What Frey+Cie Holding does

Frey+Cie Holding AG is a privately held Swiss Aktiengesellschaft headquartered in Luzern that operates a portfolio of 16 wholly-owned subsidiary companies delivering integrated building technology services across central Switzerland. The group was originally founded in 1907 by Herr Frey Fürst and converted to a holding structure in 1998 via a management buy-out, with ownership held exclusively by operationally active employees. It has scaled from approximately 50 employees in the mid-1970s to over 1,000 today through a combination of organic growth and continuous bolt-on acquisitions.

The group's core offering covers six building-technology trades: electrical installations (strong and weak current) delivered through Frey+Cie Elektro AG and regional variants, security technology (alarm, surveillance, access control) via Frey+Cie Sicherheitstechnik AG, telecommunications and IT infrastructure through Frey+Cie Telecom AG and Zettaplan AG, audiovisual and digital signage via Klangformat AG and B+T Bild+Ton AG, lighting solutions through Lichtteam AG, and building automation via Schaltraum AG. These capabilities are physically co-located at the ZESY (Frey+Cie Zentrum für Systeme) competence center in Rothenburg, a 12,500 m² four-floor facility including a 1,000 m² interactive exhibition. Gesamtwerk AG, founded in 2021, acts as a unified single-point-of-contact entity that bundles these trades for end-to-end conceptualization, realization, and long-term operation of building technology for customers.

The go-to-market is B2B direct enterprise field sales through the 16 regional subsidiaries, targeting planners, architects, building owners, and commercial/residential property developers primarily in Luzern, Bern, Aargau, Schwyz, Zug, Uri, Nidwalden, and Obwalden. The revenue model is professional services with quote-based, project-specific pricing handled by each subsidiary; cross-subsidiary coordination drives larger integrated contracts. The group is 100% privately held, self-financed, and debt-averse, with no external institutional investors or public funding disclosed. All expansion to date has been financed through healthy equity rather than external capital.

Name

Frey+Cie Holding

Legal name

FREY+CIE HOLDING AG

Website

https://freycie-holding.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1907

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Swiss employee-owned building technology services holding (Luzern) operating 16 subsidiaries delivering electrical, security, telecom, audiovisual, lighting, and building automation services across central Switzerland for planners, architects, and property owners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Building Technology Services

NAICS

Offices of Other Holding Companies (551112), Corporate, Subsidiary, and Regional Managing Offices (551114)

SIC

Measuring & Controlling Devices, Nec (3829), Electrical Industrial Apparatus (3620)

akta.pro primary industry

Controls, Thermostats, Sensors & Building Automation (HVAC Controls) (IMADANAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Electrical Systems Maintenance (LV/MV, Switchgear, UPS) (BPABACAC)

Keywords

• Building technology services
• Electrical installations
• Security technology systems
• Building automation services
• Telecommunications infrastructure

Headquarters

HQ city

Luzern

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Building Technology Services: Professional services revenue from electrical installations (strong and weak current), telecommunications, IT/ICT infrastructure, security systems, audiovisual/entertainment electronics, building automation, and lighting solutions. Revenue generated through project-based work and ongoing services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Frey+Cie Holding AG plans, realizes and guarantees long-term operation of building technology through 16 specialized subsidiaries. The group delivers electrical installations (strong and weak current), security technology (alarm, surveillance, access control), telecom and IT/ICT infrastructure, audiovisual/multimedia, professional lighting, and building automation for commercial and residential buildings across central Switzerland.

Product overview

Frey+Cie Holding AG is a strategic holding company that operates a portfolio of 16 independent, specialized companies united under one group. The offering is structured as a platform-plus-subsidiaries model, where the holding provides central services (finance, HR, strategy) while subsidiaries operate with regional autonomy. The core portfolio includes: (1) Electrical installations (Frey+Cie Elektro AG and regional variants, RSK Elektro AG, Weibel+Sommer Elektro AG, Schriber Elektro AG, Zeltner AG) providing traditional electrical work for buildings; (2) Security technology (Frey+Cie Sicherheitstechnik AG) for alarm, surveillance, and access control; (3) Telecom/IT (Frey+Cie Telecom AG, Zettaplan AG) for network infrastructure; (4) Audio-visual systems (Klangformat AG, B+T Bild+Ton AG) for entertainment and digital signage; (5) Lighting (Lichtteam AG); (6) Building automation (Schaltraum AG); and (7) Gesamtwerk AG for coordinated total building technology services. ZESY serves as the physical competence center in Rothenburg bringing system companies together. The group plans, realizes, and maintains modern building technology with a focus on integrated, networked solutions across electrical, security, telecom, multimedia, and lighting domains.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Gesamtwerk AG: A company that simplifies construction and bears responsibility sustainably. It bundles various trades into a total work, conceptualizing, realizing, and guaranteeing long-term operation of building technology.

