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13/04/2026

Compromise is the enemy of excellence

There is a word that, in many companies, is seen as a sign of maturity: compromise. You meet in the middle, everyone gives a little, everyone gets a little....

There is a word that, in many companies, is seen as a sign of maturity: compromise. You meet in the middle, everyone gives a little, everyone gets a little. Sounds fair. But it isn’t. Because a compromise is usually nothing more than the organised defeat of the best idea. 

Compromises rarely arise because two options are equally good. They arise because no one wants to endure the conflict. Because the clock is ticking. Because the courage is lacking to clearly say: this solution is better than that one. The result: mediocrity prevails. A compromise feels safe. It isn’t. 

Excellence sometimes means making uncomfortable decisions. Clearly stating what you believe is right. Not hiding behind »we’ve reached an agreement«. 

At Jarltech, we strive to ensure that the best solution always wins. Not the most convenient one. Not the loudest one. The best one. 

And if that means we occasionally ruffle some feathers – we’re perfectly fine with that.

16/03/2026

Why do we operate a 3,000 m² Event & Training Centre with a showroom in the middle of nowhere?

First of all: what are you thinking? Usingen is, of course, not in the middle of nowhere – it’s less than 30 minutes by car from Frankfurt Airport....

First of all: what are you thinking? Usingen is, of course, not in the middle of nowhere – it’s less than 30 minutes by car from Frankfurt Airport. And yes, the Usingen railway station is right next door. More importantly, our Event & Training Centre is located almost directly beside the Jarltech campus.


So why do we do it? We do it for you – our partners! Our two-story Showroom, the largest permanent exhibition in our industry, is constantly in use:

  • by partners who present hardware and their own solutions to end customers
  • by new employees of partners whom we train on the products
  • by vendors who hold their sales meetings with us and like to have a look at – and even try out – competitors’ products
  • by vendors who present their latest products

On top of that, we host numerous events in our Jarltech Event & Training Centre where partners invite their end customers… large presentations on the 25 m² video wall, dinners with up to 800 guests (standing) or 250 (seated) at round tables, buffets or relaxed gatherings in our beer garden, bar and lounge. For meetings, there are also eight meeting rooms available for breakout sessions. 

And, to be honest, we shouldn’t forget that we also use it ourselves – for training sessions as well as for celebrations. From the Jarltech Summer Party to the Christmas Market, networking dinners or our after-work events. We’ve had just about everything in the hall already: from a go-kart track to tightrope walkers to whisky tastings. And one regular guest every year: me, as Father Christmas. 

So, you see – yet another value add from Jarltech that helps drive your business forward. By the way, the Showroom is also available virtually on our website. See you soon in Usingen! And be sure to think about how your company can profit from our investment.
 

23/02/2026

Distribution Mechanics: Reservation Costs and Inventory Pre-Financing

For large purchase volumes, our vendors generally grant special prices, known as »project prices«....

For large purchase volumes, our vendors generally grant special prices, known as »project prices«. When we receive a project order from one of our resellers, we typically reserve the available stock until the agreed delivery date and order any missing goods from the vendor.

What »some« may not realise – and what »others« might consider commercially absurd – is this: we always purchase the goods from the vendor at the same price, namely the standard distribution purchase price. If, for example, our purchase price for a printer is €100 but the project price is only €50, we actually sell the product at €50 below our own purchase price.

Naturally, once the project has been delivered, the vendor reimburses us the €50 difference. So far, it’s fair.

However, if the delivery stretches over several months, we finance the full €100 value in the meantime. While the system integrator has sold 10,000 printers for €500,000, we are carrying inventory in our warehouse worth €1 million – because we have paid for it upfront.

That explains why distributors always push for projects to be delivered as planned and not postponed 20 times by the end customer – because that is very expensive. With the typically slim distribution margins (yes, here comes the usual complaining), financing costs can easily »eat up« the entire margin within just a few weeks.

With our resellers, this is rarely an issue: they generally only place orders with us once they have received a firm order from the end customer.

