Kleinostheim / Neu-Isenburg, 20 November 2018
UTA expands its position on the European toll market / AirPlus International strengthens focus on core business
UNION TANK Eckstein GmbH & Co. KG (UTA), the leading provider of multi-brand fuel cards and subsidiary of the Paris-based Edenred Group, takes over the customer portfolio of the billing specialist Road Account of AirPlus International. Up to now, AirPlus offered billing solutions for HGV toll under the Road Account brand and is planning to focus on its core business, business travel management, in the future. The acquisition will enable UTA to expand its customer portfolio in the dynamic European toll market and open up new sales opportunities for additional services.
Road Account will initially continue to serve its customers as usual. With the migration, the customers will then be transferred to the corresponding UTA solutions. In addition to the current Road Account solutions, the new customers will be able to use UTA's integrated and European solutions to invoice fuel, toll and maintenance within a network of nearly 60,000 partners in 40 European countries.
UTA will also take over the current Road Account team, thus ensuring that customers receive continuous support from their current contact persons. “We are delighted with the success of this transaction”, said Patrick W. Diemer, chairman of the board at AirPlus. “UTA is not only a leading provider in the market with a clear vision of the future, it is also a company based in the region able to offer the Road Account staff future-proof and attractive jobs. For the customers of Road Account, the acquisition provides a high level of service and access to a broader range of services”, Diemer continued.
“We are already prepared to offer Road Account customers a new and reliable home. We have the best possible solution for the different mobility needs of our customers”, Volker Huber, CEO at UTA, adds. “We now have an even bigger team and provide even more comprehensive support and make available our entire service range from toll and fuel to tax refunds. This acquisition is a further significant step on our growth path and significantly strengthens our market position in Europe.”
The European toll market is growing, particularly in Germany, Europe's most important market, where the road network for HGVs has more than doubled due to the recent toll expansion to include all federal roads. According to the BMVI, the overall potential of the German toll market is at more than seven billion euros by 2022, given toll revenues of 4.8 billion euros in 2017.
In Europe, UTA ranks second among the specialists for multi-brand fuel cards, and toll and maintenance solutions. After all, in 2017 the mobility service provider generated more than 40 percent of its revenue with tolls and the sale of other value-added services. By taking over Road Account customers, UTA has further strengthened its position in the rapidly expanding market.
Road Account was founded in 2007 and, with 2,500 customers, particularly in Germany, and a large sales network in Eastern Europe, achieved an operating result of more than four million euros in 2017.
About AirPlus International:
AirPlus is a leading international provider of solutions for the daily management of business travel. 51,000 corporate customers rely on AirPlus for the payment and analysis of their business trips. The products and services are marketed worldwide under the AirPlus International brand. The AirPlus Company Account is the most successful billing account within the UATP. More information is available online at www.airplus.com.
Contakt AirPlus International:
Michael Wessel
AirPlus International
Phone: +49(0)6102 204-1630
E-Mail: communications@airplus.com
About UTA:
UNION TANK Eckstein GmbH & Co. KG (UTA) is one of the leading providers of fuel and service cards in Europe. Commercial customers can use the UTA card system to refuel, independent of brand and without cash, at more than 59,000 acceptance points in 40 European countries and use other en-route services. These include toll invoicing, repair shop services, breakdown and towing services as well as the refund of VAT and fuel tax. The company, which was founded in 1963 by Heinrich Eckstein, is majority owned by Edenred SA (83 percent). Edenred is the global market leader for prepaid services for companies, employees and trading partners. In 2017, a business volume of more than 26 billion euros was generated, 78% of which with digital formats. The Edenred services create a unique network for 44 million employees, 770,000 companies and public institutions as well as 1.5 million trading partners. The Eckstein family holds a 17 percent stake in UTA. UTA has won the prestigious image award of the VerkehrsRundschau trade magazine in the category “fuel cards”; the award is presented every two years based on an independent market study by the market research institute Kleffmann. www.uta.com
Kontakt UTA:
Stefan Horst, Head of Marketing
Heinrich-Eckstein-Straße 1
63801 Kleinostheim/Main
Phone: +49 (0) 60 27 509-106
E-Mail: stefanhorst@uta.com
Internet: www.uta.com
Follow UTA on Twitter: www.twitter.com/UTA_DEU