A
family history
Onet is a family-run business with over 150 years of history. We are committed to a long-term vision, with a role of handing down from one generation to the next.
The film's episodes have followed one another without interruption, but the background hasn't changed: Onet remains loyal to Marseille, the cradle of a family, indeed of a long history.
Service at the heart of our roots
Our history begins in 1860 with the personal company created by Mr. Hippolyte Format.
Handling at the port of Marseille was Onet's first known activity. The arrival of the1st train at the Saint-Charles station in 1848 marked the beginning of a period of economic prosperity for the city. This was accompanied by the development of our handling activities.
Faced with the growth of industry, and encouraged by the demands of its customer S.N.C.F., the family business took off and expanded beyond the Marseilles area.
In addition to its handling activities, the company soon began offering cleaning services, particularly for railroad carriages.
Our Group has never ceased to develop in line with its customers' expectations.
Ms Emilie de Lombarès, appointed Chairman of the Board Onet in 2018, represents the 5th generation of the founding family.
1860 - 1991
1860
The personal company created by Mr Hippolyte FORMAT
The first train arrived at Saint-Charles station in 1848. At this time, Marseille enjoyed one of its greatest periods of economic prosperity, particularly in the trading of exotic products.
The hills are dotted with wheat mills. Semolina milling and flour milling developed. The Phocaean city increasingly turned to import-export, and goods were transported in sacks that required handling.
This was the first known activity of the personal company founded by Mr. Hippolyte FORMAT in 1860, which soon also offered cleaning services in wheat mills, and which years later became Onet.
1924
A new boom
Mr. Hippolyte REINIER, grandson of Mr. Hippolyte FORMAT, takes the company in hand and gives it a remarkable boost.
Faced with the evolution of industry and backed by the demands of the SNCF, the company continues to expand outside the city: it sets up in Savoie, Languedoc-Roussillon, Lyon and Nice.
Mechanization continues with the arrival of the first crane in 1934 and forklift trucks and elevators in 1944. Cleaning became the company's main activity.
1959
Creation of Onet SA "Office Nouveau du Nettoyage".1968
The first foreign plant is set up in Switzerland.
Since then, Onet Suisse SA has become an integral part of the Swiss economic and social landscape, developing a relationship of trust with the companies and public authorities it works with. Four times certified ISO 9001, ISO 14001, 45001 and EcoEntreprise Excellence (26000), the subsidiary is a recognized player in the cleaning and related services sector. Thanks to its network of branches in French-speaking Switzerland and its partnership with HIS(House Industry Service) in Zurich, Onet Suisse SA is able to maintain close relations with its customers throughout Switzerland.
1973
Creation of Formation Services Louis REINIER
Under the impetus of Louis REINIER (son of Hippolyte REINIER), "Formation Services", a training and professional integration consulting and engineering company, was created, managing an average of 8,800 trainees and 220,000 hours of training per year.
1977
A new subsidiary in Luxembourg
Onet Luxembourg is the Luxembourg subsidiary of the Onet Group. Since its creation in Luxembourg, it has offered a wide range of services to companies, from cleaning to logistics and waste management. The company has thus become one of the major players in its sector in Luxembourg.
1986
Reorganization of Onet S.A.
A pyramid-shaped organization concentrated at the top in Onet S.A. is set up. This restructuring enabled Onet's shares to be floated on the Paris stock exchange (the Second Marché at the time) in June 1987. Just over 10% of the capital was thus opened to the public.
The REINIER family nevertheless continues to hold over 87% of Onet S.A.'s capital.
1991
New breakdown of Group companies
The Group's companies are divided into Divisions, defined according to their main business lines.
An ASSISTANCE SERVICES Economic Interest Grouping (created in 1977), set up by the Group's companies, provides them with the main centralized general services: central management control, IT, accounting, communications, insurance, property management, social documentation, etc.
Tribute to
Hippolyte REINIER
Hippolyte Reinier, great-grandson of Alexandre Hippolyte Format, the founder, takes over the reins of the company, which becomes MAISON FORMAT H.REINIER. Hippolyte Reinier passed his school-leaving certificate at the age of 13, and worked in evening classes at the business school before being drafted in 1913.
On his return, he believed in modernism, and by the end of the war had equipped himself with mechanical means, including "ants" - a typically Marseilles name for bag-pickers.
Hippolyte felt the tide turning, abandoned the limited market and continued to expand outside the city of Marseille in search of a larger territory. Faced with the evolution of the industry and encouraged by the demands of the S.N.C.F., he set up operations in Savoie, Languedoc-Roussillon, Lyon and Nice, with four hundred people loading and unloading wagons.
Mechanization continued with the arrival of the first crane in 1934 and forklift trucks and elevators in 1944. Cleaning became the company's main activity.
Alexandre MARIUS and his son Hippolyte FORMAT
The first train arrived at Gare Saint-Charles in 1848. At this time, Marseille was experiencing one of its greatest periods of economic prosperity, particularly in the trading of exotic products.
