Froid Widmer

What Froid Widmer does

Froid Widmer SA is a Swiss family-owned cold management specialist headquartered in Gland, Switzerland, with a secondary office in Yverdon-les-Bains. Founded approximately 40 years ago and currently led by second-generation directors Julien Favre and Simon Heiniger, the company designs, installs, and maintains custom refrigeration, heat pump, air conditioning, and ultra-low temperature storage solutions across four primary verticals: building and construction, food industry, medical/healthcare, and industrial manufacturing (including watchmaking and IT/datacenters). Technical capabilities span the full temperature range from +80°C heat recovery systems to -86°C plasma storage, with proprietary competencies in heat recovery integration, CO2-based refrigeration for industrial installations, shock freezing (Shockfreeze), and networked automation/supervision systems for temperature monitoring and traceability.

The company's revenue model is diversified across one-time equipment sales (refrigerated cabinets, cold rooms, freezing cells, heat pumps sourced from suppliers such as Mitsubishi and Tecnomac), recurring rental income with end-of-contract acquisition options, used equipment resale with warranty, ISO 9001-certified ice production and self-service retail, professional services for custom solution design and installation, and managed maintenance/repair contracts including 24/7 emergency response. Go-to-market is enterprise field sales with experienced project managers engaging directly with property owners, architects, and building professionals during planning phases, supplemented by industry referrals and a professional website. Named customers span large industrial installations (Bolay Gland 20,000 m3 CO2 freezing facility, TCI Engineering Penthaz for watchmaking process cooling), medical/pharmaceutical storage (Amedis Puidoux), datacenter cooling (SEIC), and community refrigeration (Paroisse Catholique Assens mortuary catafalque), alongside lower-ticket ice and equipment rental business. Operating geographies are concentrated in Suisse romande with broader Switzerland coverage.

Name

Froid Widmer

Legal name

Froid Widmer SA

Website

https://froidwidmer.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Froid Widmer SA is a Swiss family-owned cold management specialist serving building, food, medical, and industrial clients across French-speaking Switzerland with custom refrigeration, heat pump, ultra-low temperature storage, and shock freezing solutions, plus equipment sales, rental, and 24/7 maintenance services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Refrigeration and HVAC Services

NAICS

Air-Conditioning and Warm Air Heating Equipment and Commercial and Industrial Refrigeration Equipment Manufacturing (333415), Ventilation, Heating, Air-Conditioning, and Commercial Refrigeration Equipment Manufacturing (33341)

SIC

Air-Cond & Warm Air Heatg Equip & Comm & Indl Refrig Equip (3585), Refrigeration & Service Industry Machinery (3580)

akta.pro primary industry

Chillers & Cooling Plant Equipment (IMAHAKAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Blast Chiller & Specialty Refrigeration Service (HSAOAJAJ), Cold Chain & Refrigeration TES (Warehouses, Food & Pharma) (EUAFANAJ), Cooling Systems & Thermal Management (CRAC/CRAH, Chillers, Liquid Cooling) (HDABAKAD)

Keywords

• Commercial refrigeration systems
• Industrial cold storage
• Heat pump installation
• Medical cold storage
• HVAC services

