PIN Group

The PIN Group AG S. A. was a holding company for numerous regional German postal company. Originally, it had its seat in Leudelingen in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. With the beginning of their rehabilitation made ​​necessary the management but was relocated to Cologne. In Cologne at the time was also the meantime because of insolvency proceedings resolved, central service company PIN Group, the PIN Shared Service Center GmbH (formerly based in Berlin), resident. The legal form of the PIN Group AG S. A. is that of a public limited company (AG), under Luxembourg law, there is a Société Anonyme (SA ) Many investments were purchased in late September 2008 by the publishing group Georg von Holtzbrinck.

The beginnings

The PIN intelligent services AG, a postal company from Berlin, that is PIN Mail AG today, was the starting point for the resulting far later PIN Group AG. The Berliner mail service was founded by Bernhard folding Roth and Martina Roitzsch in Berlin in April 1999. The letter delivery in Berlin began on 17 August 1999. PIN Mail AG operates its own PIN and PIN branches and partner shops own PIN mailboxes in Berlin.

After the lifting of the letter monopoly became apparent in Germany, in mid- 2004, involved the Axel Springer AG and the publishing group Georg von Holtzbrinck, each with 30 percent of the shares in PIN intelligent services AG. The shares were acquired by the company's founders and DKB Venture Capital GmbH.

In October 2005, the remaining shares of PIN -founder of the WAZ media group and the Luxembourg holding company Rosalia Investment SA were adopted by Günter Thiel and the PIN Group SA founded. In the summer of 2006, the newspaper publishers Madsack, M. DuMont, Rheinisch- Bergische Verlagsgesellschaft and W. Girardet KG brought their letter service companies in the business. But this received a ten percent stake in the PIN Group SA

Growth in 2007

With the acquisition of the mail network Süd GmbH & Co. KG ( BNS ), a merger of the letter service company of 12 newspaper publishers in Bavaria and Baden- Württemberg, the PIN Group enjoyed from April 2007 through a nationwide delivery network. The expansion of business activities around the formal delivery of Government Post succeeded PIN Group SA with the purchase of direct mail service provider headquartered in Ulm Express.

As of June 2007, the Company was under control a majority of the Axel -Springer- Verlag, which increased its stake in the company from 23.5 percent to 71.6 percent. The additional shares will be acquired, Axel Springer AG for 510 million euros of the co-owners of WAZ, publishing group Georg von Holtzbrinck and Rosalia.

The PIN Group S. A. functioned as a holding company and was responsible for the strategy of the company compound, and the planning of the operative business, which was operated by the German subsidiaries and affiliates.

In February 2007, approximately 7,000 compulsory social security contributions in the PIN Group SA worked The CEO Günter Thiel announced until the end of 2007 there should be more than 20,000 to social insurance coverage.

Investments in 2007

To the PIN Group S. A. Group of companies in 2007 were the following subsidiaries:

  • PIN Mail Hannover GmbH, Hannover (formerly Citipost Society for courier and postal services mbH)
  • The letter DBU Union GmbH, Brakel
  • PIN Mail Munsterland GmbH, Münster ( Westfalen) (formerly letter Direkt GmbH )
  • PIN Mail GmbH, Erfurt Alach (formerly THPS Thuringian Post Service GmbH )
  • PIN Mail GmbH, Brakel (formerly Annen- Post GmbH )
  • PIN Mail GmbH, Dusseldorf (formerly NET -DBS network German letter GmbH )
  • PIN Mail GmbH, Essen (formerly WPS West German post- Service GmbH )
  • PIN Mail GmbH, Hamburg (formerly point direct Vertriebs GmbH )
  • PPD, Bremen (Private postal service),
  • PIN Mail GmbH, Kassel (formerly Anne's post Kassel GmbH)
  • PIN Mail GmbH, Neumünster (formerly Porto in the north save GmbH)
  • PIN Mail GmbH, Wildau (formerly letter - Express Roeder GmbH)
  • PIN Mail GmbH, Wolter village (formerly Speedy Express GmbH)
  • Regioprint -Vertrieb GmbH, Saarbrücken, Brand: saarriva
  • Arriva GmbH, Singen am Hohentwiel (Bodensee)
  • Mail network Süd GmbH & Co. KG ( BNS )
  • Direct Express Holding AG Ulm

In addition, the PIN Group held a 100 % interest in the PIN Mail AG in Berlin, from which they had emerged. Overall, among 91 regional subsidiaries to PIN Group SA

PIN partner shops in savings

In order to expand its branch network PIN partner shops were opened in savings banks; have been established as first from 1 September 2007 with the Sparkasse Siegen and from 14 September 2007 with the Union Savings Bank Wesel, in the PIN - shops in all customer center in Wesel, Hamminkeln and Schermbeck. More NRW savings banks should follow - the use of the entire German Savings Bank branch network ( 17,000 branches) was sought by PIN end of 2007. On 31 December 2008, the Union Savings Bank Wesel put the post service in all Distributors after the cooperation with its legal successor, the WAZ, postal service, as planned at the beginning of the project went further.