It becomes amusing – and particularly costly – when a vendor says: »This project is definitely coming the week after next. Unfortunately, the end of the quarter falls in between, and we need to place the goods into your warehouse tomorrow – so please hold them for now.«

In the best-case scenario, it works out. In the worst case, the reseller is not even aware of the project yet, and the end customer has not fully committed to the vendor. We have seen it all before. So at Jarltech, we have become somewhat more cautious in such situations. Of course, it is part of our job to anticipate deals from time to time – but buying »hot air« indefinitely is not a sound strategy either.

So please have understanding if our sales or purchasing teams occasionally ask a few more detailed questions about the actual status of a project. Because remember: pure »hope« can be expensive.
 

16/02/2026

Safety gone mad: Health & safety thinks we’re all half-wits!

…or at least incapable of surviving on our own....

…or at least incapable of surviving on our own. Health and safety is important, no question. Safety comes first. But there is such a thing as taking it too far.

Here’s the showstopper right at the beginning:

Our colleagues in the purchasing department are now required to wear safety goggles (eye protection) when leaving their desks. Reason: There are plants in the department with sharp-edged leaves. (Pause.) Seriously?! Yes, seriously. That’s pure slapstick.

Another good one: Our facilities team has just cleared snow. But careful! Cones must be placed around the area where the shovelling is taking place. Someone might otherwise walk into the moving shovel. Quite honestly, anyone not looking where they’re going could just as easily trip over a cone.

And in the kitchen, washing-up liquid has to be locked away. Dishwasher tablets? May only be used by people who have received proper instruction. So yes, that means training for dishwasher tablets.

Desks tend to have corners. Highly dangerous! Therefore, every corner must be fitted with rubber protectors.
Are we in nursery school?
Is it even worth getting worked up about it anymore?

At least that was all within the company. In our private lives, on a construction site, work was immediately halted. Reason: Outside temperature below five degrees Celsius, and the portable toilet wasn’t heated … In a comfort-obsessed country I can almost understand that. I hadn’t even thought about it because I didn’t know heated ones existed. I had it replaced. But do you really have to stop construction over something like that?

I fear the health and safety brigade will soon be paying a visit to our restaurant as well. Without chainmail gloves, handling knives will probably be banned. For guests too, since steak knives are clearly instruments of the devil.

Enough on that subject. I’m going home now, hoping I don’t trip over the dog. He’s stubbornly refusing to wear a high-visibility safety vest.

(Not satire.)
 

10/02/2026

Distribution Mechanism: Price Protection

We are currently in a phase where manufacturers are significantly increasing their prices....

We are currently in a phase where manufacturers are significantly increasing their prices. And not just once – we expect prices to rise several more times this year. They may then fall.

It has reached the point where some manufacturers only calculate once an order has been placed and then state the price at which they will accept it – the price is then valid for one day. This is somewhat reminiscent of the coronavirus period. However, there is no alternative – we must persevere. The change is clearly most significant for relevant end customers who plan rollouts of thousands of devices over months and want planning security. That is no longer possible – ordering and accepting delivery is the only solution for price security.

Of course, this often leads to the question: »You still have devices in stock that you bought at the old price. We want to get them at a discount too.« – and that is a false conclusion.

In distribution, there is a mechanism called »Price Protection«. This is supposed to protect us from price reductions: If a manufacturer lowers the price, we receive a refund for any items already in stock. »Unfortunately«, it also works the other way around: If a manufacturer increases its prices, we must pay the manufacturer extra for goods in stock. This could result in a bill amounting to several million. So, as you see, we don't have any »cheap, old goods«. Due to frequent price changes, it is also possible for a particular device in our inventory to be repriced several times. While this is a minor nightmare for our inventory management, it is ultimately fair and the only solution.

30/01/2026

Live: Watching Bureaucracy Being Born

It came to pass in the cold January of 2026 in Berlin that the power went out....

It came to pass in the cold January of 2026 in Berlin that the power went out. A district of 48,000 inhabitants was cut off from the electricity grid for several days. According to a claim of responsibility, this was thanks to an attack by a left-wing extremist group – which, of course, only wanted to hit the power companies and by no means the citizens. As a minor side note, the Lord Mayor was caught playing tennis instead of attending the crisis task force. But hey, I digress.

Political response: Critical infrastructure in Germany must be protected better, IMMEDIATELY. Police, cameras and other suitable measures.

