FMJ Facilities Management magazine providing industry-specific intelligence to FM and property professionals
Apleona Group, one of Europe’s leading companies for integrated facility management based near Frankfurt (Main) has signed an agreement to merge with Berlin-based Gegenbauer Group.
With 18,000 employees, the Gegenbauer Group, which is mainly active in Germany, achieves a turnover of almost 900 million euros. Fifty per cent of this relates to technical FM services, the other half to infrastructural services such as maintenance and industrial cleaning.
With the merger, Apleona will become an integrated real estate services company with over 40,000 employees throughout Europe, 28,000 of them in Germany, and annual sales of around EUR 3.5 billion. Apleona’s customers include well-known industrial companies, financial institutions and institutional real estate investors. The service portfolio includes all technical, commercial and infrastructural services for commercial real estate of all asset classes.
Apleona CEO Dr. Jochen Keysberg commented: “With this transaction, Apleona will be even better positioned in terms of the depth of its own services and geographic coverage, especially in terms of infrastructural services, the quality of which Gegenbauer is known for in Germany. Our customers are increasingly looking for professional outsourcing of integrated real estate services, bundling ever larger service packages, including cross-border ones, as well as digital solutions and products for energy saving and decarbonisation in the building stock, which is being exacerbated by the ongoing energy crisis. The merger of Apleona and Gegenbauer contributes precisely to this trend.”
Werner Gegenbauer, shareholder of Gegenbauer, welcomed the merger of the two companies as an ideal solution for the future of Gegenbauer, especially for its 18,000 employees, since the business models, market orientation and customer coverage complemented each other very well. In addition, the corporate cultures of Gegenbauer and Apleona fit together very well.
He said: “Quality in the provision of services, a high affinity for innovation and digitisation, coupled with a pronounced willingness to provide service and professionalism characterise both Gegenbauer and Apleona. I am therefore certain that Gegenbauer employees will be convinced of the advantages of the new, joint company, as they will be part of a long-term success story.”
As part of the transaction, the previous shareholders of the Gegenbauer Group will become shareholders of Apleona. The private equity company PAI Partners will remain the majority shareholder in Apleona after the merger.
Ralph Heuwing, Partner and Head of DACH at PAI Partners, commented: “The merger with Gegenbauer further strengthens Apleona’s market position and growth path. We see Apleona as one of the strongest and most visible brands in the still highly fragmented European FM market. With the support of PAI, Apleona will continue to play an active role in its further consolidation.”
The transaction is still subject to approval by the antitrust authorities and is expected to be completed in summer 2023.
Once the merger is complete, all businesses will be continued under the Apleona umbrella brand.
With the current economic crisis resulting in higher prices and more of a squeeze on resources, FMs need to ensure that they have robust building and maintenance services in place to control costs and reduce the need for emergency repairs. When it comes to drainage and plumbing there are also the challenges of dealing with extreme weather, from droughts to flooding, the need to meet stringent regulations and to avoid causing environmental damage.
UK drainage specialist, Metro Rod, has launched a survey which explores the main areas of interest for FMs in maintaining drainage and plumbing, including how they currently assess their supply chains to ensure they’re working with partners that meet the highest possible standards and provide value for money.
The results will be published online so that you can see how you compare to others within the sector.
The survey should take just 5-10 minutes of your time, and as a thank you, you will be entered into a prize draw, where one lucky winner will be picked at random to receive a £100 Amazon voucher.
To take part click here.