Wheat mills dotted the hills. Semolina mills and flour mills developed.
The city of Marseille increasingly turned to import-export, and goods were transported in sacks requiring handling.
The "Maison Format" was founded by Alexandre Marius Format as a handling business. His son, Joseph Hippolyte Format, born in 1836, actively contributed to the development of the family business.
1996 - 2007
1995
Onet enters the Iberian market.
Our adventure in Spain began with one of our French customers (a car manufacturer), who entrusted us with the industrial cleaning of its Valladolid plant.
1996
Takeover of TELEM SA
The Onet Group acquires TELEM, one of France's leading electronic security companies.
1997
Onet expands its range of services
Each branch offers a wide range of services.
Cleaning: ultra-cleaning, cleaning operations in industrial processes, logistics and handling, airport assistance, transport cleaning services (rail, airport, bus, metro, tramway), event cleaning. Services in extreme environments (nuclear and industrial), surveillance, electronic security, temporary work, training and recruitment.
1999
Creation of G.E.I.E. EUROLIANCE
In collaboration with the British group O.C.S. and the German group GEGENBAUER, Onet creates the European G.E.I.E. EUROLIANCE, which will become Euroliance Ltd in 2007, in order to offer its services throughout the continent.
Acquisition of Comex Nucléaire
The Group also acquires Comex Nucléaire, which develops innovative engineering solutions and carries out complex industrial projects.
2000
Takeover of SAFEN
Onet acquires ENTREPRISE FERROVIAIRE-SAFEN, whose core business is cleaning.
Partnerships
The 2000s were also the years of partnerships. The Extreme Environment Technologies division forged links with major players in the nuclear and industrial sectors:
- MITSUBISHI HEAVY
- INDUSTRIES (Japan),
- STUDSVIK (Sweden),
- AECL (Canada),
- ENS (United States),
- NUKEM (Germany),
- EIFFAGE (France).
The Interim and Recruitment Division has set up a partnership with CHINA to facilitate recruitment for Chinese companies.
Acquisition of Pronature in Spain
With the first acquisition, in 2000, of Pronature, Onet became a national player with branches throughout Spain.
2001
Onet embarks on a strategic shift All the branches of the Environmental Services-Multiservices Division now complement their cleaning offer with a range of multiservices: local services and property maintenance. The Propreté-Multiservices Division has thus consolidated its position as French leader in waste management and related services.2005
Acquisition of Axxis Conseil
2007
Creation of Axxis à Domicile
Onet enters the personal services market with the acquisition of FRANCE PRESENCE. The business is developed under the name AXXIS A DOMICILE.
Changes in Onet's shareholder structure
On October 23, 2007, the REINIER family took majority control of the Onet family group by acquiring the shares of HOLDING FABRE.
This step marks the entry into the capital of SOCIETE FONCIERE FINANCIERE ET DE PARTICIPATIONS - FFP and the company's management through Société du Management D'Onet (SDMO).
Following these transactions, the capital of HOLDING REINIER is held by :
- The REINIER family for 74.51%,
- SOCIETE FONCIERE, FINANCIERE ET DE PARTICIPATIONS - FFP for 23.05%,
- Onet management (SDMO) for 2.44%.
Elisabeth Coquet-Reinier is Chairman of HOLDING REINIER.
In October 2007, the four business divisions change their names.
- Onet Propreté-Multiservices
- Onet Technologies
- Onet Security
- Axxis Ressources
Tribute to
Louis REINIER
Louis, Hippolyte's son, finishes his studies at the Faculty of Law in Aix-en-Provence, while working in his father's company during his university vacations, performing all the various handling tasks.
He joined the company in 1949 with a solid background and a childhood memory: his father putting down his jacket to put on a grey smock.
1950 sees the development of the cleaning department. It became known as ONET, "Office Nouveau du Nettoyage", with the slogan "modern technology applied to cleaning".
Louis Reinier has played a major role in the development of the family business, turning a Marseilles-based structure into a Group of international stature.
Louis Reinier was the driving force behind Onet's major strategic orientations, guiding the Group's development by increasing the expertise and specialization of its historical businesses. It was also under his impetus that Onet began diversifying into new service and engineering activities, including certain high-tech sectors such as nuclear power, as early as the 1970s.
"That's the story..."
The "Maison Format" sign is still there, hanging on the wall of a wooden cottage in front of Marseille's Arenc station, a reminder of the company's beginnings. It's 1860, and the sign disappears during the day to make way for two or three employees in charge of organizing the work of the vans, a rallying point in a port where the arrival of the railway saw the development of many local businesses.
2008 - 2023
2008
Onet Technologies continues to expand internationally
Onet Technologies continues its international expansion with the creation of subsidiaries ONET TECHNOLOGIES ROMANIA and ONET TECHNOLOGIES BULGARIA, and the acquisition of GRAVATOM ENGINEERING SERVICES in the UK.
