saas.group has acquired Aplano, a Berlin-based workforce-planning platform used by more than 2,500 small and mid-sized businesses across sectors including pharmacies, care, retail, hospitality, logistics and cleaning.
The acquisition adds shift planning, time tracking and absence management to saas.group’s HR portfolio. Aplano combines web and mobile tools, allowing managers to publish rotas, while employees can view shifts, request leave, state availability and swap shifts. Hours can be recorded via phone, tablet or terminal and exported for payroll.
The business was founded in 2020 after its three founders encountered the practical difficulty of managing shifts in a pharmacy using spreadsheets and chat messages. They bootstrapped the platform, focusing on simple adoption for operational teams.
“Aplano gives our HR portfolio a strong product for people who don’t work at a desk, and we’re excited to help the team take it further.”
Tim Schumacher, Founding Partner at saas.group
Supporting shift-based teams
For employers operating around the clock or across multiple locations, workforce planning can create substantial administrative pressure. Bringing scheduling, time recording and leave management into one system is intended to make day-to-day coordination easier for both managers and teams.
David Gregorian, co-founder of Aplano, said that customers would see no immediate change: “Same product, same people, with a much bigger team behind it.”
Expansion of an HR software portfolio
saas.group, founded in 2017, acquires SaaS businesses with product-market fit and annual recurring revenue between $2 million and $10 million. The group now has around 400 people across 30 countries and has acquired 28 companies.
The deal was advised by Lina Law and BA Group for saas.group, and by FE International and EKM Law for Aplano.
