Our ambition is to join the top three security companies in the world.

"Our ambition is to join the top three security companies " - Florence Bigé, Onet

"We're investing in the security business," says Florence Bigé, Onet's new General Manager "Human Security and Hospitality" since January 2021. In an interview with AEF info, she outlines the ambitions of the multiservice group: "to consolidate our position as a benchmark to join the top three security companies in France".

"We're going to build on our fundamentals: expertise, listening and proximity to our customers", she elaborates. Aiming to "combine people and technology", Onet is looking for "strategic partnerships to develop new offers", particularly in land robotics. Florence Bigé is also registering initial customer requests for category D weapons - tear gas bombs, tonfas, telescopic batons. "This is a subject on which we know how to position ourselves if necessary."

AEF info: You were appointed General Manager of Human Security and Hospitality at Onet in January 2021, after your predecessor had left the company several months earlier. the industry was buzzing with rumours of a takeover.. In this context, what is the roadmap entrusted to you by the Group's management?

Florence Bigé: Security has been one of the pillars of the Onet Group for over 50 years, and I'm all the more honored to be taking over as General Manager of this business. The security businesses are fully in line with the mission that the Group has set itself since its creation: to support customers and their users in ever healthier, safer and more reliable environments. It's a business in which the Group is investing and has strong ambitions. Since my appointment, and as part of the "Élan 2023" roadmap drawn up by the Group, we have created a business unit dedicated to safety and hospitality. Our ambition is to consolidate our position as a benchmark and join the top three security companies in France, given that we currently rank fourth.

We aim to provide a tailored response to our customers' safety and security challenges, drawing on our expertise in both human and technological solutions. Our approach reflects that of our Group: it combines operational excellence with a sense of service. It's based on listening, advice and proximity, and that's why today we're fully assuming our place and our ambitions to grow even further as a player in the private security market. As you can see, we're investing in the security business!

AEF info: What steps are you taking to join the top three in the private security market?

Florence Bigé: We're going to build on our fundamentals: expertise, attentiveness and proximity to our customers. We have teams of experts in each of our businesses, in security, fire safety, electronic security and so on. And we operate in complex, high-stakes environments, whether in the tertiary sector, ERP, Seveso sites, or events. We offer our customers global management, which sets us apart from smaller players. What's more, we've positioned ourselves for the future, for the security of tomorrow. We are constantly looking for strategic partnerships to develop new offerings. In 2019, for example, we signed a partnership with Azur Drones, a manufacturer of autonomous drones(AEF info).

We maintain a relationship of trust with our customers, some of whom are long-standing, such as Airbus Helicopters, Eurotunnel, Iter, EDF and SNCF. And we work tirelessly to maintain this level of loyalty. Nine out of ten customers are satisfied with our services, and 92% were particularly satisfied with our handling of exceptional requests during the Covid period. Customer satisfaction is a key factor in our development, enabling us to attract new customers. What's more, we have the added advantage of a fairly dense territorial coverage, while remaining a human-scale structure. Onet also attaches great importance to developing the skills of its teams. In addition to the compulsory modules, we invest in training via the Onet University or through partnerships, for example to upgrade the skills of our sales force, or to train our agents in new technologies.

AEF info: Have you identified any areas for development?(Read on AEF info)

Florence Bigé: We're listening carefully to what you have to say on the subject of armament, and we'll take a stand on it if necessary. We are beginning to receive a few requests for category D weapons from major manufacturers. We have not, however, received any requests for category B weapons. What's more, we're working with our electronic security subsidiary to set up a remote connected service center. The idea is not to carry out conventional remote surveillance, but to develop a kind of hotline, a remote PC that can provide customers with expertise capable of analyzing a situation, operating a barrier remotely, opening an access if a person has forgotten his or her keys, carrying out video rounds, and so on. In this way, security can be coupled with customer support.

AEF info: How do you see the link between technology and private security guards? Is this an area you'd like to continue exploring?

Florence Bigé: Yes, it's a necessity! Our desire to combine people and technology is in line with historical trends, with the aim of increasing the level of security at our customers' sites and perimeters. It's also crucial to the positioning of the profession today, with the need to upgrade skills and the role of private security. We are exploring the use of surveillance drones, as the drone movement is in full swing. But we have also developed an innovative aerial surveillance solution, called Exosphere. This involves observation and detection resources deployed via an aerostat or a telescopic mast mounted on a vehicle, for example. Marketed mainly in 2020, this solution has been deployed to monitor a customer's construction site for the 2024 Olympic Games, and for the July 14th celebrations in Marseille. It's a solution that our customers are very interested in, as it increases our capacity to monitor large areas tenfold, and complements a traditional security system. Ground robotics solutions are also very interesting when coupled with security guards for doubt removal. We are working on this subject to establish a partnership and develop an affordable offer for certain customers.

AEF info: Do you have any plans for external growth?

Florence Bigé: Today, we're not following this logic, which doesn't mean we couldn't study it. The security world has changed a lot in 2020, there's been a concentration phenomenon, some companies are in difficulty, whereas we for our part have stood the test of the Covid crisis relatively well, thanks to our customers. So why not, but it's not my priority.

AEF info: What impact has the health crisis had on Onet's safety business?

Florence Bigé: Like all companies, we were affected by the crisis, especially in March and April 2020. Above all, we were concerned about the safety of our employees. We had to put in place health protocols for on-site employees and for our administrative staff.

We have positioned ourselves as partners to our customers, helping them to ensure business continuity. We've listened to our customers and been agile, sometimes shifting our missions to flow management, vigilance over compliance with instructions and barrier procedures, or emergency response.

We had to resort to short-time working for around 10% of our workforce during the months of April and May of the first confinement, and then virtually no more. This ability to adapt enabled us to record a relative drop [around 2%, editor's note] in our human security sales over the full year 2020, to 170.5 million euros. In terms of commercial activity, last year was atypical, with a lot of postponements of consultations and contract extensions, but also some fine commercial successes in the energy and tertiary sectors.

AEF info: How do you see the future of private security in France, given the current crisis?

Florence Bigé: Private security is a sector with a bright future. I recently read a study by the Kantar institute, which found that half of French people feel that private security plays an important role, and that it is even reassuring for younger people. It's a sector that has been growing steadily for many years, but which must continue to transform itself. It's a hyper-competitive sector, with very low margins, which is linked to the very structure of the market itself, made up of a myriad of companies that don't always strictly apply regulations and drive prices down. Private security companies also need to succeed in getting customers to recognize the value of their profession. Private security is regulated and forms part of the "security continuum". Beyond the buzzword, this means that private security must support the State in ensuring the country's security.

AEF info: The draft law on global security, which has just been adopted by Parliament, contains several measures relating to private security, particularly in terms of economic supervision(Read more on AEF info). What is Onet's position on the text?

Florence Bigé: We support the position of GES, of which we are a member, on the proposed law(see AEF info). As a security company, we support several of the measures included in the text(see AEF info). But there are others that are not included, and which we cannot fail to support, such as the introduction of a financial guarantee, the limitation of subcontracting to a single rank, or the inclusion of fire safety in Book VI of the Internal Security Code.

Definitions :

ERP Establishments open to the public
EDF Electricité de France
SNCF Société nationale des chemins de fer
JOP Olympic and Paralympic Games
GES Groupement des entreprises de sécurité