2009
New Group headquarters
Move into the new Group headquarters, bringing together the 4 business divisions and the ASSISTANCE SERVICES economic interest group, which groups together functional services.
The new headquarters, equipped with a range of technical resources designed to reduce water and energy consumption, includes a company restaurant, an HQE (High Environmental Quality) crèche and a sports hall.
Onet launches its corporate project O3, Daring Onet Together
The O3 project is designed to reposition the Group around its core values of Listen, Respect and Boldness, with a strong commitment to sustainable development.
Creation of the Group's International Division
2010
Creation of TELEM MAROC
The Group is stepping up its international development with the creation of TELEM MAROC (an ONET SECURITE subsidiary), which brings ONET SECURITE TELEM's expertise in the design, installation and maintenance of electronic security systems to banking networks, industries and administrations in the Kingdom.
New Euroliance partner
Euroliance Ltd welcomes a new partner (Nominated Services Provider), REIWAG, which is now active in the waste management and multiservices markets in Austria, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
2011
Takeover of BRADTEC
ONET TECHNOLOGIES strengthens its presence in Great Britain with the purchase of BRADTEC DECON TECHNOLOGIES LTD, a company specializing in decontamination processes, and takes a position in the Indian civil nuclear market by establishing a joint venture with New Delhi-based PCI Ltd, a company working in the conventional energy sector.
2013
Acquisition of Sinteo
Onet strengthens its technical expertise through the acquisition of Sinteo, an engineering and consulting company specializing in the environmental performance of buildings.
2015
Onet acquires EPM Inc and completes its first transaction on the US market
Onet, through its newly-created subsidiary Onet North America (ONA), is pursuing its international expansion, and has completed its first transaction in the USA with the acquisition of EPM (Ingénierie Nucléaire) in Boston, Massachusetts.
EPM is the reference in the nuclear sector for fire safety prevention, control and inspection. With more than 90 employees, EPM is active across the entire nuclear fleet in North America, as well as at certain facilities in Asia.
2017
Onet : Holding Reinier brings EMZ fund into its capital
Holding Reinier announces the arrival ofEMZ as a shareholder. This move provides Onet, a subsidiary of Holding Reinier, with financial stability and launches the group into a new phase of development.
Onet continues its international expansion in Brazil
Onet is stepping up its development in Brazil with a new acquisition: Centro Serviços.
2018
Appointment of Emilie de Lombarès, Chairman of the Board Onet
Daughter of Mrs. Elisabeth Coquet-Reinier, President of the Onet Group, and granddaughter of Mr. Louis Reinier, Emilie de Lombarès had headed the operations of the Spanish subsidiary, Onet Iberia, since 2016.
Onet steps up its development in Spain
The acquisition of the Basque company Impacto completes the group's external growth.
2020
25 years of Onet's Spanish subsidiary
Founded in 1995, Onet Iberia, the Spanish subsidiary with 8,000 employees, celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2020. With its 3 divisions (Edificios, Ciudades, Personas), Onet Iberia is an example of integration, service quality and diversification.
Creation of Onet Security in Luxembourg
To offer its customers and prospective customers security, safety and hospitality services, the Onet Group is strengthening the international development of its security activities by creating a human security subsidiary in the Grand Duchy.
Onet is updating its brand signature to reflect its corporate project with impact, a benchmark for its service businesses.
" Stronger together ", the new brand signature embodies the Group's committed vision. It marks our difference. Equal service, commitment, the choice of human values makes all the difference...
2022
The Coquet-Reinier family once again becomes the sole shareholder of the Onet group's holding company.
2023
Onet Iberia strengthens its presence in Spain, particularly in the Catalonia, Valencia and Andalusia regions, with the acquisition of MTL
MTL has expertise in cleaning and hygiene in the food industry. With the integration of 800 new employees, Onet Iberia now has almost 8,000 employees in Spain and Portugal.
Tribute to
Elisabeth COQUET-REINIER
Chairman of the Board Onet of Holding Reinier, Chairman of the Supervisory Board and of the Responsible Development Committee of Onet SA, and Chairman of the Onet Foundation, she has had a profound impact on the history of her company, devoting her entire career to it and instilling it with her strong and enduring human values.
Born in 1953, representing the sixth generation of managers, she joined the family business after studying economics at the University of Aix-Marseille.
For nearly five decades, rising through the ranks, she has devoted her energy to the development and growth of our company. Her strong convictions and commitment to skills development, sustainable development, Onet's image and our businesses have been her driving force.
By setting up the Onet Foundation in 2010 to combat inadequate housing, we also wanted to contribute to a more caring and supportive society.
Elisabeth Coquet-Reinier was also committed to promoting the attractiveness of her region, first within UPE13, then within the Aix-Marseille-Provence Chamber of Commerce and Industry, of which she was Vice-President.
In recognition of her commitments and actions, she was made a Knight of the Legion of Honor and an Officer of the National Order of Merit.