What HOLINGER AG does

HOLINGER AG, headquartered in Liestal, Switzerland and founded in 1933, is a privately held, 100% employee-owned engineering consultancy specializing in solutions for the water cycle. It operates through nine integrated service areas — wastewater (Abwasser), construction (Bau), digital planning (Digitales Planen), energy, industry, urban drainage (Siedlungsentwässerung), environment & sustainability, hydraulic engineering (Wasserbau), and water supply (Wasserversorgung) — delivered by multidisciplinary teams spanning roughly 700 employees across more than 30 offices in 13 countries, with primary operations in Switzerland, Germany (HOLINGER Ingenieure GmbH), and Luxembourg (HOLINGER SA). Its technical backbone is Open-BIM-based digital planning using IFC model exchange, BIMcollab for model-based issue management, BIM-to-Field construction methodology, Autodesk Revit for 3D modeling, and Mike+ for 2D surface runoff simulation in flood protection and urban drainage projects.

The company serves primarily municipal water and wastewater utilities, public infrastructure authorities (flood protection, river restoration), and industrial clients (agrifood, pharma/biotech, energy, paper, machinery) across the DACH region, with selected project engagement in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Uzbekistan. Representative large-scale engagements include the CHF 300 million ARA Basel wastewater treatment plant expansion (2018-2025, serving 260,000 inhabitants) and the multi-hundred-million-euro Bodensee-Wasserversorgung 'Zukunftsquelle' drinking water project (running through ~2041, serving ~4 million people in Baden-Württemberg). The group is organized around four wholly-owned subsidiaries (ENVILAB environmental lab, IAT Ingenieurberatung Stuttgart, MAULER, TK CONSULT) and a separate Holinger International brand.

HOLINGER generates revenue primarily through project-based engineering consulting fees (multidisciplinary engineering planning, design, construction supervision, and operational support across the water, wastewater, energy, and environment value chain). Pricing is quote-based, negotiated per project with municipal, governmental, and industrial clients, and typically spans multi-year contract horizons. The firm acquires work through public tenders, competitive bidding, and long-term consultancy relationships, supported by its dense regional office network and 90+ years of regulatory and technical reputation in the water sector.

Name

HOLINGER AG

Legal name

HOLINGER AG

Website

https://holinger.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1933

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

HOLINGER AG is a Swiss employee-owned engineering consultancy founded in 1933, specializing in multidisciplinary water-cycle solutions (wastewater, water supply, hydraulic engineering, urban drainage, energy, and environment) for municipalities, public utilities, and industrial clients across Switzerland, Germany, and Luxembourg.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Water Engineering Consulting

NAICS

Engineering Services (541330), Environmental Consulting Services (54162), Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (5413)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711)

akta.pro primary industry

Water, Wastewater & Hydraulics Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Energy & Water Efficiency Programs (Corporate Resource Management) (EUAHAJAG)

Keywords

• Water cycle engineering
• Wastewater treatment consulting
• Hydraulic engineering services
• BIM infrastructure planning
• Municipal water supply

Headquarters

HQ city

Winterthur

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices21 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Engineering Consulting & Project Services: HOLINGER generates revenue through fees for multidisciplinary engineering consulting across the water cycle. Services span wastewater treatment, water supply, hydraulic engineering, energy systems, environmental consulting, construction, and urban drainage. Projects range from studies and planning through to construction supervision and operational support, typically billed on a project fee or time-and-materials basis.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

HOLINGER AG provides multidisciplinary engineering consulting, planning, design, construction supervision, and operational support services across the entire water cycle. With over 700 employees at more than 30 locations, the firm delivers roughly 4,500 projects annually across 13 countries through nine service areas covering wastewater, construction, digital planning (BIM), energy, industry, urban drainage, environment and sustainability, hydraulic engineering, and water supply. Projects typically span from feasibility studies and master planning through detailed design, construction oversight, and operational optimization.

