When ARAN Holding GmbH was founded in the summer of 1991, Germany’s economy was in the midst of a profound transformation. The reunification of East and West Germany had taken place less than a year earlier, and while there was immense euphoria about political unity, the country faced enormous economic challenges. The reconstruction of the East demanded vast financial resources, productivity gaps between East and West had to be bridged, and many institutional structures were still in their infancy. Politically, the focus was on traditional industrial and labor market policies. Environmental issues were already part of the discourse, but they had yet to shape economic decision-making. The Green Party was represented in the Bundestag, yet sustainability was not yet a guiding principle for businesses—it remained a niche topic for committed pioneers. Monetary policy, too, operated under a different paradigm. The Deutsche Bundesbank pursued a strict stability-oriented course, using high interest rates to curb inflation and maintain trust in the Deutsche Mark. Capital was more expensive than it is today, investments required careful calculation, and growth was far from guaranteed. At the end of 1991, the discount and Lombard rates stood at 8% and 9.75%, respectively. Companies had to refinance at rates exceeding 10%! It was in this environment that our entrepreneurial journey began—defined by pragmatism, responsibility, and a steadfast commitment to creating lasting value. Many of our subsidiaries were founded during this period, and they remain integral to the group today. Looking back, it is clear that the founding phase demanded entrepreneurial courage. Yet it was precisely this context that shaped a corporate culture that endures to this day.

From Linear Thinking to the Circular Economy

Few sectors illustrate the structural transformation of the German economy as vividly as the evolution of waste management over the past 35–40 years. In the early 1990s, Germany underwent a paradigm shift: moving away from mere disposal toward systematic recycling. The introduction of the circular economy and the establishment of the Dual System Germany (DSD) fundamentally reshaped the industry. For the first time, manufacturers were held accountable for packaging waste, material flows were organized, and recycling quotas were legally mandated. What began as a regulatory experiment quickly evolved into one of the world’s most advanced waste management systems. New sorting technologies, specialized logistics, and a growing awareness of resource conservation created a dynamic market. For businesses, this meant rising investments, increasing technological demands—and new opportunities. Over the following decades, the importance of this sector continued to grow. Global commodity prices, European environmental legislation, and the focus on CO_2 reduction turned recycling into a strategic element of industrial value creation. Today, the circular economy is no longer a niche topic but a cornerstone of economic resilience. Our group has accompanied this development from the very beginning—not just as a market participant, but as an active shaper. With the founding of ARAN Holding GmbH, we transitioned from a waste broker to a specialized provider of recycling solutions across diverse industries. Our guiding principle has always been the same: to create solutions that are ecologically sound and economically viable.

Technology as an Answer to Complexity

The technology sector has undergone equally profound changes. In the 1990s, filtration technology, industrial services, and measurement services were still largely craft-based. Processes were often analog, data was limited, and efficiency depended primarily on mechanical optimization. The turn of the millennium marked a new era: digitalization, automation, and sensor technology began to transform industrial processes. Filtration systems became smarter, industrial services increasingly integrated into processes, and measurement services in the real estate sector evolved from mere meter readings to data-driven management tools. This shift reflected a fundamental change in German industry. Value creation shifted from pure production to hybrid models combining technology and service. At the same time, regulatory requirements—particularly in the energy and building sectors—intensified. Transparency in consumption, emissions, and efficiency became prerequisites for economic success. Technology became the engine of transformation, making processes measurable, comparable, and optimizable. For our group, this meant continuously investing in expertise, systems, and people—with the goal of offering customers not just products, but integrated solutions. The number of technology companies within the ARAN Group has grown steadily over the years. While only two companies operated in this sector in the early 1990s, today there are six successful units serving global customers.

