What BWS does

BWS GmbH is a privately held, founder-owned facility and workforce services company headquartered in Erkelenz, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, operating from a company-owned 1,200 m² building. Founded in 1994 by René Benke as a security services firm, the company broadened in 1998 into building cleaning (Gebäudereinigung) and in January 2017 added a third pillar, Personalservice (temporary staffing, permanent placement, and recruiting), alongside a smaller transport/courier service. The company maintains a 650+ workforce within a 100 km radius around Erkelenz and serves clients across industries including healthcare (hospitals and senior care), industrial and manufacturing, banking and insurance, government (federal and state authorities), hotels, and public administration.

The operating model is organized around four service lines delivered by direct B2B sales: maintenance, window, construction, industrial, healthcare, carpet, and facade cleaning; object protection, patrol, telephone, reception, special surveillance, and courier security services; temporary labor and permanent placement under the iGZ DGB tariff; and dedicated transport services with a GPS-equipped fleet. Operational technology includes an in-house mop laundry facility, modern cleaning equipment, Nextcloud-based employee information portal, Secova digital training platform, Landwehr digital payroll, and GPS fleet tracking, while marketing relies on the corporate website, a dedicated jobs portal, and Facebook/Google tracking pixels.

Revenue is generated through recurring cleaning and security contracts and tariff-based staffing placements, with custom quotes developed after on-site facility inspections. The company holds ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 14001:2015 certifications, a PQ-KEP courier quality certification, a §34a GewO security license, and active memberships in BIV, BDSW, iGZ, VSW, and the IHK. Sales are predominantly enterprise field sales with company-equipped representatives; pricing is not publicly disclosed, and growth is signaled via administrative hiring activity and ongoing job postings in 2025.

Name

BWS

Legal name

BWS GmbH

Website

https://bws.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

BWS GmbH is a privately held, founder-owned facility and workforce services company based in Erkelenz, Germany, delivering building cleaning, security, temporary staffing, and transport services to healthcare, industrial, banking, government, and hospitality clients across a 100 km regional radius with nationwide security coverage and 650+ employees.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Erkelenz

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Gebäudereinigung (Building Cleaning Services): Recurring cleaning contracts for maintenance cleaning, glass cleaning, construction cleaning, industrial cleaning, healthcare cleaning, facade cleaning, and carpet cleaning. Contract-based services with regular intervals (daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly).
2. Sicherheitsdienste (Security Services): Security services including object protection, patrol services, telephone services, reception services, special surveillance, and courier services. Services for administrations, industrial enterprises, and federal/state authorities.
3. Personalservice (Staffing Services): Temporary staffing, recruitment, and personnel placement services. Workers employed under IGZ DGB tariff contracts and assigned to client companies. Also permanent recruitment services for companies.
4. Transportdienst (Transport Services): Courier and delivery services for urgent shipments and timely deliveries, primarily within the security services sector.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

BWS GmbH delivers outsourced building cleaning (Gebäudereinigung), security guard and surveillance services (Sicherheitsdienste), and temporary staffing and recruitment (Personalservice), along with courier/transport services. The company serves industrial, commercial, healthcare, banking, insurance, hospitality, and public-sector clients across a roughly 100 km radius of Erkelenz in North Rhine-Westphalia and provides security services nationwide in Germany. Service delivery is supported by an in-house mop laundry facility, a GPS-tracked vehicle fleet, and ISO 9001/14001-certified operating procedures.

Product overview

BWS GmbH is a diversified service company with a three-pillar structure providing building cleaning, security services, and staffing solutions. The building cleaning division (Gebäudereinigung) offers maintenance cleaning, window cleaning, construction cleaning, healthcare facility cleaning, industrial cleaning, carpet cleaning, and facade cleaning. The security services division (Sicherheitsdienste) provides object protection, patrol services, telephone and reception services, special surveillance, and courier services. The staffing division (Personalservice) offers temporary labor, permanent placement, and recruitment services across industries including logistics, production, hospitality, and administration. A fourth transport service provides courier and delivery solutions. The company operates from its headquarters in Erkelenz with over 650 employees serving a 100km radius around the city, and maintains its own laundry facility for operational equipment.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Gebäudereinigung (Building Cleaning Services) Comprehensive building cleaning services for industrial, commercial, healthcare, and public-sector facilities, including maintenance cleaning, window cleaning, construction cleaning, hospital/care-facility cleaning with state-certified disinfectors, industrial cleaning, carpet cleaning, facade cleaning, and special services such as graffiti removal. Customers include hospitals, senior care facilities, banks, insurance companies, manufacturing firms, and hotels.
• Sicherheitsdienste (Security Services) Professional security services for businesses and public institutions, including object and industrial protection, patrol services, telephone switchboard services, reception/front-desk services, special surveillance (e.g. civilian aviation, public transport monitoring, retail loss prevention, alarm centers, fire brigade support), and same-day courier/mail services. Provided to administrations, industrial enterprises, and federal and state authorities throughout Germany under §34a GewO licensing.
• Personalservice (Staffing Services) Staffing solutions including temporary labor (Zeitarbeit) under iGZ DGB tariff contracts, permanent placement (Personalvermittlung), and full-cycle recruiting services. Workers are employed by BWS and assigned to client companies across logistics, production, hospitality, administration, and skilled trades such as electrical work, providing flexibility for peak workloads and staffing shortages.
• Transportdienst (Transport / Courier Services) Courier and delivery services for urgent shipments and time-sensitive deliveries, operated primarily within the security services portfolio with a modern, GPS-tracked vehicle fleet and PQ-KEP quality certification.

