HKS Systeme: Full Integration of Digital Solutions Provider entervo-access

(eap) Germany’s HKS Systeme GmbH from Paderborn, a specialist in point-of-sale and access solutions for swimming pools and other businesses, has fully integrated its subsidiary entervo-access GmbH, which was established jointly with Scheidt & Bachmann in spring 2019, into its corporate structures. The corresponding entry in the commercial register has already been completed. “We want to become the SAP of the leisure industry,” HKS Managing Director Lutz Klusekemper announced the consolidation with a wink.

Based in Willich, North Rhine-Westphalia, entervo-access GmbH has quickly developed into an established specialist in point-of-sale software and access solutions, particularly for leisure facilities such as pools and thermal baths, theme parks and zoos. Following the full integration of entervo-access into HKS Systeme GmbH, whose group of companies also includes vending-machine specialist Fischer Electronics, the market presence of HKS and entervo-access will in future be unified under the umbrella of the parent company. Going forward, all solutions – from the hardware required for payment and access systems to software solutions and on-site services and support – will be offered from a single source, namely HKS. This is intended to further optimise both internal processes and the support provided to business partners.

In addition to the unified corporate structures, customers can also look forward to new software developments. These include the company’s new proprietary payment module, “HKS Pay”, which was developed in cooperation with Netherlands-based payment platform Adyen. The solution has been live since the end of 2025, and customers have been very satisfied, according to Klusekemper: “The advantage of this solution is that all payment processes – both payments and refunds – can be viewed in one central location. This creates transparency and also reduces the number of organisations involved, because instead of payment service providers such as PayPal or other payment providers, HKS is the sole central point of contact.”

Another focus of product development is on AI-based software tools, as Sales Director Rouven Bartels explained: “In the swimming pool sector, as well as in other leisure facilities, whether publicly or privately operated, there is still a great deal of untapped potential when it comes to the digitalisation and optimisation of processes. We are currently working on expanding our dynamic pricing solution with an AI-based forecasting tool, which is also proving highly successful in the testing phase. Based on empirical data, weather forecasts, seasonal fluctuations and other factors, demand for admission tickets to a leisure facility can already be forecast very accurately. In addition, operators can define their own parameters based on experience and detailed knowledge of their facility. Compared with actual visitor numbers, the accuracy of the demand forecast calculated by our AI model is around 97 to 98 per cent. This enables a leisure operation to reliably plan the deployment of staff and other resources and to manage capacity as effectively as possible through appropriate pricing,” Bartels explained.

In line with the integration of entervo-access, HKS has also expanded its premises in Paderborn. As the 1,600-square-metre office building no longer offered sufficient space, the company leased additional premises in the building opposite. These include several new offices. In total, the HKS Group employs 143 people across its locations in Paderborn and Willich as well as at Fischer Electronics in Schwenningen, Baden-Wuerttemberg. The objective for the future is clear: “We want to show the market what is technically possible in terms of systems,” Klusekemper said, looking ahead with confidence. ■