Workers' rights and criticism

The union Verdi and the workers' representatives criticized in particular the treatment and compensation of approximately 9,000 PIN employees in spring 2007. The more favorable in comparison to the German mail postage prices were paid for by the deliverer to low income, which were below the poverty line. Many employees were instructed to increase the state unemployment benefit II.

Further works were not recognized and not admitted. In addition, the PIN Group tried to ban a lawful strike activity court. The TAZ overwrote therefore, in reference to which also standing in the way of criticism leadership of a supermarket chain, an article about the PIN AG " The Lidl under the Postal Services ."

In February 2007, Verdi said in its members' magazine, that an agreement to engage in collective bargaining was signed. There were plans for a house deal, consultations on participation and training and a regular discussion at board level.

The PIN Group S. A. was involved in October 2007, allegedly at the founding of the union of the New Letter and Delivery ( GNBZ ).

Post minimum wage

Because of the public debate about low wages in the new postal service and because of the recently adopted possibility to extend the Posted Workers Act ( AEntG ) to other sectors joined the union Verdi and the employers' association postal services a collective agreement on minimum rates of 8.00 to 9, 80 Euros from each hour. This collective agreement was strongly criticized by the new postal companies. The German Post AG had their leadership in the employers' association postal services used by competitors, according to dictate high minimum wages for the new postal companies that would have a fair competition is no longer allowed.

After the federal government had agreed in November 2007 on the introduction of a minimum wage in the mail carriers range by the inclusion in the Posting of Workers Act, the Axel Springer AG announced massive resistance. So ( in particular image, BZ, The World etc. ) has been reported in detail about the disadvantages of minimum wage for letter carriers in the publications of Axel Springer AG. In addition, the PIN employees were invited to a conference organized by the employers demonstration against the post- minimum wage on October 9, 2007.

The general minimum wage for postal services sector has been declared by the Federal Administrative Court in 2010 for ineffective.

Divestment

Döpfner, CEO of Axel Springer AG, announced on 14 December 2007, the main shareholder, with 63.7 per cent in the last 2 years would have been about 620 million euros in the PIN Group SA invested. Further losses could not be taken, so that the PIN Group SA probably threatened insolvency. After the departure of the majority shareholder Axel Springer AG made ​​Günter Thiel, CEO of the PIN Group SA, an offer to acquire the shares of stock (management buyout ). By a " high double- digit millions " he wanted to secure the continued existence of the company for half a year.

On 19 December 2007 it was announced that the PIN Group should be continued despite failed negotiations with the Axel Springer AG. The new CEO was Horst Piepenburg in January 2008, which should be here by Hans -Joachim Ziem, who has the formerly insolvent Kirch Media Group redeveloped supported.

The PIN Group S. A. had, according to self-reported data on the website nor on 10 January 2008 following Board of Directors:

  • Günter Thiel - Chief Executive Officer ( CEO)
  • Julian Deutz - Chief Financial Officer ( CFO)
  • Karsten Böhrs - Chief Operating Officer ( COO)

Insolvency applications of PIN Group companies

As of December 21, 2007 applied for numerous subsidiaries of the PIN Group SA insolvency:

  • On 21 December 2007 Set 7 companies in Bremen, Fulda, Kassel, Cologne, Landshut, Munich and Trier for the opening of insolvency proceedings, as they mature social security contributions for their employees could no longer pay claims to be.
  • On 28 December 2007 the application for the opening of insolvency proceedings for the Regioprint -Vertrieb GmbH ( Saariva ) in Saarbrücken, the PIN Mail Munsterland GmbH in Münster and the BZM mail center Munsterland GmbH in Emsdetten was asked the Cologne District Court. They had a total of 340 employees.
  • On 9 January 2008, the new CEO Horst Piepenburg announced to stop the announced by his predecessor Günter Thiel in December 2007 layoffs. Piepenburg justified this by saying that the interest of investors is greater than expected.

So far, so insolvency applications have been established for 18 subsidiaries. As a result, had to face insolvency applications 19 other subsidiaries. This meant, according to information provided by Horst Piepenburg on January 23, 2008, approximately two-thirds of the 9,000 employees affected by the insolvency. End of February 2008, 37 of the 91 PIN companies in bankruptcy.

