Industrial Service Providers in Germany
Inspection, maintenance, servicing – the ecosystem of industrial services and how modern inspection methods complement conventional procedures. Market volume: approx. 40 billion euros per year.
Industrial Services in Germany – A Billion-Euro Market
Industrial service providers in Germany generate an annual market volume of around 40 billion euros. This includes inspection, maintenance, repair, scaffolding, industrial cleaning, corrosion protection, insulation and shutdown management.
For operators of process plants, power stations, refineries and chemical parks, this network of specialised service providers is indispensable. Tasks range from recurring inspections under the German Industrial Safety Regulation (BetrSichV) through planned turnarounds to ongoing in-service maintenance.
What all sub-areas have in common: before repairs, cleaning or servicing can take place, the current condition must be known. This is precisely where visual inspection comes in – and exactly where modern methods such as drone inspection complement the existing service spectrum.
Modern inspection methods such as drone inspection do not replace industrial service providers – they deliver the data foundation on which maintenance, repair and testing can be planned more efficiently.
Major Full-Service Providers
Some companies cover the full spectrum of industrial services – from planning through inspection to repair. They are often present at major industrial sites in Germany for decades and possess deep plant knowledge.
Inspection & Testing – The Testing Organisations
Alongside industrial service providers in the narrower sense, testing organisations play a central role. They carry out recurring inspections under BetrSichV, certify plants and produce inspection reports. Kopterflug has experience working with TÜV, DEKRA and other testing organisations – drone inspection data is increasingly accepted as a basis for their assessments.
Scaffolding & Access Technology
Scaffolding is one of the largest cost items for industrial inspections and maintenance work. Drone inspection can reduce the need for scaffolding, but not eliminate it entirely. For visual initial inspection and condition assessment, the drone often delivers sufficient results – without scaffolding. If a repair is subsequently required, scaffolding can be erected specifically where it is actually needed.
Industrial Cleaning & Shutdown Management
Industrial cleaning and shutdown management are closely linked. During planned shutdowns (turnarounds), vessels, pipelines and heat exchangers must be cleaned, inspected and if necessary repaired. The timing sequence is critical – every additional day costs money.
Drone pre-inspection during a turnaround helps set priorities: where is manual effort genuinely needed? Where does visual documentation suffice? This allows limited downtime to be used more efficiently.
Maintenance & Engineering
Industrial plant maintenance is becoming increasingly data-driven. Where reactive repair was once the norm, operators today rely on condition-based and predictive maintenance. For this, planners and engineers need regular, reliable condition data – and exactly this is what drone inspection delivers.
Drone Inspection as a Complement – Not a Replacement
Kopterflug does not replace industrial service providers. We do not replace scaffolding companies, cleaning firms or testing organisations. Our role is clearly defined: as a specialised inspection partner, we deliver visual condition data from difficult-to-access areas – and this data makes the work of all parties involved more efficient.
Industrial service providers, testing organisations, scaffolders, cleaning companies – the ecosystem of industrial maintenance is complex and has grown over decades. We see ourselves as part of this system: our contribution is reliable inspection data from areas that would otherwise only be accessible with considerable effort. The decision about what to do with this data lies with the operator, the planner, the inspector. – Dipl.-Ing. Karsten Lehrke, Project Manager, Inspectomatic GmbH
Related Services
Frequently Asked Questions
What are industrial service providers and what services do they cover?
Industrial service providers are companies specialising in sub-areas of industrial maintenance – from engineering and testing through scaffolding and corrosion protection to industrial cleaning and shutdown management. For operators of process plants, refineries and chemical parks, they are indispensable: legally required inspections, turnarounds and ongoing maintenance require specialised personnel and approvals that no operator can maintain in-house. The market in Germany encompasses more than 40 billion euros annually.
Does Kopterflug work directly for industrial service providers or only for operators?
Both. We work directly on behalf of plant operators and as a subcontractor for industrial service providers, planning offices and testing organisations. In many cases, drone inspection is part of a larger inspection or maintenance project.
Does the drone replace the scaffolding contractor or industrial cleaner?
No. The drone does not replace manual services. It delivers visual condition data on the basis of which decisions are made about where scaffolding, cleaning or repair is actually needed. This saves not the service provider, but unnecessary effort at locations where the damage is smaller than expected – or where no action is yet required.
Do testing organisations accept drone data?
Kopterflug has experience working with TÜV, DEKRA and other testing organisations. Drone inspection data is increasingly accepted as an inspection basis for internal inspections – Bureau Veritas has formally approved drones as an inspection tool. The decision rests with the responsible inspector. We recommend involving the testing organisation early in deployment planning.
How does cooperation with an industrial service provider work in practice?
Typically we are commissioned by the operator or the lead service provider. We coordinate the inspection scope, safety requirements and schedule. On site we work in parallel to other trades – the drone does not block other work. Results (4K video, photos, 3D models, reports) are made available to all parties.
Can the drone also be used during a running shutdown?
Yes, deployment during planned shutdowns (turnarounds) is one of the most frequent use cases. The drone is used as the first tool after opening and clearance of a vessel, delivering a complete overview within minutes. This enables inspectors and maintenance teams to work in a targeted manner immediately – without the drone blocking other trades.
Drone Inspection as Part of Your Industrial Maintenance
We regularly work on behalf of operators, planners and testing organisations – as a specialised inspection partner for difficult-to-access areas.