The Construction Industry: Between Boom and Disillusionment

Few sectors reflect the volatility of economic cycles as clearly as the construction industry. After reunification, the enormous demand for housing and infrastructure triggered a strong upswing. However, this was followed by years of overcapacity and consolidation. In the early 2000s, the market stagnated in many regions, investors held back, and projects were postponed. It was only the low-interest-rate environment after the financial crisis that brought renewed momentum. Real estate suddenly became a safe investment, and the housing market experienced a historic boom—particularly in high-end coastal locations. Rising demand, favorable financing, and a growing emphasis on quality of life fueled numerous developments. Yet this cycle came to an abrupt end. Rising interest rates, soaring construction costs, and stricter energy efficiency requirements led to a noticeable cooldown in recent years. Many projects were halted or recalculated, and the industry now faces extensive structural adjustments. At the same time, the demand for affordable housing remains high. The challenge is to reconcile economic viability, sustainability, and social responsibility—a task that requires long-term thinking. Our construction division has mirrored these cyclical shifts over the past 35 years. In the early 1990s, our construction companies benefited from the post-reunification building boom. As the sector entered a crisis, we successfully refocused on project development and the sale of high-quality properties in prime locations over the following two decades.

Crises as Catalysts

The past 35 years have been defined not only by growth but also by profound crises. As early as 2000/2001, the young digital economy experienced its first major setback with the bursting of the dot-com bubble. After years of speculative euphoria, technology stocks on the NASDAQ collapsed, numerous startups disappeared, and investors lost significant sums. The crisis marked the end of naive growth expectations and ushered in an era where digital business models were measured by profitability and substance. The 2009 subprime crisis shook the global financial system, painfully demonstrating the deep interconnection between the real economy and capital markets. Investments were scaled back, lending became more restrictive, and many business models had to be rethought. The COVID-19 pandemic brought further challenges: disrupted supply chains, labor shortages, and new ways of working transformed business realities almost overnight. From 2022 onward, geopolitical tensions added to the strain. War in Europe led to energy shortages, rising inflation, and a fundamental rethinking of supply chain security. Simultaneously, we are witnessing the gradual erosion of a rules-based global order. Trade flows are becoming more politicized, location decisions more strategic, and resilience more important than pure efficiency. These developments mark a turning point. Today, economic activity takes place in an environment characterized by uncertainty, complexity, and structural disruptions.

Consistency Through Adaptability

Yet the retrospect reveals one fundamental truth: change is not the exception—it is the norm. Our group has not merely weathered these decades; we have actively shaped them. Whether in waste management, technology, or real estate, each sector followed its own cyclical logic. What unites them all is a commitment to quality, reliability, and long-term thinking. Success was never achieved through short-term opportunism but through continuous development: through investments in people, openness to new technologies, and a willingness to take responsibility—for employees, customers, partners, and society.

A Milestone for the Future: The Family Foundation

A particularly significant step in this journey was taken in November 2024, when our shareholder Adolf Hilmer transferred the entire company—including all subsidiaries and holdings—into a family foundation. This decision laid a crucial foundation for long-term stability, not just for ARAN Holding itself, but for the entire group. The foundation ensures generational continuity, decouples operational business from short-term shareholder interests, and anchors entrepreneurial action in a sustainable value system. In an era of growing uncertainty, this sends a powerful signal: a commitment to continuity, responsibility, and a clear dedication to Germany as a business location. The family foundation stands for long-term thinking, investment capacity, and the conviction that economic success and social responsibility are inseparable.

Looking Ahead

Thirty-five years of corporate history are more than a collection of numbers and projects. They tell a story of adaptation, courage, and the ability to see change as an opportunity. The years ahead will bring new challenges: ecological transformation, digital disruption, and geopolitical shifts. But if the past has taught us anything, it is this: our strength lies in combining entrepreneurial clarity with a long-term perspective. With the structural security of the family foundation, strong business segments, and a dedicated team, our group is well-positioned to actively shape the decades to come.