What happens next: A working group is convened to consider how this can be implemented in the long term. Initial outcome: questionnaires are to be sent to all »important« companies in Germany, asking them to explain how they protect themselves and how their infrastructure is to be safeguarded. 

Well then, please make some popcorn and watch to see whether my prediction of what follows comes true: 

  • The questionnaire will be five pages long.
  • The working group will become a commission.
  • This commission will then become an authority.
  • The group of people receiving the questionnaires will be expanded significantly. Failure to complete the questionnaire will be punishable by fines and, in the most serious cases, imprisonment for company directors.
  • The whole thing will be cast into law.
  • The questionnaire will grow to ten pages.
  • Next, a certification will be introduced: »Infrastructure-resilient enterprise«.
  • These certifications will be carried out by monopoly bodies within the German economy, i.e. TÜV (Technical Inspection Association) or the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IHK).
  • This certification will become mandatory and will also be part of the scope of statutory audits.
  • Every company with ten or more employees will be required to appoint an Infrastructure Officer, who will have to attend regular training courses.
  • Funding for concrete measures will, of course, come from the special fund »National Defence«. 

Completely wild imagination:

  • Private households will be required to stockpile specific amounts of food and water. Those unable to afford this will receive a state subsidy (from the special fund).
  • This will be verified every two years, with inspectors granted extensive powers.
  • Companies will also be required to stockpile certain quantities of fuel, which will naturally involve the fire safety authorities.

In practical terms, nothing will change – but if something does happen, at least we'll know what we could have done. 😊

02/01/2026

That was 2025!

Of course, we don't yet have a fully audited set of figures, but we already have a good idea of how 2025 has turned out.

...

Of course, we don't yet have a fully audited set of figures, but we already have a good idea of how 2025 has turned out.

Despite the challenging economic climate, we are pleased to announce that we have achieved single-digit sales growth. We are profitable, as we always have been, but our performance has been sluggish in 2025. We must be honest about that. This is not good enough for us. We can do better. We have realised that certain things only happened in our company because we were spoiled by high growth rates. These are probably no longer possible in the current economic climate. Therefore, we have had to restructure some areas of the company, but we now feel that we are in an excellent position for 2026.

In addition, we plan to invest a further seven-figure sum in 2026 to automate our processes, particularly our logistics operations. This will make them faster and more efficient.

When it comes to AI, I would say that we are already among the leaders in our industry, a status befitting a company that has been managing all business processes in its own cloud since 1995. This was at a time when most major providers did not even know what the cloud was. We have also always worked with a self-developed ERP system, which gives us strength, flexibility and, above all, speed. Speed is in our DNA, as is the fact that we are an IT company that also happens to do distribution.

In 2026, we will also be entering the security and building technology sector, initially with the manufacturer Ajax Security Systems. We have high hopes for this venture and are confident that our partners will benefit greatly from it, too. You will hear much more from us about this in the coming days.

Overall, there has been a lack of business momentum this year, for example in the form of large-scale projects – or the »budget burn spending« of many large customers at the end of the year. This is understandable in the current situation. However, our belief in growth remains firm, and we have set the course for the coming year with more ambition than ever before.

In 2026, you will see a whole host of new offerings, solutions, web services and other innovations from Jarltech. This will reinforce the fact that choosing Jarltech as your partner was — and continues to be – the right decision.

I am proud of my team, which achieved extraordinary things in 2025 and pulled together in every respect.

Let’s keep it going!

17/12/2025

Why security is now coming into focus

Security is a megatrend that concerns us everywhere in Europe and across the world.

...

Security is a megatrend that concerns us everywhere in Europe and across the world.

And that is exactly why, as of 1st of January, Jarltech is entering this business. Jarltech will become a distributor – initially for Germany, Austria and Switzerland – of Ajax Security Systems. Ajax is an outstanding company from Ukraine, with production facilities in Poland, Turkey and Vietnam.

I discovered Ajax because I have an extremely expensive hard-wired alarm system at home, which I then expanded with Ajax systems – such as a light curtain, specialised cameras, gas and water detectors, and all kinds of other components. And all of this at a much lower cost. The other equipment can basically be scrapped.