Products and services

• Frey+Cie Elektro AG Electrical Installations Electrical installation services providing strong and weak current systems for new construction and renovations, delivered across multiple regional locations in central Switzerland.
• Frey+Cie Sicherheitstechnik AG Security Technology Security technology services including alarm systems, surveillance, and access control solutions for residential and commercial properties.
• Frey+Cie Telecom AG Telecommunications Services Telecommunications services and network infrastructure solutions, integrating IT and telecommunications systems for buildings.
• Gesamtwerk AG Building Technology Coordination Building technology coordination service that bundles expertise from 16 companies and over 1,000 employees to conceptualize, realize, and guarantee long-term operation of complete building technology systems, serving as a single point of contact for comprehensive client needs.
• Lichtteam AG Lighting Technology Lighting technology services providing designer lighting solutions for residential and commercial applications.
• Klangformat AG Audio and Video Solutions Audio and video solutions integrating entertainment electronics, home cinema, and multi-room audio systems for residential and commercial applications.
• Schaltraum AG Building Automation Building automation services combining ProBus technology and network infrastructure for smart building control systems.
• B+T Bild+Ton AG Image and Sound Solutions Professional image and sound solutions for commercial and residential applications, including digital signage.
• Zettaplan AG Planning and Consulting Planning and consulting services for building technology projects within the Frey+Cie group.
• ZESY Competence Center (Frey+Cie Zentrum für Systeme) Competence center for system companies featuring 12,500 m² floor space, a 1,000 m² interactive exhibition showcasing lighting (Lichtteam AG), entertainment electronics (Klangformat AG), and building automation (Schaltraum AG), plus a modern training center for the group's building technology services.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Helbling Group: Swiss engineering services group with building-technology and electrical-engineering practices, headquartered in Zurich. A regional comparable to Zettaplan AG and to Frey+Cie's overall planning-led multi-trade positioning.

Broad incumbents

• ABB Electrification: Swiss-headquartered global electrification and building-automation player. Comparable scope on automation, switchgear, and electrical distribution components that Frey+Cie Elektro AG specifies and installs in commercial buildings.
• Siemens Smart Infrastructure: Global building-automation, electrical, and security-systems OEM whose products underlie much of the integration work in Switzerland. Direct overlap with Frey+Cie Sicherheitstechnik and Schaltraum AG, though at the product platform rather than local-installation layer.
• EQUANS Switzerland (formerly ENGIE Solutions): International multi-technical building-services provider active in Switzerland; competes for the same facility/building-technology contracts as Frey+Cie's portfolio and has wider geographic reach and capital.
• Bouygues Energies & Services (Schweiz): Swiss arm of Bouygues' energy and digital services division delivering multi-technical building services, electrical installations, and energy solutions. A broader-incumbent alternative competing with Gesamtwerk AG for integrated tenders.

Direct peers

• Amstein + Walthert AG: Swiss engineering consultancy operating across building technology, energy, and electrical planning—Headquartered in Zurich with offices across Switzerland. Comparable scope to Zettaplan AG within the group and to the planning-led customer segment served by Frey+Cie's subsidiaries.
• Sauter AG (Fr. Sauter AG): Swiss-based building automation and HVAC controls specialist headquartered in Basel. Comparable to Frey+Cie's Schaltraum AG building-automation offering and to the integrated building-technology positioning across electrical/HVAC/automation.
• Burkhalter Group: Swiss-listed (SIX) electrical contractor group operating through independent regional subsidiaries across Switzerland with ~3,000 employees. Closely mirrors the Frey+Cie model of decentralized electrical subsidiaries grouped under a coordinating holding, serving planners and building owners.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries16 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 Frey+Cie Holding