Product overview

HOLINGER AG is an engineering services company offering multidisciplinary consulting and planning services for the entire water cycle. The company operates a platform-plus-service-area model with nine distinct service areas: Wastewater (Abwasser), Construction (Bau), Digital Planning (Digitales Planen), Energy, Industry, Urban Drainage (Siedlungsentwässerung), Environment & Sustainability, Hydraulic Engineering (Wasserbau), and Water Supply (Wasserversorgung). These service areas function as integrated competencies, with multidisciplinary project teams combining expertise across service lines to deliver comprehensive engineering solutions from project conception through implementation. The company also maintains specialized subsidiaries (ENVILAB, IAT Ingenieurberatung, MAULER, TK CONSULT) that extend specific service capabilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Wastewater Engineering (Abwasser) Multidisciplinary engineering and consulting for municipal and industrial wastewater treatment plant design, including plant upgrades, process optimization, micro-pollutant elimination (ozonation, PAC, sand filtration), biological nitrogen removal (SBR, Anammox), sludge digestion with biogas recovery, and operational support. Clients include municipal utilities (e.g., ProRheno AG for ARA Basel) and industrial operators.
• Construction Engineering (Bau) Civil and structural engineering services including excavation planning, subsurface investigation, fire protection, seismic evaluation, infrastructure construction, industrial and building construction, road and railway construction, and structural engineering. Applied across water and wastewater infrastructure projects.
• Digital Planning (Digitales Planen) Digital planning services using BIM methodology, GIS systems, and CAD modeling. Includes 3D modeling (Autodesk REVIT), model-based issue management (BIMcollab), Open-BIM approach with IFC model exchange coordinated every two weeks, integrated data management, and BIM-to-Field implementation for selected construction phases.
• Energy Engineering (Energie) Energy solutions including district heating/cooling area supply systems, energy storage, heating and cooling plants, power plants (hydro, photovoltaic, CHP, gas turbines, ORC), and special facilities such as biomass digestion and gas treatment. Includes sustainable retrofits such as the renewable peak heating energy project at Zoo Basel.
• Industrial Engineering (Industrie) Industrial engineering services for water, air, soil, energy, and infrastructure, including water supply, recycling systems, industrial wastewater treatment, exhaust air treatment, and energy systems for agriculture, pharmaceuticals, biotech, energy, paper, machinery and surface treatment, and infrastructure/mobility sectors. Example engagement: environmental impact report for Schilliger Holz AG wood fibre board plant.
• Urban Drainage Engineering (Siedlungsentwässerung) Urban drainage services including rainwater management, sponge city/blue-green infrastructure, drainage concepts, data management, river ecology, surface runoff modeling (e.g., Mike+ 2D), sewerage systems, 1D/2D/3D hydraulic modeling, and integrated network management. Example project: sponge city measure catalogue for the City of Winterthur.
• Environment & Sustainability Consulting (Umwelt & Nachhaltigkeit) Environmental services including environmental impact assessments (UVP), contaminated site remediation, radon measurement, hazardous substances investigation, waste management, sustainability consulting, hydrogeological reports, geothermal utilization, and environmental impact studies for area development projects.
• Hydraulic Engineering (Wasserbau) Hydraulic engineering including flood protection, river revitalization projects, water body spatial demarcation, watercourse maintenance planning, emergency planning, surface runoff analysis (Mike+ 2D), and ecosystem restoration. Example projects: Dünnern flood protection and revitalization in Herbetswil; surface runoff modeling for the City of Schaffhausen.
• Water Supply Engineering (Wasserversorgung) Water supply engineering including facility and pipeline construction, drinking water treatment (e.g., ultrafiltration with 20nm pore size for Bodensee-Wasserversorgung), operational consulting, strategic planning, quality assurance, protection zones, and hydraulic calculations. Includes major projects such as Bodensee-Wasserversorgung 'Zukunftsquelle' serving ~4 million people and the Bihac drinking water supply project.

Quantifiable outcome

• 34% women's share in engineering roles (2022), rising to 37% (2023), significantly above the industry average of ~16% (2015 data)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, moderate and minor.

