Technology, growth, and a strong network. During the visit of Thuringia’s Minister of Economic Affairs, discussions focused on the future of the digital economy and the potential that companies from Jena and across Thuringia have to offer.
On August 20, we had the pleasure of welcoming a special guest to ORISA: Thuringia’s Minister of Economic Affairs, Colette Boos-John, visited our headquarters in Jena. The event provided an excellent opportunity to share insights into our work, discuss current developments, and exchange ideas with representatives from politics, business, and our professional network about the future of the digital economy.
It has been an exciting year for ORISA. With the acquisition of calcIT Solutions GmbH in April, we reached an important milestone in our company’s development and laid the foundation for further growth.
Driving growth from Jena
ORISA has called Jena home since 1991. For more than 30 years, we have been developing software solutions for industrial companies that need to configure, calculate, and quote complex, highly configurable products. With the acquisition of calcIT, another significant chapter has been added to our company’s story.
calcIT expands our expertise in product configuration and the CPQ environment with specialized solutions for industrial costing and price calculation. At the same time, calcIT will continue to operate as an independent company. As our teams and competencies become more closely connected, our shared goal is to create seamless digital business processes.
Minister Colette Boos-John also sees this development as a strong signal for the business and technology landscape in Thuringia:
“High-performing IT companies are key to increasing productivity and competitiveness across our entire economy. For more than 30 years, ORISA has been developing specialized software for industry and counts well-known international companies among its customers. This demonstrates the technological capabilities we have here in Thuringia.”
Referring to the acquisition of calcIT, the Minister added:
“Business success stories like this strengthen Thuringia as an IT hub and highlight the potential of our digital economy.”
Jena is more than a location
In addition to the Minister, we were pleased to welcome Jena’s Mayor Dr. Thomas Nitzsche, Wilfried Röpke from JenaWirtschaft, as well as numerous representatives from our professional network and partner companies. The discussions once again made it clear that innovation rarely happens in isolation. Jena thrives on close collaboration, open exchange, and a strong network of businesses, research institutions, initiatives, and dedicated individuals. Minister Boos-John also emphasized this unique strength of the city:
“Jena is like an island where networking comes naturally.”
She highlighted the importance of networks such as Jena Digital, which help bring companies and stakeholders together and foster meaningful exchange. Reflecting on successful developments in Jena and throughout Thuringia, she shared a message that resonates strongly with us:
“We should be proud of what we have achieved and communicate it to the outside world.”
Moving forward together
We were particularly pleased that calcIT was also represented during the visit. Michael Frank, Director of calcIT, joined the discussions and contributed the perspective of our new subsidiary.
For us, the merger of ORISA and calcIT demonstrates what can be achieved when experience, specialization, and a commitment to continuous development come together. ORISA contributes more than 30 years of expertise in product configuration and CPQ, while calcIT complements this knowledge with extensive experience in industrial costing and price calculation. Together, this creates new opportunities for our customers, our teams, and our future growth.
The visit from Minister of Economic Affairs Colette Boos-John reinforced our commitment to continue on this path.
We would like to sincerely thank Minister Boos-John, Mayor Dr. Thomas Nitzsche, Wilfried Röpke, and all other guests for the open exchange and inspiring conversations.
And of course, a special thank-you goes to all our colleagues who helped organize the event and represented ORISA throughout the morning.