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Industrial Cleaning Activities in Germany - Market Research Report (2014-2029)

David Riemeier David Riemeier Frankfurt, Germany Last Updated: August 2024 WZ N81.22DE

Revenue

€5.5bn

2024

€5.5bn

Past 5-Year Growth

Profit

€XXX.Xm

Employees

99,196

Businesses

11,867

Wages

€X.Xbn

Industrial Cleaning Activities in Germany industry analysis

Companies operating in this sector carry out specialised cleaning of buildings and machinery. The services provided by industry players range from window and façade cleaning and the disinfection of surfaces and equipment to the cleaning of sewage treatment plants and digestion towers. In the period from 2019 to 2024, turnover in the sector increased by an average of 2.2% per year. For 2024, industry turnover is expected to amount to €5.5 billion, which corresponds to an increase in turnover of 0.6% compared to the previous year. The reason for the low growth in industry turnover over the past five years is the economic development of the industry after the peak of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, as the number of potential corporate customers decreased at that time. In addition, more contracts were awarded to facility management companies from outside the industry, which led to industry players being bypassed.The customers of industry participants are sometimes private individuals or public institutions, but mostly companies in the manufacturing, catering and pharmaceutical industries. As a result, the still reduced willingness of many companies to spend due to the slow progress in overcoming the negative economic consequences of the coronavirus pandemic is leading to lower demand for specialised cleaning services. In addition, the number of companies in Germany is still below pre-crisis levels, which means that the number of potential customers in the sector is also still reduced. However, the healthcare sector is likely to grow in the current year and outsource more cleaning and disinfection services to external service providers again. The increase in construction activity, particularly with regard to tall residential and office buildings in cities as a result of increasing urbanisation, is also having a positive impact on demand for specialist cleaning services and therefore on the industry's sales growth. < />In the period from 2024 to 2029, industry revenue is expected to increase by 3.3% per year, resulting in industry revenue of €6.4 billion in 2029. As the industry is back in the growth phase of its life cycle and it can be very profitable for new industry players to enter niche markets, the number of companies operating in the industry is expected to increase over the next five years.

Trends and Insights

  • The economic recovery after the pandemic is slow, which is dampening the sales potential of speciality cleaners. The decline in the number of companies since 2021 is reducing the number of potential corporate customers that are of great importance to the industry.
  • The growth in turnover in the food manufacturing industry increases the need for machine cleaning. The proportion of turnover generated by machine cleaning should therefore develop slightly positively over the next few years.
  • In an interregional comparison, the Centre and South regions have the most specialist cleaning companies. This is due to the high population share of the two regions.
  • Competition from facility management companies is increasing. More and more customers prefer to commission a single company to provide all building services, which benefits facility managers.

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Industry Statistics and Trends

Market size and recent performance (2014-2029)

Industry revenue has grown at a CAGR of 2.2 % over the past five years, to reach an estimated €5.5bn in 2024.

Trends and Insights

The longer-term effects of the coronavirus pandemic are weakening industry sales

  • The coronavirus pandemic initially increased demand in the healthcare sector, particularly for disinfection services, as the need for specialist cleaning services soared due to the high capacity utilisation of hospitals and stricter hygiene regulations.
  • Additional trends and insights available with purchase
Industrial Cleaning Activities in Germany
Revenue (2014-2029)
IBISWorld Logo Source: IBISWorld

Industry outlook (2024-2029)

Market size is projected to grow over the next five years.

Trends and Insights

The increasing staff shortage is being counteracted with more attractive conditions

  • Specialist cleaners, like many other training sectors, have difficulties attracting young people for vocational training. The shortage of trained specialists is an additional complicating factor. Aspects such as low wages, unfavourable working hours and low social recognition damage the attractiveness as a potential employer.

Biggest companies in the Industrial Cleaning Activities in Germany

Company
Market Share (%)
2024
Revenue (€m)
2024
Piepenbrock Unternehmensgruppe GmbH & Co. KG
308.7
Aveco Holding AG
290.5
Gegenbauer Holding SE & Co. KG
79.4

To view the market share and analysis for all 5 top companies in this industry, view purchase options.

Products & Services Segmentation

Industrial Cleaning Activities in Germany
Products & Services
IBISWorld Logo Source: IBISWorld

Industry revenue is measured across several distinct product and services lines, including Window and façade cleaning, Disinfection cleaning and Cleaning machines. Window and façade cleaning is the largest segment of the Industrial Cleaning Activities in Germany.

