Trovarit — Vendor-neutral ERP selection and the Aachener Marktspiegel
Trovarit AG, headquartered in Aachen, is one of the most established vendor-neutral ERP selection advisors in the German-speaking market. Founded as a spin-off from the FIR Institute at RWTH Aachen University, the firm has retained close ties to applied industrial research and uses a research-driven methodology that distinguishes it from generalist management-consulting firms. Trovarit publishes the annual Aachener Marktspiegel Business Software, a long-running market study covering more than 1,000 ERP, CRM and supply-chain products available in the DACH market, plus the regular "ERP in der Praxis" user-satisfaction survey that captures customer-side experience with installed ERP systems. For ERP buyers Trovarit is the natural counterparty when a structured, evidence-based vendor-neutral selection process is required, and its market data provides one of the most comprehensive baselines available for ERP buyers in DACH.
About
Trovarit AG was founded in 2000 in Aachen as a spin-off from the Forschungsinstitut für Rationalisierung (FIR) at RWTH Aachen University. The firm has retained academic links to RWTH and to applied industrial-engineering research, which informs its methodology and contributes to its long-standing publication programme. Headquarters remain in Aachen with a structured presence across DACH. Headcount is in the mid hundreds when associated researchers and partner specialists are counted. The firm is privately held. The Aachener Marktspiegel Business Software is the firm's signature publication: an annually updated market overview that systematically catalogues more than 1,000 ERP, CRM and adjacent business-software products available in DACH, with structured profiles, vendor information and comparison criteria. The "ERP in der Praxis" user-satisfaction survey complements the vendor-side market overview with installed-customer feedback and is published in collaboration with the FIR Institute.
Service offering
The Trovarit portfolio covers four areas. First, vendor-neutral ERP and business-software selection projects: structured selection processes led by Trovarit consultants, covering requirements analysis, longlisting against the Marktspiegel database, RFP execution with scripted demo storylines, scoring and contract negotiation. Second, the Aachener Marktspiegel publication and the underlying IT-Matchmaker database that supports it — customers can use the database directly as a subscription service to scope candidate vendors before deciding whether to engage a full selection project. Third, ERP modernisation and digitisation advisory work that goes beyond selection into broader transformation topics. Fourth, applied research and market studies including the "ERP in der Praxis" user-satisfaction study, sector-specific surveys and ad-hoc commissioned research. The firm does not implement software, does not resell licences and does not take referral commissions, which preserves independence on the buyer side.
DACH positioning
In the DACH ERP selection-advisory market Trovarit occupies a leading position alongside Schwetz Consulting (Karlsruhe), BARC (Würzburg) and several smaller specialist firms. The firm's differentiators are the systematic Marktspiegel market database (the broadest single ERP-vendor catalogue in DACH), the user-satisfaction survey that complements vendor-side analysis with customer-side experience data, the academic-research methodology inherited from the FIR Institute, and the long-standing reference base across Mid-Market industries. The firm contracts under German law, operates inside the EU data-protection framework (GDPR), and is structurally suited to Mid-Market budgets — project fees scale with scope but typically sit in the high five-figure to mid six-figure euro range, materially below global advisory firms' rates for comparable selection work. For Mid-Market customers selecting ERP, Trovarit is one of the natural advisory options to evaluate alongside Schwetz Consulting and BARC.
Strengths and selection considerations
Strengths to consider: systematic market knowledge supported by the Marktspiegel database, user-satisfaction survey data that gives genuine customer-side perspective beyond vendor marketing, academic-research methodology, mature track record across several hundred Mid-Market ERP selection projects, and a clear separation from any vendor commercial channel. For DACH Mid-Market customers running structured ERP selections the firm is a default candidate to evaluate. Limitations to consider: the firm's sweet spot is structured selection processes; for customers who already know their target product and need pure implementation support, an implementation partner is the correct counterparty rather than a vendor-neutral advisor. In very specialised industry niches (specific process-industry verticals, financial-services regulation, automotive Tier-1 supply scenarios) industry-specialist firms may complement Trovarit's broader expertise. For pure-IT-technical evaluations such as cloud-platform architecture or integration-platform selection, dedicated technology consultancies are more appropriate.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is Trovarit genuinely independent of ERP vendors?
Yes. The firm does not implement software, does not resell licences, does not take referral commissions and is not aligned with any specific ERP product. Revenue is generated through customer-paid advisory fees, subscriptions to the IT-Matchmaker database and the Marktspiegel publication, and applied-research projects. Vendors do pay to be listed in the Marktspiegel database, which is a standard market-overview funding model and is disclosed; the selection-project work is structurally separated from the vendor-listing business.
What is the Aachener Marktspiegel?
The Aachener Marktspiegel Business Software is Trovarit's annual market study covering more than 1,000 ERP, CRM and adjacent business-software products available in the DACH market. It includes structured product profiles, vendor information, comparison criteria and the underlying IT-Matchmaker database that customers can use directly to scope candidate vendors. The study has been published continuously for more than two decades and is referenced by Mittelstand buyers, vendors and journalists as one of the most comprehensive DACH ERP market overviews.
How does Trovarit compare with Schwetz Consulting?
Both are established German vendor-neutral selection advisors with comparable independence and DACH market focus. Trovarit emphasises systematic market data through the Marktspiegel database and user-satisfaction surveys, with academic-research methodology inherited from the FIR Institute. Schwetz Consulting is owner-managed, longer-established and emphasises continuous hands-on advisory engagement. For Mittelstand customers either is a credible counterparty; choice often comes down to the specific consultant chemistry and methodology fit in the customer's scenario.