Based in Thuringia and strongly connected worldwide: that is ICONTEC GmbH, a young and dynamic IT company headquartered in Ilmenau. Founded in 2021 by TU Ilmenau alumnus Nils Büchner, the company has quickly established itself as a reliable partner for digital transformation, SAP solutions, and process automation—serving regional SMEs, internationally operating corporations, and offering a valuable career springboard for students in Ilmenau.
The history of ICONTEC did not begin in Ilmenau but, strictly speaking, over 30 years ago in Jena, where founder Nils Büchner worked as a data processing clerk:
After graduating from high school on the second educational path, I faced a key decision: where to study a combination of computer science and business? Ilmenau proved to be the ideal choice - something I only fully realized when I began my studies at TU Ilmenau in 1993.
Büchner had barely started when he was offered the opportunity to help set up the SAP training program at the university:
Having already developed database solutions in Jena in the years following German reunification, I found the university’s own SAP system - a unique feature at university level in Germany - a perfect match for my interests.
"Combining academic excellence with practical application"
For 20 years, Büchner was closely involved in teaching and practice-oriented education, co-founding and supervising the PROBAS project seminar at the Group for Service Information Systems Engineering. The seminar combined academic learning in enterprise resource planning (ERP) with hands-on SAP-based projects.
At the same time, Büchner gained industry experience working with major consulting firms such as KPMG and Mummert in Berlin, Düsseldorf, and Hamburg. A formative milestone came in 1997, when he and fellow students took part in the European T.I.M.E.S competition organized by ESTIEM.
Together with Payam Sobhani, Dirk Prössel and Kay Giesecke, now Professor of Management Science & Engineering at Stanford University, we won the competition as a TOP student team - an achievement that reflected a guiding principle that still shapes his work today: combining academic excellence with practical application.
Motivated by this success, Büchner went on to participate in a business plan competition just one year later, laying the foundation – together with TU Ilmenau lecturer Dr. Lutz Schmidt and fellow student Axel Riedel – for X-CASE GmbH, the first spin-off from the university’s Department of Economic Sciences and Media. Turning down a job offer from a major consulting firm, Büchner chose instead to build a company in Thuringia
My aim at the time was to create jobs locally and reteain know-how in the region.
The broad scope of his business informatics degree – covering law, finance, corporate management, marketing, and IT – proved just as valuable to Büchner as his expertise in SAP. Despite early setbacks, including the collapse of a planned contract, the company established itself successfully by developing its own market access, diversifying its client base, and continuously adapting to technological change.
We had to create our own market access, convince customers and develop opportunities. Ultimately, it was our broad mix of sectors and customers and our ability to adapt to technological developments and changes in demand that made us successful.
Realignment with a clear vision
Following a later management transition, Büchner left X-CASE and founded ICONTEC GmbH with a clear vision: not only to advise companies conceptually, but to actively support them in implementing and sustaining digital transformation.
The team initially rented space in the Ilmenau Technology and Start-up Center (TGZ), "an ideal starting point to develop in an inspiring environment of innovation and science," says Büchner. In addition to the funding providers, the new team of shareholders, which includes TU alumni René Eckert and Markus Ehrhardt alongside Nils Büchner and Axel Riedel, was a key driver of growth.
Funding programmes, consulting services, strategic impulses and networking events helped us to optimize our business areas, expand our organizational structure and gradually take on new challenges. And ICONTEC would probably not have been so successful, especially in terms of growth, if the "old" team had not been so united. Employee participation is very high and the company relies on "swarm intelligence".
Today, ICONTEC offers a broad portfolio of services—from SAP consulting and business intelligence to development, integration, robotic process automation, managed IT services, and tailored training—enabling the company to support digital projects from initial concept through to operation.
Rooted in Thuringia and strongly connected worldwide, our team draws on experience from international SAP and digitalization projects that now benefit regional and national clients alike. By combining local commitment with global expertise, we create real added value for companies of all sizes and across all industries.
"Proximity to the university was decisive"
Remaining close to TU Ilmenau has been a deliberate and strategic decision. In 2025, ICONTEC moved into new offices just a few meters from the university’s Faculty of Economics and Media, reinforcing its commitment to collaboration, innovation, and growth. The proximity enables close cooperation with students and researchers, particularly in areas such as cloud transformation, artificial intelligence, sustainable IT infrastructures, and digital process optimization.
The business IT specialist is often asked why, when founding his new company, he did not choose a more customer-centric location such as Erfurt or Munich. His answer is clear:
For us, proximity to the university was decisive. We have always benefited from being actively involved in educating students while offering them an ideal entry point into IT consulting. Through our close collaboration with the Institute for Business Informatics at TU Ilmenau, we gain fresh impulses, test innovative technologies at an early stage, and at the same time provide young talents with valuable hands-on experience.
Hands-on experience for TU Ilmenau students as an entry point into IT consulting careers
ICONTEC regularly employs seven to ten working students and provides them with hands-on experience as an entry point into IT consulting careers. In addition, since 2021, Büchner and his team have voluntarily managed the university’s SAP systems, helping to preserve a unique educational asset.
Unlike many universities that rely on standardized cloud solutions, TU Ilmenau allows students to work directly with system configuration, programming, and extensions—core competencies in IT consulting.
To further bridge academia and practice, ICONTEC also organizes the “ERP Academy” once per semester in cooperation with the Group for Service Information Systems Engineering headed by Prof. Dr. Volker Nissen. These practice-oriented courses address real-world challenges – for example, ESG reporting or, in upcoming semesters, business intelligence – preparing students for the demands of modern digital enterprises.
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