Quantifiable outcome

• 40% annual takeover rate from temporary staffing to permanent positions at client companies
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Landesinnungsverband des Gebäudereiniger-Handwerks NRW (BIV)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMembership in the regional guild association for the building cleaning trade. Provides industry representation, training resources, and recognition (e.g., 25-year anniversary recognition awarded to founder René Benke).
• Bundesverband Deutscher Wach- und Sicherheitsunternehmen (BDSW)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMembership in the federal association for security companies. Represents 600 member companies generating 80% of industry revenue. Provides industry advocacy, training standards, and employer representation for wage negotiations.
• Interessenverband der Zeitarbeitsunternehmen (iGZ)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMembership in the interest group for temporary staffing companies. BWS applies the iGZ DGB tariff for employee compensation, overtime, and benefits. Represents industry standards and worker protections.
• Verband für Sicherheit in der Wirtschaft e.V. (VSW)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociation for security in business. BWS serves as member providing guard and industrial security personnel for administrations, industrial companies, and government authorities.
• Güteschutzverband für Personen-, Veranstaltungs- und Kurierdienstleistungen (GVP)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerQuality association for personnel, event and courier services. Logo displayed as partner association.
• Dein ErkelenzminorOthersLocal city/business initiative in Erkelenz. BWS is a member supporting local community.
• Industrie- und Handelskammer (IHK)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerChamber of Commerce and Industry. BWS works with IHK for training and certification of 'Geprüfte Werkschutzfachkraft' (certified industrial security specialist) through examination committees.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• iGZ-member Zeitarbeit providers (e.g., Adecco Germany, Randstad Germany): Large temporary staffing agencies also operating under iGZ DGB tariff; compete with BWS's Personalservice pillar for the same Zeitarbeit contracts in production, logistics, and administration.
• Dussmann Group: Major German facility services and building cleaning group (Berlin) with cleaning, security, and technical FM at scale; competes in the same B2B verticals as BWS but operates at much larger national footprint.
• Compass Group (Germany): Global contract foodservice and support services group with German operations covering cleaning and facility management at scale; competes for the same enterprise B2B contracts as BWS.
• Securitas (Germany): Global security services leader with German guarding, mobile patrol, and reception offerings — directly comparable to BWS's Sicherheitsdienste pillar and nationwide delivery footprint.

Direct peers

• Dorfner Gruppe: Nürnberg-headquartered German cleaning and facility services provider with strong healthcare/hospital cleaning focus — directly comparable to BWS's Care-Bereich and janitorial core.
• Piepenbrock Unternehmensgruppe: Family-owned German facility services group (Osnabrück) covering cleaning, security, maintenance, and staffing — most direct comparable in ownership structure and three-pillar service breadth.
• Gegenbauer Services: Berlin-based family-run facility management company providing cleaning, security, and personnel services across Germany — closest mid-sized private competitor to BWS in service mix and target customers.
• Kötter Services: Family-owned German security and facility services firm (Essen) with cleaning, security guarding, and personnel services — comparable founder-led structure and overlap in security and staffing offerings.
• Wisag Industrie Service: One of Germany's largest facility services providers (Essen-headquartered), offering building cleaning, security, and technical building services to industrial, commercial, and public-sector clients — directly comparable multi-pillar model to BWS.

Regional players

• Stumpf Gebäudereinigung: Mid-sized German commercial cleaning specialist serving NRW and neighboring regions — directly comparable regional footprint and customer profile to BWS's cleaning core.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/BWS.Gebaeudedienste
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bws-gmbh

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about BWS