Forterro has announced plans to acquire Klaes, the long-established software company serving the windows, doors, façades and conservatories sector, in a move that would further expand its position in the European industrial software market.
The deal, which has been signed and is awaiting regulatory approval, is expected to complete in the second quarter of this year, according to the companies. It follows Forterro’s acquisitions last year of Orgadata and BM Group, and adds another specialist business to its growing Windows & Doors division.
Forterro said the takeover would strengthen its ambition to become a leading software provider across all materials used in the sector. Under its existing portfolio, Logikal, formerly Orgadata, is positioned as its software offering for aluminium systems, while Klaes would add expertise in PVC and wood. BM Group, which Forterro bought last year, has a strong presence in the UK and Ireland and focuses on software for the residential market.
Klaes was founded in 1983 and has grown from what the company described as a one-man operation into a family-owned business with customers in more than 50 countries. Headquartered in Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler, it develops software including its premium ERP platform, its e-prod production control system and 3D tools for façade construction.
The company says its products are available in 28 languages and are used by 7,600 customers worldwide. Klaes employs 285 people.
Miriam Berzen, one of Klaes’s managing directors, said joining Forterro would open “an exciting new chapter” for the business. She said the company would gain the resources of a larger European software group while keeping the customer focus that has shaped it since its founding more than 40 years ago.
Forterro said Klaes would continue to operate as an independent brand within the group’s Windows & Doors business unit. It said customers would benefit from longer-term stability, shared infrastructure and wider technological expertise.
The combined group says it plans to invest in cloud platforms and AI-led tools, with the aim of speeding up digital transformation in both manufacturing and skilled trades. It also said bringing the businesses together would help accelerate the development of products in areas including production automation and data analytics.
Dean Forbes, Forterro’s chief executive, said that with Orgadata, BM Group and Klaes “under one roof”, the company would be able to support the main materials and production processes used across the sector. Founded in 2012, Forterro says it now employs more than 2,500 people across more than 40 offices and provides software and support to more than 25,000 industrial businesses.
Why This Matters: Forterro’s move for Klaes is a watershed moment in fenestration software, effectively creating a pan‑European, multi‑material digital powerhouse spanning aluminium, PVC and timber. By combining Logikal, BM Group’s residential platforms and Klaes’s deep ERP and production control capability, Forterro is building an end‑to‑end, material‑agnostic stack from configuration through to installation. For fabricators and installers, this signals faster innovation in cloud and AI, greater integration across the supply chain, and potentially a smaller field of truly independent software providers.
