Stuttgart, Germany, May 5, 2025. The year 2024 saw geopolitical crises, multiple interest rate hikes and ongoing supply chain problems placing an enormous strain also on the construction and real estate industries. Despite the challenging conditions, Stuttgart-based consulting firm Drees & Sommer SE, which specializes in construction, real estate and infrastructure, was able to hold its own in financial 2024. Sales stood at 964.2 million euros, and the operating result was 114.6 million euros.
“The economic environment placed heavy demands on us in the past financial year. Despite the strained situation, we have been successful in holding our own because we have made the right strategic decisions. We have also had the foresight to press ahead with diversifying our business areas for many years. We are in an excellent position to respond quickly and flexibly to changing requirements on real estate, industrial and infrastructure markets. Our strategic investments safeguard our market and innovation leadership, and enable us to open up new business fields with growth potential,“ explains Steffen Szeidl, Spokesperson of the Executive Board of Drees & Sommer SE. To do so, the company with its 6,500 employees at 70 locations has also strengthened its position in 2024 through national and international long-term equity investments and participations. Group sales rose from 900.0 million euros in the previous year to 964.2 million euros in 2024. The operating result increased from 102.7 million euros in 2023 to 114.6 million euros in the reporting year.
Considerable Market Potential in the Life Sciences, Semiconductor and Data Center Industries Sectors
At the beginning of the year, for example, Drees & Sommer deepened an existing affiliation further by fully integrating m3 Bauprojektmanagement GmbH, thereby securing its long-term competitiveness in the field of construction management. At European level, the company expanded its market presence in the areas of building surveying, cost advice and project management in Ireland and in the United Kingdom by acquiring the Northern Irish company Johnston Houston.
This is also strengthened by the 100 percent stake in the British engineering firm RSP Consulting Engineers, a leading UK-based company, which specializes in consulting for the financial, life sciences and data center sectors.
Steffen Szeidl points out: “To maintain a significant size compared to our international competitors, it is crucial for us to expand globally.“ For this reason, Drees & Sommer initiated a business combination with VVA Projects, a US company with headquarters in New York, in 2024 and successfully completed it at the beginning of this year. Drees & Sommer’s Spokesperson believes that there is also considerable market potential on the American continent, in particular in the life sciences, semiconductor and data center sectors. In his view, also the office market offers great opportunities because of a much-needed revitalization.
Innovative Approach to Integrated Value-Added Chains
For Drees & Sommer Executive Board Member Dierk Mutschler, the skills that will be expanded in the US-American region reflect a core strength of Drees & Sommer: “Our expertise for industrial clients is in demand. It has been making us stand out as a reliable partner for our global clients for decades now.” An example of this is a highly successful series of conferences started in 2024, referred to as New Automotive World, which Daimler CEO Ola Källenius kicked off in July 2024 by addressing the transformation of the automotive industry.
“For integral factory and building planning, an integrated value chain ecosystem is essential for our clients. To achieve this, together with T-Systems, we have been driving forward the use of AI-based digital twins of production sites since 2024, for example," says Dierk Mutschler. Using the NVIDIA Omniverse platform, all workflow processes and the interaction of factory buildings and production facilities can be simulated virtually, right down to the smallest detail. “This reduces costs, minimizes the risk of planning mistakes, and creates the agility required for future product and manufacturing requirements,” the Executive Board Member points out.
Several companies entrusted Drees & Sommer with the task of designing net-zero carbon road maps. They include strategic measures for the decarbonization of business models and production sites. So, it is then only logical that Drees & Sommer’s own sustainability targets must be ambitious and, above all, scientifically sound. In April 2025, the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) officially validated the Stuttgart-headquartered consulting company’s short-term and long-term climate targets. The climate pathway taken with Drees & Sommer's greenhouse gas reduction targets meets the SBTi Corporate Net-Zero Standard.
Drees & Sommer is Playing a Part in Transforming the Infrastructure
The recently adopted financial and defense package is a crucial factor in setting the course for greater resilience and security in Germany and Europe as a whole. The package paves the way for billions in investment: repairing dilapidated infrastructure, expanding security and defense, as well as restructuring the economy along climate-friendly lines. Drees & Sommer will continue to input its extensive expertise in this direction – from sustainable, efficient energy supply systems through robust transport and traffic infrastructures up the development of digital and resilient networks.
The interdisciplinary teams of Drees & Sommer are working on many projects to upgrade public infrastructure. They are developing strategies for maintaining dilapidated bridges, drawing up renovation schedules for railroads and roads, and they are working on new power lines and power plants for renewable energies, district heating pipes and hydrogen networks. The firm participated in the successful general overhaul of the Riedbahn railroad line, for example.
The mammoth project was completed at a record speed of five months, and it will serve as a blue print for further renovation projects of the German railways company, Deutsche Bahn.
Simplifying Structures, Optimizing Efficiency for Client Success, Accelerating Innovation
To boost innovation, sustainability and competitiveness, structures must be regularly reviewed in order to ensure optimal benefit for clients. And if necessary, they must be changed and simplified. A strategic corporate objective for Drees & Sommer is therefore to remain in a position to act flexibly and with agility in the future. Drees & Sommer Executive Board Member Marc Schömbs explains: “In 2024, we acted proactively, further developed our organizational structure, and thus strengthened efficiency, innovation power and our commitment to quality. We bundled our strengths to face the challenges of key project types and handling models, and to satisfy our clients’ consulting needs. The enhancement of our competencies and our collaboration across borders also enhances our performance, allowing us to meet the individual requirements of our clients. These steps have contributed to a noticeable improvement in our results. In financial 2025, we will continue on this course. There are many positive effects. Our employees’ high motivation, flexibility and their readiness to take on responsibility are key success factors. So, our clients have always been able to rely on us, even in difficult times."
Notes for Editorial Boards:
For detailed information on our consolidated financial results and a selection of our flagship projects, please visit the link: : Digital_JB_Futureproofs_2025_en.pdf