A stable future and new opportunities for our employees

In 2023, Asker acquired the company CRS medical, a leading supplier of technical services for medical devices, based in Germany. The company is also a niche distributor of products primarily within cardiology, neurology and transfusion technology.

CRS was founded by four people in 2004, three of whom have worked actively in the company. It has around 200 employees and is located in the town of Aßlar in the federal state of Hessen. When the founders decided to sell the company, their main objective was to give the employees a stable future and ensure the company had an opportunity to grow.

“I was particularly proud of our talented management team during the sales process. When I discussed the acquisition with Asker, I saw many opportunities for them – both for gaining new skills and further growing the business. It was just as important to secure stability for all the employees too”, says Michael Schlapp. Like most of the company’s employees, he grew up and still lives in the region.

Long-term perspective and deep knowledge

It was crucial for the founders to find a buyer that had a long-term perspective and deep knowledge of the healthcare sector. Asker was the only non-German-speaking candidate in the process. But what particularly worked in Asker's favour was its vision to build a strong European group of distribution companies within medical supplies, devices and equipment – based on local presence and expertise, but with central support and knowledge-sharing.

“What also stood out was the people behind the offer. The fact that Magnus Alsterlind, Business Area Director Central at Asker, presented the offer in person and met all the founders made a big difference to us.”

Healthcare in Germany is currently undergoing major structural changes, which is affecting the companies in the sector. This could present new opportunities for CRS medical to work directly with the hospitals, for instance to provide them services for devices and equipment, supply them with reliable and quality services and introduce new software solutions. Radical changes such as these require the support of an active owner and a network of companies that can share experiences and knowledge.

Collaboration within the Group – a major benefit

“It was a major benefit for us to be able to collaborate with the other companies in the Group. We can capitalise on each other’s experience in a range of ways, and this started immediately after we became part of Asker”, says Michael Schlapp.

CRS medical provides MedTech services to customers all over the world, including several major international product companies.

“The product companies choose to outsource adjacent services for their products for different reasons, sometimes because they need expertise in local markets or because they want to separate sales and services for regulatory reasons”, explains Michael Schlapp.

“We work with our customers to create innovative and needs-based solutions that meet high standards for quality, safety and functionality. Our professionalism, flexibility and efficiency makes us a valuable and long-term partner for our customers.”