The PIN Group Holding and the central service society (PIN Shared Service Center GmbH ) presented on 25 January 2008 the Cologne District Court also file for bankruptcy. As the Mirror reported, a PIN shareholder would not have been willing to defer a demand of about 1.5 million euros compared to the PIN Group. After the departure of Axel Springer AG, the financial resources of the PIN submitted until the end of February 2008. Through the bankruptcy the previous shareholders had no more influence over the management.

Bruno Kübler was appointed to be the administrator of the PIN Group. He announced on 26 February 2008 that many jobs would be eliminated. The PIN Group was looking for investors. Kübler admitted that from 1 March 2008 already 2,770 employees, and thus a quarter of the 11,400 former employees were made ​​redundant. For the remaining 8,000 workers were still looking for an investor.

The PIN Group had sales in 2007 of 275 million euros. The turnover in 2008 was estimated at 350 million euros.

Closures and sales

From the end of 2007, about one-third of the subsidiaries and in January 2008, the PIN Group AG itself went bankrupt after the Axel Springer AG wanted to follow up with no more investment funds. As a result, around 60 subsidiaries were closed or sold, and fell so out of the PIN -mail delivery network or walked at least the brand PIN mail lost.

Stating the number of employees ( MA) - - Following those companies are listed, the bankruptcy petition presented, were closed or sold. (As of September 22, 2010 )

  • Holding: PIN Group AG S. A. Cologne, 39 MA, closed
  • 01 PPD GmbH, Bremen, 286 MA closed
  • 02 PIN Mail GmbH, Kassel, MA 589 closed
  • 03 PIN Mail Landshut GmbH, MA 143 closed
  • 04 PIN Mail München GmbH & Co. KG, 157 MA ​​sold,
  • 05 PIN Mail Osthessen GmbH, Fulda, MA 13 closed
  • 06 PIN Shared Service Centre, Cologne / Berlin, 70 MA closed
  • 07 TV Media Service GmbH, Trier, 102 MA dismissed - 15 MA left, sold
  • 08 REGIO Print -Vertrieb GmbH ( Saariva ), Saarbrücken, 106 MA sold,
  • 09 PIN Mail Munsterland GmbH, Münster, MA 468 closed
  • 10 BZM mail center Munsterland GmbH, Emsdetten, 58 MA sold,
  • 11 West mail delivery services II GmbH, Mainz, MA 89 closed
  • 12 Western Mail GmbH & Co. KG, Langenfeld, MA 801 closed
  • 13 West mail delivery services Euregio GmbH, Aldenhoven, 120 MA closed
  • 14 PIN Mail Schwerin GmbH, MA 34 closed
  • 15 PIN Mail Westmünsterland GmbH, Borken, 62 MA closed
  • 16 PIN Mail GmbH, Hamburg, 266 MA, closed
  • 17 Western Mail III Koblenz, 110 closed
  • 18 dismissed PIN Mail GmbH Erfurt, MA 266 - MA 300 left, sold
  • 28 BPL letter and parcel logistics GmbH, MA 467 sold
  • 29 PIN Mail 06 GmbH, Magdeburg, 185 MA sold,
  • 30 PIN Mail 39, Magdeburg, 291 MA sold,
  • 31 PIN sorting service München GmbH, 0 MA, closed
  • 32 PIN Mail Bayern GmbH, Würzburg, MA 90 closed
  • 33 PIN Mail Southeast GmbH, Passau, MA 145 closed
  • 34 PIN mail Stuttgart GmbH & Co. Closed KG. , 193 MA,
  • 35 PIN Mail Sachsen GmbH, 40 employees laid off - 260 MA left, sold
  • 36 PIN Mail Nord GmbH, 5 MA, active, insolvency fund expired
  • 37 PIN Development GmbH, Berlin, MA 17 closed
  • 38 PIN MAIL Ingolstadt GmbH, MA 123 closed
  • 39 PIN Mail Essen GmbH, 185 MA, sold without insolvency,
  • 40 PIN Mail Dusseldorf GmbH, 61 MA, sold without insolvency
  • 41 PIN Mail Logistics GmbH Hamburg, 8 MA, sold without insolvency
  • 42 PIN Mail Hannover GmbH ( incl. subsidiaries Braunschweig and Göttingen ), 159 MA, sold without insolvency
  • 43 PIN MAIL 74, Troisdorf, Heilbronn, MA 17 sold
  • 44 PIN Mail Mitte GmbH, Hannover,? MA, closed
  • 45 PIN mail Berlin AG, Berlin 8 companies in Brandenburg? MA, sold without insolvency
  • 46 Arriva GmbH, Freiburg? MA, sold without insolvency
  • 47 Main Post Logistics, Würzburg,? MA, sold without insolvency
  • 48 Main- sorting -Service GmbH, Würzburg,? MA, sold without insolvency
  • 49 Citymail GmbH, Regensburg, about 160 MA, sold without insolvency
  • 50 PIN Mail Stralsund GmbH, about 100 MA, sold without insolvency
  • 51 MV extra GmbH? MA sold,
  • 52 MV Logistics GmbH,? MA sold,
  • 53 Direct Express Holding ( DEX), 730 MA, Sold
  • 54 PIN Germany GmbH Cologne,? , Active
  • Dismissed Employees: Approximately 5,662
  • Received jobs through sales: approximately 5,455 (including more solvent / sold without failing firm )
  • Current number of employees: around 0 (with approximately 11,350 employees, according to the company )

