On account of the ongoing outsourcing of real estate services, growth in the external facility services sector will continue to far exceed inflation in the future. A new study by Interconnection Consulting foresees an average annual growth of 4.3% until 2021. For the first time, turnover in technical facility services in Germany was higher than that of infrastructural facility services.

Technical Services on the Rise

The overall market for external facility services in Germany succeeded in breaking the EUR 60 billion mark for the first time (EUR 60.3 billion). Since 2013, infrastructural and technical services in Germany have been roughly equal. However, on account of lower growth in 2017, infrastructural services are, for the first time, less valuable than technical services, which saw an increase of 5.6% in the previous year. Technological advances make infrastructure maintenance of a given property less labor-intensive and thus cheaper, and yet providers cannot just conjure up a slew of new services. Such is not the case in technical services, explains Tobias Stickelberger, author of the study. “Despite general deindustrialization, the advancement in the mechanization of buildings and facilities ends up generating increased revenue in this sector.”

Outsourcing the Driving Force Behind External Services

The market for external facility management services of all providers will expand to over EUR 71 billion by 2021. Companies tend to focus on their core business especially during difficult economic times and therefore outsource facility services. So it is not surprising that the outsourcing rate in 2017 was 56.87%. By comparison, the rate was under 50% in 2012. Overall, the external market increased by 4.7%, but the overall market for facility management (external plus internal) only by 2.1%.

Bitter Price War

The customer segment industry witnessed a growth of 5.0%, making it the leading segment ahead of transport at 5.1% and trade at 4.8%. 16.5% of all services were generated in the newly formed German states and Berlin, whereby the vitality (+4.3%) appears to be flattening again somewhat. Facility services providers complain of shorter contracts and the frequent need to renegotiate prices. “Even well-known providers are hardly able to distinguish themselves enough from the pack to make the price of secondary importance,” explains Stickelberger. Customers who advertise each maintenance group individually and negotiate strictly according to price are common. The top five companies hold 9.4% of the total market. The top ten have a share of 14.86%.

28/06/2024

Copyright: Interconnection, Publication free of charge for coverage regarding the study and InterConnection Consulting.