Trends and Insights

Chimney cleaners' sales are threatened by the energy crisis

  • Chimney cleaning includes the cleaning and testing of fireplaces, chimneys and flue systems. It also includes the inspection, testing and flue gas measurement of chimneys and other systems as well as fire protection.
  • More insights available in the full report

Table of Contents

About this industry

Industry definition

This sector includes the cleaning of chimneys as well as the special cleaning of buildings and machines, which includes window and façade cleaning as well as the cleaning of ovens, boilers, ventilation shafts and the sterilisation of objects and systems. However, it does not include the cleaning of building shells or the shampooing of carpets and rugs.

What's included in this industry?

Window and façade cleaningDisinfection cleaningCleaning machinesChimney cleaning

Companies

Piepenbrock Unternehmensgruppe GmbH & Co. KGAveco Holding AGGegenbauer Holding SE & Co. KG

Purchase this report to view all 5 major companies in this industry.

Related Terms

FACILITY MANAGEMENTFAULTURMREINRAUM

Industry Code

WZ 2008

WZ 81.22 - Industrial Cleaning Activities in Germany

Performance

Get an indication of the industry's health through historical, current and forward-looking trends in the performance indicators that make or break businesses.

Analyst insights

The economic recovery after the pandemic is slow, which is dampening the sales potential of speciality cleaners. The decline in the number of companies since 2021 is reducing...

In this chapter (4)

  • Current Performance
  • Outlook
  • Volatility
  • Life Cycle

Key metrics

  • Annual Revenue, Recent Growth, Forecast, Revenue Volatility
  • Number of Employees, Recent Growth, Forecast, Employees per Business, Revenue per Employee
  • Number of Businesses, Recent Growth, Forecast, Employees per Business, Revenue per Business
  • Total Profit, Profit Margin, Profit per Business

Charts

  • Revenue, including historical (2014-2023) and forecast (2024-2029)
  • Employees, including historical (2014-2023) and forecast (2024-2029)
  • Businesses, including historical (2014-2023) and forecast (2024-2029)
  • Profit, including historical (2014-2024)
  • Industry Volatility vs. Revenue Growth
  • Industry Life Cycle

Detailed analysis

  • Trends in supply, demand and current events that are driving current industry performance
  • Expected trends, economic factors and ongoing events that drive the industry's outlook
  • Key success factors for businesses to overcome volatility
  • How contribution to GDP, industry saturation, innovation, consolidation, and technology and systems influence the industry's life cycle phase.

Products and Markets

Learn about an industry's products and services, markets and trends in international trade.

Analyst insight

The growth in turnover in the food manufacturing industry increases the need for machine cleaning. The proportion of turnover generated by machine cleaning should therefore d...

In this chapter

  • Products & Services
  • Major Markets

Key metrics

  • Largest market segment and value in 2024
  • Product innovation level

Charts

  • Products & services segmentation in 2024
  • Major market segmentation in 2024

Detailed analysis

  • Trends impacting the recent performance of the industry's various segments
  • Innovations in the industry's product or service offering, specialization or delivery method
  • Key factors that successful businesses consider in their offerings
  • Buying segments and key trends influencing demand for industry products and services

Geographic Breakdown

Discover where business activity is most concentrated in an industry and the factors driving these trends to find opportunities and conduct regional benchmarking.

Analyst insights

In an interregional comparison, the Centre and South regions have the most specialist cleaning companies. This is due to the high population share of the two regions.

In this chapter (1)

  • Business Locations

Charts

  • Share of revenue, establishment, wages and employment in each region
  • Share of population compared to establishments in each region in 2024

Tables

  • Number and share of establishments in each region in 2024
  • Number and share of revenue each region accounts for in 2024
  • Number and share of wages each region accounts for in 2024
  • Number and share of employees in each region in 2024

Detailed analysis

  • Geographic spread of the industry across Europe, and trends associated with changes in the business landscape
  • Key success factors for businesses to use location to their advantage

Competitive Forces

Get data and insights on what's driving competition in an industry and the challenges industry operators and new entrants may face, with analysis built around Porter's Five Forces framework.

Analyst insights

Competition from facility management companies is increasing. More and more customers prefer to commission a single company to provide all building services, which benefits f...