Peter Adam, Managing Director ARAN Holding GmbH

Strengthening the portfolio in the area of ​​micro- and ultrafiltration

atech innovations GmbH, a wholly-owned subsidiary of ARAN Holding GmbH, has acquired a 50% stake in XPORE CEPAration B.V. The Dutch company XPORE CEPAration B.V. is an internationally operating specialist focused on the development of innovative stainless steel membranes with ceramic coatings. With this strategic investment, the ARAN Group underscores its commitment to further expanding innovative technologies and leveraging synergies in the field of modern filtration systems. The acquisition represents an important step in its long-term expansion strategy, which aims to offer customers from a wide range of industries even more efficient and sustainable solutions. The collaboration between XPORE CEPAration B.V. and atech innovations GmbH will provide new impetus in research and development by combining know-how and technological expertise. The goal is to advance the development of advanced filtration solutions that meet the increasing demands in environmental technologies and industrial applications. Together with X-PORE, atech will further scale the production of stainless steel membranes and continuously optimize the products. The close geographical proximity – X-PORE CEPAration is headquartered in Helmond near Eindhoven, just 100 kilometers from atech – also facilitates collaboration in development, production, and sales. This creates an even greater market presence in the field of membrane filtration, offering its customers a broader product portfolio and customized solutions.

Efficient use of natural resources through smart moisture monitoring for urban trees.

The HITAG Holding for Innovation and Technology of the ARAN Group GmbH has acquired a 51% stake in Plantobelly GmbH. Plantobelly is a Lübeck-based company that has developed an innovative system for professional moisture monitoring of urban trees and green spaces. With its investment in Plantobelly GmbH, the ARAN Group aims to promote technology-supported solutions for the more efficient use of natural resources. Using wireless, battery-powered sensors, the Plantobelly system enables precise and resource-efficient irrigation by monitoring soil moisture in real time. The vandal-proof sensors, with a battery life of up to 10 years, help municipalities and businesses use water efficiently and reduce unnecessary monitoring trips. The sensors measure soil moisture four times a day at depths between 30 and 60 cm and transmit the data wirelessly to the Plantobelly web service. The Plantobelly web service links soil moisture data with current weather information, provides forecasts, and can be seamlessly integrated into smart city platforms. Two wireless technologies are available for this purpose: NB-IoT (Narrowband Internet of Things) uses the existing mobile network and enables particularly energy-efficient data transmission even in hard-to-reach locations – ideal for autonomous operation without local infrastructure. LoRaWAN (Long Range Wide Area Network), on the other hand, is suitable for integration into municipal wireless networks and impresses with its long range and low energy consumption. In the Plantobelly web service, users can view current moisture levels, graphically display the history of moisture changes, and plan irrigation accordingly. An active notification is sent when drought is imminent. Plantobelly has already been awarded the Innovation Medal by the German Association of Garden, Landscape and Sports Field Construction (Bundesverband Garten-, Landschafts- und Sportplatzbau e.V.) for this sustainable solution. The precise control of irrigation in urban green spaces contributes to reducing water consumption and supports municipalities in adapting to climate change.

ARAN Holding GmbH and the ARAN Group present their brand new corporate identity. The new logo tells the story of our origins: it all began with the trade in building materials, quickly followed by waste management services – these two areas form the lighter-coloured ‘pillars’ of our history. The technology sector provided the ‘roof’ and rounded off our ‘house’. From that time on, all three business sectors contributed to our development – towards a broadly positioned group of companies and our vision of further growth and creating space for new ideas: this is what the open base of our triangle represents. At the same time, our triangular logo reflects our corporate structure with three divisions, in which our subsidiaries and affiliates form our basis and the ARAN holding company is the roof, symbolising unity and protection: the holding company as the parent company provides the framework and secure support for our subsidiaries and affiliates. Here, too, the subpage stands for openness, because we will continue to integrate new companies into our group and welcome them into our ‘ARAN’, our home. As before, we will rely on both new start-ups and takeovers as part of succession planning.