• LOPP IngenieurbürocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021HOLINGER was commissioned together with LOPP to plan the new lake waterworks for the Bodensee-Wasserversorgung 'Zukunftsquelle' project. The two engineering firms collaborate on this major drinking water infrastructure project involving ultrafiltration plants and independent extraction pipelines. The project demonstrates HOLINGER's ability to lead complex multi-firm planning consortia.
• buildingSMART InternationalmoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerHOLINGER is a member of buildingSMART International, the leading organization for digital transformation in the built environment through open BIM standards. Membership supports HOLINGER's digital planning capabilities and ensures alignment with international BIM standards. buildingSMART enables the development and adoption of interoperable, open digital standards that HOLINGER applies in its infrastructure projects.
• Krebs und Herde Landschaftsarchitekten & Oeplan Umweltfachleute (ARGE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHOLINGER formed a working group (ARGE – Arbeitsgemeinschaft) with Krebs and Herde landscape architects and Oeplan environmental specialists to win the 'Blaumeise' competition for the Kasernenareal in Zurich. The multidisciplinary team won the open competition for redesigning outdoor spaces including the barracks courtyard, meadows, and Zeughaus courtyard.
• Bauen Digital Schweiz / buildingSMART SwitzerlandmoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerHOLINGER is a member of Bauen Digital Schweiz / buildingSMART Switzerland, the leading platform for digital transformation of the Swiss construction and real estate industry. Membership encompasses institutions, associations, and companies along the entire value chain, aiming to enable end-to-end cooperation over the lifecycle of a building.
• ENVILABminorOthersENVILAB is a subsidiary of HOLINGER AG listed on the company's website. ENVILAB operates as a separate entity within the HOLINGER group, providing environmental laboratory and analysis services that complement HOLINGER's engineering offerings.
• IAT Ingenieurberatung (IAT Stuttgart)minorOthersIAT Ingenieurberatung is a subsidiary of HOLINGER AG, based in Stuttgart, Germany. The engineering consultancy extends HOLINGER's presence and capabilities in the German market.
• MAULERminorOthersMAULER is a subsidiary of HOLINGER AG. The specific focus of MAULER is listed on the HOLINGER group website alongside other subsidiaries.
• TK CONSULTminorOthersTK CONSULT is a subsidiary of HOLINGER AG, listed on the company's website. It operates as an engineering consultancy within the HOLINGER group structure.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• EBP Schweiz AG: Swiss planning and engineering consultancy with strong water and environmental practices. Competes for the same municipal and federal water infrastructure mandates.
• Basler & Hofmann AG: Swiss engineering consultancy with comparable headcount (~600+) and overlapping water, energy, transport, and environment practices. Direct same-market competitor for municipal water/wastewater tenders in Switzerland.
• Gruner AG: Swiss engineering firm that acquired Stucky (renowned hydraulic/water engineering consultancy) — directly competes with HOLINGER on dams, hydropower, and hydraulic engineering in Switzerland and internationally.
• Hunziker Betatech AG: Swiss engineering consultancy specialized in water/wastewater, urban drainage, and hydraulic engineering — a focused direct competitor in HOLINGER's core Swiss municipal water segment.

Broad incumbents

• Sweco AB: Swedish engineering consultancy with extensive Water and Environment practices across Northern Europe. Competes with HOLINGER on Nordic and Central European water mandates.
• Arcadis NV: Dutch design, engineering, and consulting firm with a sizeable Water sector practice serving municipal utilities globally. Direct competitor for international wastewater and water supply mandates.
• Ramboll Group A/S: Danish engineering consultancy with a large global Water practice covering wastewater, water supply, and climate adaptation. Major competitor on EU-funded and large municipal water infrastructure projects.
• AFRY (formerly Pöyry): Nordic-headquartered global engineering and design consultancy with a strong water and process industry practice. Competes with HOLINGER on large wastewater and water treatment mandates across Europe.
• Tractebel (Engie): Belgian-French engineering consultancy (part of Engie) covering water, energy, and infrastructure. Direct competitor on European municipal water and energy-from-wastewater projects.

Regional players

• Dr. Born - Dr. Ermel GmbH (Drees & Sommer subsidiary): German engineering consultancy specialized in hydraulic engineering, waterway development, and flood protection. Regional direct competitor primarily serving the German market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/holinger-ag

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles29 records

Subsidiaries4 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 HOLINGER AG