Defacto GmbH in Erlangen: Insolvency, takeover and workforce reductions!

Defacto GmbH in Erlangen: Insolvency, takeover and workforce reductions!

In Erlangen, Defacto GmbH is sounding the alarm: The company, known for its IT solutions, filed for bankruptcy in the summer of 2025. The reasons for this are complex and lie in unforeseeable declines in sales, which led to a serious liquidity crisis. The company, founded in 1989, employs around 150 people and was an important player in the region until it went bankrupt.

The insolvency administrator Volker Böhm has now found a solution that could secure at least some of the jobs. The Vertical Ads Group from Nuremberg will take over the technical areas of Defacto GmbH from November 3, 2025, but not without consequences for the workforce. Around 50 employees will not be integrated into the future of the company, including around 30 from customer service and 20 from business consulting. This development brings with it concerns because some of those affected have already turned their attention elsewhere, while others are still looking for a job.

A severe cut for the employees

The entire workforce was informed of the current situation by the insolvency administration. However, the majority of employees have reason to be hopeful, as around 100 of the 150 employees will be taken on. The Vertical Ads Group, which itself has around 200 employees and achieved an impressive turnover of 156 million euros in 2024, plans to maintain the location in Erlangen as well as most of the technological areas. Technologies such as Oracle, Microsoft and our own SaaS solution will continue to be offered.

Unfortunately, there is no overall solution for Defacto GmbH, which not only reflects the situation of the employees, but also the economic environment. Because bankruptcies like Defacto's are not isolated cases; According to IWH, the greatest declines in employment often occur in the year before bankruptcy, which impressively illustrates the precarity of the labor market.

The future of Defacto GmbH

The subsidiaries Defacto BeOne and Cintellic Consulting Group are not affected by the bankruptcy and are continuing their business activities, which represents a bright spot in the gloomy news situation. The focus of the Vertical Ads Group seems clear: it wants to use and further expand the strong technologies of Defacto GmbH.

However, the challenges for the industry and its employees remain great. The market is highly competitive and the uncertainty following bankruptcy demands a lot from everyone involved. The situation also casts a shadow on the innovative strength and jobs in the region.

What happens next for Defacto GmbH remains to be seen. The concepts and ideas of the new owners will be crucial in setting the course for the future. It remains to be hoped that the failures of the past no longer need to be followed up on and that the workforce can soon feel safe again. The Wikipedia could tell a similar twist to the story as it describes the evolution of the Cocodrilos: survival strategies in an uncertain environment are essential.

The coming months will show whether the takeover by the Vertical Ads Group brings the hoped-for upswing or whether the challenges are perhaps greater than initially assumed. There is a lot at stake for many employees, as their fate now depends on the implementation of this new strategy.