Since the exact number of employees was not available, this information is based on current and laid-off employees on estimates and is continually updated. According to estimates of the PIN Group AG, this total of approximately 11,350 employees had.

Search for investors

CEO Horst Piepenburg should have already performed in January 2008 talks with U.S. investment companies, including the Blackstone Group, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts ( KKR) and Advent International on participation, but this is denied by this.

The PIN Group AG should be sold as a whole as possible. The talks with investors there were early March 2008, already in the due diligence process.

The Hanoverian Madsack bought the profitable and solvente PIN Mail Hanover back ( Citipost formerly Hanover ). Some other newspaper publishers then tested a buy back its former subsidiaries. The Mittelbayerische publisher had interest in the City of Regensburg mail. The Main Post, a subsidiary of the publishing group Georg von Holtzbrinck, at the Würzburg Main Post logistics and Pressegrossist drink from Munich on the other hand wanted to buy back the PIN Munich, it said.

The French La Poste had to media reports in March 2008, according to a great interest in the PIN Group AG SA and was also in the negotiations there. The La Poste confirmed this already, the newspaper reports that the remaining solvente group would be interesting. France's La Poste was already active with the package daughter DPD in Germany. However, the State La Poste was met with a takeover of pin on legal hurdles. Because the French bond market was not open yet in contrast to the German competitors. Therefore, La Poste could have tried to come by a partner in Germany to the course, to work around this obstacle, it said in industry circles.

Also, the Axel Springer Verlag was traded as a prospect. Thus, the image -Verlag considered repurchase the point directly in Hamburg in order to use them for the delivery of advertisements and weeklies. This is also done.

The Essenes WAZ would not mind no interest in the PIN bankruptcy estate. She already had the end of 2007 the former subsidiary WPS (now WAZ logistics letter ) will be bought to control the so-called "last mile" to the mailbox itself. However, the WAZ remained minority shareholders in PIN.

The insolvency administrator "PIN Group AG SA ", Bruno M. Kübler was confident to find an investor for the approximately fifty not insolvent companies in the PIN group within a short time. In the event that not the expected purchase price would be offered, the creditors' meeting, the PIN Holding in Cologne decided on 26 May 2008 that the PIN group should be continued under the leadership of Kübler.

Bruno M. Kübler, Hans -Joachim Ziem, Horst Piepenburg and Karsten Zabel were appointed as new members of the Supervisory Board of PIN Mail AG Berlin. The workers' interests were further represented by Andreas Poser and Udo Raabe. To the Chairman Bruno M. Kübler was chosen vice chairman was according to press release of the holding company in June 2008, Hans -Joachim Ziem.

The Stuttgart-based publishing group Georg von Holtzbrinck was in September 2008, one of the biggest competitors of Deutsche Post. The bankruptcy administrator PIN Holding, Bruno Kübler, sold twelve companies with about 2,500 employees to the publisher. This concerned the PIN Mail AG Berlin, eight PIN companies in Brandenburg, the Freiburg Arriva, the " Main-Post Logistics" and " Main- sorting service " in Würzburg. In addition, several publishers bought back their old regional mail services. Investors still have been sought for another twenty companies with 1,200 employees.

Private mail and competition in Germany after the bankruptcy of the PIN Group

The share of private mail service to the entire postal market in Germany has stagnated since the bankruptcy of the PIN Group at 10 %. The minimum wage operative Federation is also the largest of the KFW partner of Deutsche Post. The introduction of the minimum wage in the mail carrier range has limited competition in the postal sector and secured the continued existence of the Fast monopoly of Deutsche Post AG.

Philately

From 2000 to 2008, the PIN Group brought out stamp editions that both motives local focus (examples: Brandenburg Gate, Auerbach's Cellar in Leipzig), as well as sports clubs (Hertha BSC, Kölner Haie ), as well as motives of a particular local color ( Berlin Zoo, Buddy Bears, Ampelmännchen ) into account.

Types of business entity Privately held company Brakel, Germany Woltersdorf, Brandenburg Works council B.Z. (newspaper) Kirch Group Vorstand Handelsblatt Neues Deutschland Reuters
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