Headquarters

HQ city

Gland

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Equipment Sales: Sale of professional refrigeration equipment including air conditioning systems, heat pumps, refrigerated cabinets, freezing cabinets, rapid cooling cells, cold rooms, freezing rooms, ice machines, display cases, refrigerated tables and counters, and industrial machines. Equipment is sourced from selected suppliers meeting quality and performance criteria.
2. Equipment Rental: Rental of professional equipment including refrigerated cabinets for gastronomy, beverage refrigeration for events, freezing containers for ice storage, and mobile air conditioning units. Long-term rental contracts allow customers to rent new equipment and acquire it at advantageous conditions at contract end.
3. Used Equipment Sales: Sale of refurbished and inspected used equipment with 6-month warranty, and discounted clearance items with 12-month warranty.
4. Ice Production and Sales: Production of high-quality ice cubes from continuously controlled water, available in self-service at Gland location. Products include 6kg PVC bags (CHF 12), 12kg PVC bags (CHF 20), and 8kg crushed ice. ISO 9001 certified production.
5. Custom Solutions and Installation: Design, planning, and installation of custom cold management solutions for buildings, food industry, medical facilities, and industrial applications. Full project lifecycle from conception through realization.
6. Maintenance and Repair Services: Periodic maintenance contracts tailored to individual projects, repair services including ability to service equipment installed by other companies, and emergency repair services. Service available 24/7 for urgent interventions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Froid Widmer is a Swiss family-owned company specializing in cold management solutions, providing design, installation, and maintenance of refrigeration and climate control systems across the full temperature range from +80°C heat recovery to -86°C ultra-low medical storage. The company sells professional refrigeration equipment, rents refrigeration cabinets and air conditioning units, produces and sells ice, and delivers custom engineered solutions for the building, food, medical, and industrial sectors.

Product overview

Froid Widmer is a Swiss family-owned company (40+ years, second generation management) specializing in comprehensive cold management solutions. The company operates throughout Switzerland with primary focus on French-speaking regions. Their portfolio centers on a full spectrum of refrigeration and climate control products ranging from residential heat pumps (Mitsubishi), air conditioning systems, and wine cellars to industrial-scale solutions including freezing cells, shock freezing technology (Shockfreeze), and ultra-low temperature medical storage (-86°C for plasma/blood products). Services include equipment sales, rental programs (refrigeration cabinets, freezing containers, mobile air conditioning), ice production (ISO 9001 certified), maintenance contracts, and 24/7 emergency repair. The company also provides custom engineering solutions for food processing, healthcare, watchmaking, and datacenter industries with automation and supervision capabilities. DUO HOME solutions represent their residential offering while Tecnomac rapid cooling cells serve professional food preservation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Custom Cold Management Solutions End-to-end design, planning, and installation of custom cold management solutions for buildings, food industry, medical facilities, and industrial applications, delivered from conception to realization.
• Commercial Refrigeration and Cold Rooms (Cold Rooms, Freezing Rooms, Freezing Cells) Cold rooms, freezing rooms, and freezing cells for food industry, dairy, meat, fruit and vegetable preservation, offering customized solutions based on reliable standard elements quickly installed.
• Heat Pump Systems (Mitsubishi) Heat pump systems for heating and cooling, including geothermal systems that can be reversed to provide summer cooling. Mitsubishi heat pumps are installed.
• Heat Recovery Systems Heat recovery systems that capture thermal energy from cold generation processes to preheat sanitary or industrial water, reducing energy costs and CO2 emissions.
• Technical Room Air Conditioning Technical room air conditioning systems designed to handle rapid temperature variations and humidity, maintaining constant temperatures for sensitive technological equipment such as servers and UPS rooms.
• Wine Cellars (Caves à vin) Custom or standard wine cellars designed for wine conservation and aging with aesthetic solutions that complement cellar aesthetics.
• Ultra-Low Temperature Medical Storage (-86°C) Sophisticated ultra-low temperature (-86°C) refrigeration units for medical storage of plasma, blood products, and human tissues in laboratories and transfusion centers with low noise and controlled heat dissipation.
• Rapid Freezing and Shock Freezing Technology (Shockfreeze) Professional-grade shock freezing technology that rapidly cools food products to core temperature, preserving taste, texture, and stopping bacterial development while maintaining quality comparable to fresh products.
• Tecnomac Mini Cell Rapid Cooling Cell Mini rapid cooling cell capable of positive mode cooling (+90°C to +3°C, max 18kg) and negative mode (+90°C to -18°C, max 10kg) for quick food cooling, priced at 4,095 CHF excluding delivery.
• Industrial Process Cooling Solutions Customized industrial cooling solutions for manufacturing processes including watchmaking (ultrasonic baths), IT/datacenter, mechanical, chemical, and pharmaceutical industries, with automation and supervision capabilities.
• Automation and Supervision Systems Automation, supervision, and traceability systems networked to manage industrial installations, adjust temperatures precisely, analyze energy consumption, and maintain activity records.
• Maintenance and Repair Services Preventive maintenance contracts tailored to individual projects, repair services including ability to service equipment installed by other companies, and 24/7 emergency repair service with rapid response technicians and extensive spare parts inventory.
• Equipment Rental Services Rental of professional equipment including refrigerated cabinets for gastronomy, beverage refrigeration for events, freezing containers for ice storage, and mobile air conditioning units for residential and light industrial use. Long-term rental contracts allow customers to rent new equipment and acquire it at advantageous conditions at contract end.
• Ice Production and Sales (Glaçons et glace pilée) High-quality ice cubes produced from continuously controlled water at the Gland facility, ISO 9001 certified, available in self-service. Ice products include 6kg PVC bags (CHF 12), 12kg PVC bags (CHF 20), and 8kg crushed ice for cocktails and events.
• Used Equipment Sales (Occasions) Sale of refurbished and inspected used refrigeration equipment with 6-month warranty, plus discounted clearance items with 12-month warranty.