The products look as if they were designed by Apple and, in my opinion, are even easier to use. No cables, no power connections. And »Made in China« cameras are not exactly in vogue either and are being replaced in many premises.

This is the first time we have held product and sales training sessions after which almost our entire sales team immediately wanted to buy the devices for their own homes.

Our underlying idea is, of course, to link this with our existing customer base. If someone is already installing Wi-Fi in a logistics warehouse, they can just as easily mount a camera next to it or install a light curtain on the outside.

Take note: the profit margins for installers of such systems are extremely high and cannot be compared at all with what we are used to in the pure IT business.

As we always want to add value, we will be setting up a completely in-house security operations centre by 1st of February at the latest. This centre will, for example, be able to carry out and document virtual inspections, even for particularly sensitive sites.

The systems themselves are not especially expensive for end users. But if, in the end, half of the turnover remains as profit with our reseller, that is finally something truly spectacular.
Naturally, sales will run exclusively through our partners, who will need to be certified for this purpose. While anyone can purchase from us, the really attractive prices are only available after completing training.

More on this at the beginning of next year – please stay tuned! This is going to be something big.

We will also be developing combinations to monitor, for example, a checkout system or an entire retail store using these devices. On top of that, there will be highly intelligent building technology that is genuinely fun to use. Fire alarm systems, of course, included.

We are all delighted about this new partnership, are currently onboarding our new specialist department, and will then really take off with Ajax next year!

 

11/12/2025

Why the training of young people is currently being ruined for us

The vocational training system in Germany has long been highly praised worldwide....

The vocational training system in Germany has long been highly praised worldwide. It is based on the idea that trainees join a company after finishing school while also spending a certain amount of time in a vocational school. For decades, this system worked very well for us. 

These days, however, we only take on trainees in absolute exceptional cases, because over the years the system has ceased to be a win-win situation for our company. In the past, trainees were essentially given a gateway into working life, but at the same time they were entrusted with real projects and responsibilities by the companies – just like regular employees. A trainee got things done! 

For example, we generally took on 90 per cent of our trainees afterwards, which clearly was a win-win situation. We have always paid our trainees more than what the Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK), which oversees vocational training in Germany, stipulated. Trainees were genuinely available to the company quite often, and it used to be completely normal for a trainee to attend vocational school only in the morning and work in the company in the afternoon. Today that is unthinkable! Such a thing cannot possibly be expected of an 18-year-old! Practically torture! 

And we were successful: for instance, one of our former trainees is now on our executive board, and several others earn six-figure salaries with ease – all of this largely without A-levels or a university degree. 

Now everything is different: these days, trainees are to be treated like »royalty« within the company. And it is difficult to explain why a trainee has significantly more rights than an ordinary employee. 

Today it feels as though a trainee spends the first six weeks at vocational school learning about their rights and what they absolutely must not do in the company, as well as everything the company is required to do for them. In the past, we were still able to adjust the number of hours in training contracts, and the IHK approved it. The same applied to certain holiday rules. None of this is possible anymore. Of course, under-18s need special protection – but at 18 one is fully legally competent and should be treated as such. 

On average, our trainees now have more annual leave than other employees and significantly fewer working hours. On top of that, there are absurd framework training plans that nobody here truly understands. It makes no sense whatsoever that someone training to become a graphic designer must, according to the plan, spend four weeks in the warehouse and then perhaps another four weeks in accounting. Similarly, it is perfectly sufficient for a future salesperson to know what happens in the warehouse and how procedures work there. Naturally, they should take a look and help out briefly – but three days would be enough. And why should an accountant spend four weeks learning in the marketing department? 

If you strictly follow this framework plan, a trainee is available to their actual department for maybe eleven to twelve months over the course of three years once holidays are deducted. This must be a joke! 

On top of that, everyone complains that young people can no longer add up or write properly. Yet vocational schools include subjects such as PE and ethics, which in my view have absolutely no place there! And then there are school trips whose purpose we also fail to understand. 

In the end, one thing is clear: if we are to train young people the way the IHK and the state envision it, then we really ought to send the government an invoice for it. And trainees must understand that training is not about games, fun, and sport, but preparation for working life!

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