in all areas. That is also one of the reasons why we are so successful,” he explains. Steven Ponndorf adds: “As a relative newcomer to XITASO, I noticed right from the start that there is team-based and largely non-hierarchical cooperation, which is incredibly pleasant. We also attach great importance to ensuring that they fit in with us when selecting future employees. Our extremely low fluctuation shows that this works well. I have 28 years of professional experience, also with various software companies, and that was new for me.”
In Leipzig, a workforce of 35-50 colleagues is planned by 2025. Ponndorf estimates they will reach the even sooner because “XITASO has damn good arguments for applicants.” The location is looking for software developers, Senior researchers, agile coaches, and working students. The company is always interested in long-term cooperation with students.
The research topic and cooperation with the relevant university educational institutions is an integral part of XITASO. In Leipzig, the company has already presented itself at the university and the HTWK. Furthermore, by participating in the Deutschlandstipendium, the program for talented students, we now have a sponsored student in Leipzig. XITASO is also happy to supervise theses.
In March 2022, the Leipzig XITASOnians will move into the former premises of RB Leipzig, in the representative Schrödterhaus in the city centre. From here, we continue to work on the common goal of intensive networking in the regional economy to be perceived even more strongly as a competent partner with exceptional technical expertise in high-end software engineering.