Dusseldorf The Dussmann Group has announced the highest turnover in its 59-year company history. Last year, the key figure rose by 11.2 percent to 2.31 million euros, as can be seen from the balance sheet currently presented.
In 2020, the sales of the Berlin service company had fallen by 2.6 percent. The profit margin before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) increased from 5.1 to 6.4 percent. The company did not provide any specific information about the profit.
Catherine von Fürstenberg-Dussmann, Chairwoman of the Board of Trustees, commented on the record result that she does not expect such sales growth every year – she would be happy with five percent. But she and Wolf-Dieter Adlhoch, who has now been appointed CEO by the board spokesman, have big plans.
In an interview with the Handelsblatt, the 46-year-old said that the company wanted to grow primarily in the field of technical services: “We are currently in advanced discussions with several companies in the field of building technology and technical facility management in different countries.”
Adlhoch’s acquisitions had already contributed almost 58 million euros to record sales in 2021. An Austrian cleaning service provider specializing in operating theaters, a German refrigeration and air conditioning specialist and a Polish building service provider with expertise in automation have also joined.
Dussmann has now put 710 charging stations into operation.
Dussmann wants to grow in the building cleaning business, above all doubling sales of technical services. This is currently at 208 million euros, slightly lower than in the previous year. Overall, the division processed a business volume of 321 million euros, which corresponds to an increase of almost 27 percent over the previous year. However, according to the German Commercial Code (HGB), this will only have an effect on the balance sheet in 2022. In addition, the technical services in facility management would also increase.
“In the long term, we want to generate sales of around one billion euros with technical services,” said Adlhoch. If Dussmann wants to be a solution provider, you have to be represented along the entire value chain from planning, installation and maintenance. This also included, for example, skills in the fields of automation, measurement technology, sensors and AI. Von Fürstenberg-Dussmann added: “My vision is that the Dussmann Group is a ‘problem solving company’ that always offers the best and most innovative solutions for our customers.”
>> Read more: Viessmann is investing one billion euros in air conditioning solutions and heat pumps
The technical services also include the “Chargemaker” joint venture with the regional energy supplier Mainova. Chargemaker plans, installs, maintains and operates charging stations on private and semi-public spaces such as shopping malls. In total, Dussmann has now put 710 electric charging points into operation. This also includes the largest charging park in an office building, the Frankfurt Tower 185 with 130 charging points.
In doing so, Dussmann positioned itself in its strategy for the future in all major megatrends, as Adlhoch explains: “Digitalization, sustainability in the light of climate change and a changed world of work and business”. The service group is also benefiting from the increasing need for childcare and care for the elderly.
The Care and Kids division grew by around eight percent to almost 500 million euros. These include the bilingual cultural kindergartens and the Kursana care facilities, of which more are planned in Brandenburg and the Ruhr area. Four years ago, Adlhoch launched the new Dussmann strategy as a multi-service provider. In the summer, a new market presence should also make this change visible to the outside world, he promised.
Own employee app
At Dussmann, digitization not only includes tools for building technology and customers, but also the employee app. Such apps are particularly useful for companies that employ a large number of people, and also in places where the employees do not sit at the computer every day. A total of 64,400 people are employed at Dussmann, a good 40,000 more than in 2020. Since the beginning of the year, Adlhoch says, in addition to the already established “My Dussmann” employee platform, there has also been an app for mobile devices.
The solution was specially developed for the Berlin family business because “we wanted to include documentation requirements for our customers and replace previous paperwork,” explains the company boss, who has been at the helm since 2019 and once came from Bilfinger.
Currently, 10,000 employees are already connected via app. By the end of the year, there should be 15,000 who will also be able to control their vacation planning from their mobile phone and view their payslips. Adlhoch explains that the challenge lies in the fact that, in addition to the teething problems of an individual app, each country has its own legal framework.
Chairwoman of the Board of Trustees Catherine von Fürstenberg-Dussmann and CEO Wolf-Dieter Adlhoch (right) announce record sales.
The chairwoman of the foundation board and the head of the company attach great importance to sustainability, which has been identified as a future trend. They also want to score points with their customers and conserve resources with smart solutions. On the menus in the catering business, significantly more dishes are said to be healthier and at the same time better for the planet. In autumn, the company wants to open its first “Planetary Health Restaurant” with a new concept. The idea of healthy cuisine made from plant-based ingredients with regional products should also be available to other customers.
New Work also plays a major role in Adlhoch’s strategy. Since the beginning of the pandemic, many offices have been empty and have not had to be cleaned. Therefore, the service provider now offers on-demand cleaning, so-called smart refrigerators for flexible supply at the workplace and advice on the subject of air purifiers.
There is still no new development in the inheritance dispute between 71-year-old Catherine von Fürstenberg-Dussmann and her daughter. The company does not provide any information on this. In 2019, an expert confirmed that company founder Peter Dussmann was ill when he changed his will in 2010, but was able to testify. The change concerned the division of assets. According to this, his wife should receive 75 percent and his daughter only 25 percent.
When asked how the company should be set up in the future, von Fürstenberg-Dussmann said that the company had long been run by a foundation. “And there are no plans to change that. The corporate structures of the Dussmann Group, via the Dussmann Stiftung & Co. KG, are designed in such a way that our company is not affected by personal matters.”
More: Entrepreneur Michael Otto: “We now have a time window for an energy transition in Europe”