In this chapter (4)

  • Concentration
  • Barriers to Entry
  • Substitutes
  • Buyer & Supplier Analysis

Key metrics

  • Industry concentration level
  • Industry competition level and trend
  • Barriers to entry level and trend
  • Substitutes level and trend
  • Buyer power level and trend
  • Supplier power level and trend

Charts

  • Market share concentration among the top 4 suppliers from 2019-2024
  • Supply chain including upstream supplying industries and downstream buying industries, flow chart

Detailed analysis

  • Factors impacting the industry’s level of concentration, such as business distribution, new entrants, or merger and acquisition activity.
  • Key success factors for businesses to manage the competitive environment of the industry.
  • Challenges that potential industry entrants face such as legal, start-up costs, differentiation, labor/capital intensity and capital expenses.
  • Key success factors for potential entrants to overcome barriers to entry.
  • Competitive threats from potential substitutes for the industry’s own products and services.
  • Key success factors for how successful businesses can compete with substitutes.
  • Advantages that buyers have to keep favorable purchasing conditions.
  • Advantages that suppliers have to maintain favorable selling conditions.
  • Key success factors for how businesses can navigate buyer and supplier power.

Companies

Learn about the performance of the top companies in the industry.

Analyst insights

Prestigious major contracts strengthen the image and market position of the Piepenbrock Group. For example, it was able to secure the contract to clean the Elbphilharmonie co...

In this chapter

  • Market Share Concentration
  • Companies
  • Company Spotlights

Charts

  • Industry market share by company in 2020 through 2024
  • Major companies in the industry, including market share, revenue, profit and profit margin in 2024
  • Overview of Piepenbrock Unternehmensgruppe GmbH & Co. KG's performance by revenue, market share and profit margin from 2018 through 2024
  • Overview of Aveco Holding AG's performance by revenue, market share and profit margin from 2018 through 2024
  • Overview of Gegenbauer Holding SE & Co. KG's performance by revenue, market share and profit margin from 2018 through 2024
  • Overview of revenue, market share and profit margin trend for 2 additional companies

Detailed analysis

  • Description and key data for Piepenbrock Unternehmensgruppe GmbH & Co. KG, and factors influencing its performance in the industry
  • Description and key data for Aveco Holding AG, and factors influencing its performance in the industry
  • Description and key data for Gegenbauer Holding SE & Co. KG, and factors influencing its performance in the industry
  • Description, key data and performance trends for 2 additional companies

External Environment

Understand the demographic, economic and regulatory factors that shape how businesses in an industry perform.   

Analyst insights

The specialist cleaners who specialise in cleaning chimneys receive support from the Federal Association of Chimney Sweeps. The association's tasks include representing the i...

In this chapter

  • External Drivers
  • Regulation & Policy
  • Assistance

Key metrics

  • Regulation & policy level and trend
  • Assistance level and trend

Charts

  • Regulation & Policy historical data and forecast (2014-2029) 
  • Assistance historical data and forecast (2014-2029) 

Detailed analysis

  • Demographic and macroeconomic factors influencing the industry, including Regulation & Policy and Assistance
  • Major types of regulations, regulatory bodies, industry standards or specific regulations impacting requirements for industry operators
  • Key governmental and non-governmental groups or policies that may provide some relief for industry operators.

Financial Benchmarks

View average costs for industry operators and compare financial data against an industry's financial benchmarks over time. 

Analyst insights

Over the past five years, the profit margin has fallen slightly. The reason for this was the higher number of market participants and the resulting intensified competition.

In this chapter

  • Cost Structure
  • Financial Ratios
  • Key Ratios

Key metrics

  • Profit margin, and how it compares to the sector-wide margin
  • Average wages, and how it compares to the sector-wide average wage
  • Largest cost component as a percentage of revenue
  • Industry average ratios for days' receivables, industry coverage and debt-to-net-worth ratio

Charts

  • Average industry operating costs as a share of revenue, including purchases, wages, depreciation, utilities, rent, other costs and profit in 2024
  • Average sector operating costs as a share of revenue, including purchases, wages, depreciation, utilities, rent, other costs and profit in 2024
  • Investment vs. share of economy

Data tables

  • Cash Flow & Debt Service Ratios (2014-2029)
  • Revenue per Employee (2014-2029)
  • Revenue per Enterprise (2014-2029)
  • Employees per Establishment (2014-2029)
  • Employees per Enterprise (2014-2029)
  • Average Wage (2014-2029)
  • Wages/Revenue (2014-2029)
  • Establishments per Enterprise (2014-2029)
  • IVA/Revenue (2014-2029)
  • Imports/Demand (2014-2029)
  • Exports/Revenue (2014-2029)

Detailed analysis

  • Trends in the cost component for industry operators and their impact on industry costs and profitability 

Key Statistics

Industry Data

Data Tables

Including values and annual change:

  • Revenue (2014-2029)
  • IVA (2014-2029)
  • Establishments (2014-2029)
  • Enterprises (2014-2029)
  • Employment (2014-2029)
  • Exports (2014-2029)
  • Imports (2014-2029)
  • Wages (2014-2029)

Top Questions Answered

Unlock comprehensive answers and precise data upon purchase. View purchase options.