Quantifiable outcome

• Infrastructure designed and maintained since company inception continues operating 24/7
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 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

Feature6 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Daikin: Global HVAC and refrigeration manufacturer with significant Swiss presence, offering heat pumps, air conditioning, and commercial refrigeration. Comparable to Froid Widmer in heat pump and refrigeration offerings, but with multinational scale, financing, and standardized product lines.
• Carrier: Global HVAC and refrigeration incumbent serving commercial, industrial, and cold chain customers. Comparable to Froid Widmer across the same end markets (food, pharma, industrial), but offers much broader product portfolio, service network, and integrated solutions.
• ENGIE Refrigeration: Swiss subsidiary of ENGIE providing industrial and commercial refrigeration and HVAC solutions across Switzerland. Comparable to Froid Widmer in cold management for industrial and commercial clients, but with substantially broader scale, geographic reach, and project portfolio.
• Alfa Laval: Global supplier of heat exchangers, cooling, and refrigeration equipment for food, pharma, and industrial applications. Comparable to Froid Widmer in industrial process cooling and heat recovery, though focused on equipment manufacturing rather than custom system integration.
• Viessmann: German-headquartered heating, industrial, and refrigeration systems provider with strong Swiss footprint. Comparable to Froid Widmer in heat pump, refrigeration, and integrated climate solutions for buildings and industry, particularly relevant as Froid Widmer already installs Mitsubishi heat pumps.
• Trane Technologies: Global HVAC and refrigeration provider serving commercial, industrial, and cold-chain applications. Comparable in serving building, food, and industrial cooling needs with energy-efficient solutions, but operates at much larger scale with standardized platforms.
• Bitzer: Global manufacturer of refrigeration compressors and components for commercial and industrial cooling. Comparable to Froid Widmer in supplying and supporting refrigeration technology across food, industrial, and commercial applications, though at component rather than integrated project level.

Direct peers

• Güntner: German manufacturer of heat exchangers and refrigeration components widely used in industrial and commercial cold storage, food processing, and HVAC. Comparable to Froid Widmer in serving the refrigeration equipment value chain, particularly food industry cold rooms and process cooling.
• Frigel: Italian-headquartered provider of process cooling and refrigeration solutions for plastics, food, and industrial applications. Comparable in custom-engineered industrial cooling and energy-efficient heat recovery, but operates at larger scale and serves multinational industrial customers.

Regional players

• Helbling Group: Swiss engineering services group with HVAC, refrigeration, and building services expertise. Comparable to Froid Widmer as a Swiss provider of custom engineering and technical solutions, though with broader engineering capabilities across multiple disciplines beyond refrigeration.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/froid-widmer

Compliance2 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 Froid Widmer