The Stölting Service Group can look back on a record year: the family-owned company, headquartered in Gelsenkirchen, closed the 2024 financial year with a turnover of around 365 million euros. This represents an increase in total turnover of 6.5 per cent compared to the previous year. ‘The record turnover is the result of our stable market position in the cleaning sector and successful growth in the track construction safety division,’ says Sebastian Mosbacher, CEO of the Stölting Service Group. The company is optimistic about the future: ‘Expansion targets, targeted acquisitions and investments in digital technologies are key components of our growth and future strategy, which will enable us to strengthen our market position as a full-service provider, open up new business areas and offer our customers smart and future-oriented solutions in the long term.’
Cleaning, safety and personnel: Stölting has been supporting its customers in these three business areas for more than 125 years. With a 53 per cent share of sales, the cleaning division continued to assert itself as the company’s traditionally most stable pillar in the 2024 financial year. The track safety division for Deutsche Bahn AG and its subsidiaries grew particularly strongly. “We entered the then still young track safety business 13 years ago. In 2024, this division developed into a real success factor with revenue growth of 32 per cent. We have gradually developed from an original provider of personnel safety services into a technical service provider focusing on modern safety systems and warning signal devices. The German government’s planned infrastructure investments, particularly with Deutsche Bahn as the main client, also open up attractive growth prospects for us in the future,” explains Sebastian Mosbacher.
Strong event business: revenue almost doubled
In addition, revenue in the event business increased from ten million to around 18 million euros compared to the previous year. Major events such as the European Football Championship also contributed to this. Stölting provided security in seven out of ten stadiums during the European Championship.
With nine top clubs in its customer portfolio for cleaning and security services, the company has built up a strong network in professional football in recent years. ‘A particular highlight for us were the major events, football matches and concerts in 2024, where we were responsible for the safety of visitors. However, the economic contribution to total revenue remained modest at just over four per cent,’ says Mosbacher.
Reliable problem solver as a full-service provider
Stölting has grown strongly, particularly in the last 20 years: turnover has increased a hundredfold and the company has gradually developed into a full-service provider – with the aim of being a reliable problem solver for customers. “Behind our success is a clear growth and future strategy. It envisages that we will increasingly expand our comprehensive range of services to include technical solutions. A current example: at the end of 2024, we acquired the safety technology company DeichTec. This has enabled us to put our full-service claim into practice in a targeted manner,” explains CEO Sebastian Mosbacher.
Dense network of locations and fast decision-making
Proximity to customers is also an essential part of the company’s strategy: in order to respond quickly to customer enquiries and offer individual solutions, Stölting relies on a dense network of regional structures – with locations every 50 to 100 kilometres. This network was further expanded last year with four new locations – triggered by the acquisitions of the Bonn-based building services provider Dirk Müller in April 2024, the security technology company DeichTec at the end of 2024, and new locations in track construction safety and real estate services. Growth will continue in 2025: at the beginning of the year, Stölting successfully established itself on the Austrian market by acquiring a majority stake in Wagner RCP Security Holding, now Stölting Austria GmbH, a joint venture with Raiffeisen Continuum, which was already a shareholder.
Sebastian Mosbacher: ‘Agility and fast decision-making processes are among our greatest strengths, even given the size of our company. This mentality is deeply rooted in our DNA and is expressed in our claim: “We do it.” The team plays a central role in this: our qualified employees with their diverse backgrounds, experience and perspectives contribute significantly to the success of the company.’
Employee development: developing ideas and driving innovation
Stölting is always looking for talented and committed professionals in all areas of the company. Whether in cleaning, security and track safety, in the commercial sector or in catering: 400 vacancies offer the opportunity to attract new skilled workers and further develop existing teams. “At our company, employees can and should play an active role. This includes developing their own ideas, driving innovation, having a say in decisions and taking on responsibility,” explains Sebastian Mosbacher.
Flexibility through decentralised structures
At the helm of the family-owned company is a well-coordinated management trio that has developed and is consistently implementing Stölting’s successful growth and future strategy. CEO Sebastian Mosbacher has been with Stölting since 2006 and has been managing the family business in its third generation since 2020. CFO Stephan Kulbatzki has been responsible for finance for five years, and COO Dr Boris Westerfeld has been shaping the operational business for three years. At the same time, a strong decentralised structure with regional managers in the cleaning and security divisions and in the respective specialist areas characterises Stölting’s organisational model. The entrepreneurial approach is crucial here: those responsible in the regions act as ‘entrepreneurs within the company’ – with the corresponding decision-making and creative freedom. This philosophy plays a central role in the flexibility and speed of the company. “Only when managers can act on their own responsibility can customer-specific solutions be implemented quickly and effectively.
Clear goal for the future: driving growth and tapping into new markets
With an eye to the future, Stölting is setting clear priorities in its expansion strategy: building on its strong foundation in Germany, the company intends to drive growth forward and tap into new markets. Its entry into the Austrian market at the beginning of 2025 marked the next logical step towards internationalisation. The company is pursuing a clear concept: proven structures and processes from Germany are to be adopted and supported by regional structures in Austria. This decision is based on ongoing market consolidation, which is leaving medium-sized suppliers with less and less room for manoeuvre. “Our goal is to position ourselves even more visibly in the market in the future – both nationally and internationally. Today, major customers expect supra-regional contacts with comprehensive solution expertise. This is exactly where we come in: with a clear commitment to expansion, especially in Austria, where customer synergies from the German market, for example in food retail or the manufacturing industry, can be leveraged in a targeted manner,” says Boris Westerfeld.
Developing and utilising technological innovations
Stölting is also open to new business areas through further acquisitions: the company is currently looking into taking over a training and IT specialist that develops virtual reality programmes for training employees in the automotive industry. In the future, these technologies could also be used to train Stölting’s industrial employees or even support operational activities in certain areas. Sebastian Mosbacher: ‘This is still a long way off, but it is precisely these areas that open up new ways for us to increase efficiency, provide comprehensive support to our customers and ultimately live up to our claim of being a full-service provider.’
Consistent expansion of digitalisation
Stölting relies on forward-looking technologies to meet customer needs and counteract the shortage of skilled workers. Seven-figure investments in robotics, drone technology and digitalisation are intended to make processes more efficient and intelligent. In doing so, Stölting is creating an environment in which innovation is actively embraced: ‘Ideas don’t just come from “above”, they grow out of the teams – driven by the conviction that the best solutions arise where people have the freedom to develop,’ emphasises Stephan Kulbatzki.
