“The LBO team’s commitment goes far beyond simple financial backing,” Frank Blanpain, CEO of 3S Facility Group.

In September 2024, Weinberg Capital Partners announced the completion of its first direct international investment with the acquisition of ProNet Group, a leading Facility Management provider in French-speaking Switzerland.

In early 2026, ProNet Group was rebranded as 3S Facility, a strategic evolution designed to reflect its growth ambitions.

Frank Blanpain, CEO of the Group, explains the rationale behind this rebranding and outlines 3S Facility’s ambitions and outlook within the Swiss market.

To begin, could you walk us through the key milestones in your career? How did you come to lead 3S Facility Group?

My career has been built around the development and transformation of service companies, combining both financial and operational perspectives.

After starting out in finance leadership roles, I quickly transitioned into operational management positions, consistently within the services sector. I first worked in industrial maintenance, then in environmental services and waste recovery — demanding sectors where operational performance, service quality, and organizational structuring are critical success factors.

At the end of 2014, I moved to Switzerland as part of an LBO transaction involving Veolia Environnement Suisse, a defining step that marked the beginning of my long-term professional anchoring in the country. I subsequently led Onet Switzerland, a Facility Services provider. Following the company’s sale to a Swiss-German group, I joined Vebego to develop its Facility Management operations in French-speaking Switzerland, with a focus on growth, service structuring, and strengthening client proximity.

I took over as CEO of 3S Facility Group in 2024 after being introduced to Dimitri Fotopoulos, LBO Partner at Weinberg Capital Partners, and his team in June of that year by a French executive whose company had previously been acquired by Weinberg Capital Partners. We quickly realized that we shared a strong strategic vision: to build a robust group capable of delivering a comprehensive, multi-service and multi-technical Facility Management offering fully aligned with the expectations of the Swiss market. This shared ambition naturally led to my joining 3S Facility Group.

Could you present 3S Facility Group and its positioning within the Swiss Facility Management market?

3S Facility Group positions itself as a multi-service and multi-technical Facility Management provider in Switzerland, with a strong footprint in French-speaking Switzerland. The Group builds on locally recognized brands with over twenty years of experience, supporting clients across the full lifecycle management and operation of their infrastructure.

This positioning aligns closely with developments in the Facility Management market in French-speaking Switzerland, where annual growth remains solid at approximately 5%. This momentum is driven both by new construction projects and by a growing trend toward outsourcing. Increasingly, companies seek to reduce fixed costs and entrust infrastructure management to specialized providers, while ensuring performance, service quality, and cost control.

Thanks to its integrated approach, the Group operates across a wide range of environments, including retail, pharmaceuticals, food processing, office real estate, residential buildings, and the watchmaking industry. Its strength lies in combining proven operational expertise, strong client proximity, and the ability to deliver tailored solutions adapted to the specific requirements of the Swiss market.

In your view, what makes Switzerland particularly attractive for companies and investors today?

Switzerland offers a particularly attractive environment for companies and investors. Its strong political, economic, and legal stability provides valuable long-term visibility. A clear and reliable regulatory framework, a culture of quality and operational excellence, and the diversity and resilience of its economic fabric create favorable conditions for business development.

In addition, the country’s high structural cost base encourages outsourcing, generating tangible opportunities for specialized service providers. Finally, its central position in Europe and strong appeal to international investors reinforce its status as a leading economic hub.

What are the major trends shaping the Facility Management sector in Switzerland? Do you see significant differences between regions or client types?

The Swiss Facility Management sector is currently experiencing several key trends.

First, growth remains strong, driven both by new real estate developments and by companies’ increasing efforts to optimize costs and operational performance. This dynamic is accompanied by a growing level of outsourcing, as more organizations entrust infrastructure management to specialists in order to reduce fixed costs and access advanced expertise.

At the same time, client expectations are evolving. Beyond basic service delivery, clients now seek integrated, innovative, and digitalized solutions, with a strong focus on quality, sustainability, and energy efficiency. Tailored services have become a key differentiator, alongside increased expectations in terms of responsiveness and transparency.