What is the market size of the Industrial Cleaning Activities industry in Germany in 2024?

The market size of the Industrial Cleaning Activities industry in Germany is €5.5bn in 2024.

How many businesses are there in the Industrial Cleaning Activities in Germany industry in 2024?

There are 11,867 businesses in the Industrial Cleaning Activities industry in Germany, which has grown at a CAGR of 2.2 % between 2019 and 2024.

Has the Industrial Cleaning Activities industry in Germany grown or declined over the past 5 years?

The market size of the Industrial Cleaning Activities industry in Germany has been growing at a CAGR of 2.2 % between 2019 and 2024.

What is the forecast growth of the Industrial Cleaning Activities industry in Germany over the next 5 years?

Over the next five years, the Industrial Cleaning Activities industry in Germany is expected to grow.

What are the biggest companies in the Industrial Cleaning Activities market in Germany?

The biggest companies operating in the Industrial Cleaning Activities market in Germany are Piepenbrock Unternehmensgruppe GmbH & Co. KG, Aveco Holding AG and Gegenbauer Holding SE & Co. KG

What does the Industrial Cleaning Activities in Germany include?

Window and façade cleaning and Disinfection cleaning are part of the Industrial Cleaning Activities industry.

Which companies have the highest market share in the Industrial Cleaning Activities in Germany?

The company holding the most market share in Germany is Piepenbrock Unternehmensgruppe GmbH & Co. KG.

How competitive is the Industrial Cleaning Activities industry in Germany?

The level of competition is high and steady in the Industrial Cleaning Activities industry in Germany.

Related Industries

Widen your competitive advantage with related industries

Competitors

  • There are no industries to display.

Complementors

  • There are no industries to display.

International industries

  • Commercial Cleaning Services in Australia
  • Commercial Cleaning Services in New Zealand
  • Industrial Cleaning Activities in the UK
  • Window Cleaning Services in the UK

View all industries in Germany

Methodology

How are IBISWorld reports created?

IBISWorld has been a leading provider of trusted industry research for over 50 years to the most successful companies worldwide. With offices in Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany and China, we are proud to have local teams of analysts that conduct research, data analysis and forecasting to produce data-driven industry reports.

Our analysts start with official, verified and publicly available sources of data to build the most accurate picture of each industry. Analysts then leverage their expertise and knowledge of the local markets to synthesize trends into digestible content for IBISWorld readers. Finally, each report is reviewed by one of IBISWorld’s editors, who provide quality assurance to ensure accuracy and readability.

IBISWorld relies on human-verified data and human-written analysis to compile each standard industry report. We do not use generative AI tools to write insights, although members can choose to leverage AI-based tools within the platform to generate additional analysis formats.

What data sources do IBISWorld analysts use?

Each industry report incorporates data and research from government databases, industry-specific sources, industry contacts, and our own proprietary database of statistics and analysis to provide balanced, independent and accurate insights.

Key data sources in Germany include:

  • German Federal Statistics Office (Destatis)
  • European Statistics Office (Eurostat)
  • United Nations Comtrade

Analysts also use industry specific sources to complement catch-all sources, although their perspective may focus on a particular organization or representative body, rather than a clear overview of all industry operations. However, when balanced against other perspectives, industry-specific sources provide insights into industry trends.

These sources include:

  • Industry and trade associations
  • Industry federations or regulators
  • Major industry players annual or quarterly filings

Finally, IBISWorld’s global data scientists maintain a proprietary database of macroeconomic and demand drivers, which our analysts use to help inform industry data and trends. They also maintain a database of statistics and analysis on thousands of industries, which has been built over our more than 50-year history and offers comprehensive insights into long-term trends.

How does IBISWorld forecast its data?

IBISWorld’s analysts and data scientists use the sources above to create forecasts for our proprietary datasets and industry statistics. Depending on the dataset, they may use regression analysis, multivariate analysis, time-series analysis or exponential smoothing techniques to project future data for the industry or driver. Additionally, analysts will leverage their local knowledge of industry operating and regulatory conditions to impart their best judgment on the forecast model.

IBISWorld prides itself on being a trusted, independent source of data, with over 50 years of experience building and maintaining rich datasets and forecasting tools. We are proud to be the keystone source of industry information for thousands of companies across the world.

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