Lustenau, 30 July 2024: :be AG (ISIN: AT0000A2SGH0, WKN: A3CWWB) has successfully concluded the negotiations for the complete acquisition of a German planning company announced on 27 June 2024 via an ad hoc announcement. The Management Board of :be AG is very pleased to announce that, via its subsidiary 2226 GmbH, it has acquired Pfeil & Koch ingenieurgesellschaft GmbH & Co. KG, which focuses on technical building equipment in conjunction with integrated energy concepts, to the Group family with retroactive effect from 1 January 2024. Pfeil und Koch ingenieurgesellschaft GmbH & Co. KG’ becomes “PKi GmbH” within the framework of an accrual model under company law.
Holistic engineering: development, planning and realisation of sustainable and holistic energy concepts for public and private buildings
The Management Board and Supervisory Board of :be AG share the conviction that PKi GmbH, which is based in Cologne and Stuttgart, Germany, has sustainability in its DNA, just like the :be Group. Founded in 1997, the engineering firm with 48 employees perfectly complements the :be portfolio. With its focus on holistic engineering of technical building equipment (TGA) for new and existing buildings in accordance with all HOAI service phases (LPH 1-9), i.e. the consideration of all factors, in conjunction with holistic energy concepts and supplementary services such as simulations, building physics planning and monitoring, PKi GmbH brings a special facet and experience to the :be family that is ideally suited to the current demand situation in the construction industry. The aim is a lean, innovative and energy-efficient technology that is environmentally friendly and also economical with minimised investment and low operating costs (low-tech approach). PKi GmbH's approach, which is based on knowledge and expertise and focussed on sustainability, is also reflected in its project-specific collaboration with research institutions such as the Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics.
‘We believe in a future in which knowledge saves the world.’
With this motto, PKi GmbH fully agrees with :be AG in its mentality. With commercial and industrial clients as well as the public sector as customers, the order situation is resilient against the backdrop of growing demand for eco-nomically and ecologically sustainable buildings.
The very well-positioned company was up for sale because the two shareholders and managing directors, Prof Markus Pfeil and Dipl.-Ing. Holger Koch, prudently committed themselves at an early stage to a long-term company succession with the right content and ideology to continue their life's work. Involved in university teaching and other projects, they will continue to be available to the company as managing directors.
PKi founders Pfeil and Koch also commented on the choice of :be AG as the buyer: ‘The 2226 principle, the realised building 2226 - and thus the core DNA of the :be group of companies - represent the holistic energy approach that PKi has pursued since its foundation like no other company. We decided in favour of :be AG as the buyer because the two DNAs are very similar in terms of content and our life's work can be transformed into the future in the best possible way. In the many discussions we have had, we have also experienced a high level of appreciation for the people involved and see the family and network-orientated structure of the group of companies as a great advantage for the integration of PKi.’
A strong partner, in terms of content and business
With a total output of around EUR 7 million in 2023 compared to :be AG's consolidated output of EUR 45.1 million, :be AG is bringing a strong partner into the Group. The prospects for PKi GmbH are extremely positive in view of the growing demand for sustainable and energy-efficient solutions for existing and new buildings and the company's unique position in the market. PKi GmbH's current projects include the new construction of the Cologne City Museum and the Curia House of the High Cathedral Church in Cologne with the entire technical building services as well as the new construction of the Deichmann Campus in Essen with commissioned services for a holistic energy concept as well as the entire technical building services and building physics.
‘With the investment in PKi GmbH, we are expanding our Core Business 2226® into the Engineering business field, which is a sensible and effective addition to our traditional Architecture sector,’ says Stefan Ruedl, CFO of :be AG. ‘With the new subsidiary, we are now even more broadly and holistically positioned.’
PKi founders and managing directors Pfeil and Koch agree: ‘We are excited about the opportunity to help shape projects of the :be group of companies with our philosophy of holistic engineering and to be able to realise the integral cooperation between energy conception, technical building equipment and architecture on a completely new level. We are looking forward to being able to support the pure 2226® approach or a fundamental low-tech approach in many projects - an exciting opportunity to contribute our expertise and create something new together with the other project participants!’
With the acquisition of PKi GmbH, the :be AG subsidiary 2226 GmbH can continue to fulfil its scaling objectives. ‘To this end, another competence centre for 2226® will soon be established at the new Stuttgart site,’ says Axel Meier, Managing Director of 2226 GmbH. ‘The synergy effects are obvious - and we look forward to learning from each other.’
The range of services associated with 2226® will initially be offered in Stuttgart and Cologne in the core German market, but will also be made available to international clients in the medium term.
Further information can be found in the PDF download.