Differences can also be observed depending on client profiles. Large international companies often favor global, standardized, and integrated solutions, while SMEs and local players tend to prioritize flexible, proximity-based partnerships tailored to their operational realities.

Finally, regional nuances exist. French-speaking Switzerland is currently experiencing slightly more dynamic growth, supported by a service-oriented economy and a higher density of new construction projects. German-speaking markets, which are more mature, often demonstrate faster adoption of innovative technical solutions.

How do you view the ongoing consolidation within the sector? What are the key drivers, and how is 3S Facility positioned?

Consolidation is clearly shaping the Facility Management sector. Many small local players struggle to reach the critical size required to remain competitive. In a market where volume is essential to ensure profitability and deliver comprehensive offerings, smaller structures often rely on subcontracting, which can limit efficiency and commercial attractiveness.

This consolidation trend is reinforced by technological evolution. The rise of smart buildings, predictive maintenance, and real-time management platforms requires significant investment and specialized expertise that isolated players may find difficult to mobilize. Moreover, clients now expect comprehensive solutions combining operational performance, transparency, and sustainability.

In this context, 3S Facility is fully aligned with this dynamic. Thanks to our scale, resources, and expertise, we can internalize a broad range of services, offer integrated solutions, and invest in advanced technologies. This combination of proximity, know-how, and innovation enables us to meet increasingly demanding client expectations and seize opportunities arising from market consolidation.

Since Weinberg Capital Partners became majority shareholder, how has the collaboration developed?

Our collaboration with the LBO team at Weinberg Capital Partners has been constructive and well-balanced. Their involvement goes far beyond financial support. They actively contribute to structuring our strategy, strengthening governance, and accelerating development, while fully respecting the Group’s identity and specificities. Their deep understanding of the services sector, combined with a long-term perspective, allows us to make transformative decisions with confidence.

With their financial and strategic backing, we now have the necessary means to execute our growth plan, invest in tools, technologies, and talent, and capture consolidation opportunities. This support enables us to address industry challenges with confidence and to pursue sustainable, controlled growth.

Growth — both organic and external — is central to your ambitions. What is your roadmap for the coming years?

Our roadmap is built on a balanced approach between organic and external growth. A key priority is strengthening our capabilities in high value-added technical trades, particularly in HVAC and plumbing. To achieve this, we combine targeted acquisitions with an active recruitment strategy aimed at attracting talent capable of supporting the Group’s upskilling.

Our ambition is to broaden and reinforce our service offering to deliver increasingly comprehensive, integrated, and controlled solutions, while reducing reliance on subcontracting. This approach enhances service quality, responsiveness, and operational performance.

At the same time, we continue to drive organic growth based on client proximity, loyalty, operational excellence, and ongoing investment in tools and teams. This strategy will strengthen our position in the Swiss Facility Management market and sustainably support our clients in managing and optimizing their infrastructure.

Digitalization and predictive maintenance are becoming critical for clients. How does 3S Facility integrate these technologies, and what impact do they have?

Digitalization and predictive maintenance are now central to our value proposition. For the Group, predictive maintenance addresses two major dimensions: financial and environmental.

From a financial standpoint, it enables cost optimization by extending the lifespan of technical installations while ensuring performance. We support clients in their decision-making by providing clear scenarios and alternative plans. This allows them to choose, with full transparency, between maintaining or replacing equipment based on criticality, efficiency, and budget constraints.

From an environmental perspective, we systematically integrate carbon impact into our interventions. We work closely with clients to make informed decisions aligned with their ESG commitments and sustainability objectives.

To operationalize this approach, we invest significantly in digital tools and computerized maintenance management systems (CMMS). These platforms provide clients with full traceability of interventions, real-time monitoring, and complete transparency. For our teams, this translates into improved anticipation, optimized organization, and enhanced expertise in higher value-added activities. For our clients, it means greater control over installations, costs, and environmental footprint.