When Anticimex spent SEK 60 billion in November 2021 to restructure under EQT Future’s ownership, the Swedish company had already made the critical move that would define its future. That decision came six years earlier in a town north of Copenhagen, where a small Danish firm called WiseCon had been building connected pest control devices since 2008.
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The Danish Technology Play
Anticimex bought 20 percent of WiseCon A/S in January 2015. At the time, the Danish company operated from Helsinge with a team developing digital traps and wireless sensors. The technology caught Anticimex’s attention because it solved a fundamental problem in pest control: technicians only knew what happened during quarterly or monthly visits.
WiseCon’s devices reported activity continuously through a central data hub. Infrared cameras monitored sewage systems. Sensors detected movement in hidden spaces. The system operated without pesticides.
By April 2017, Anticimex acquired the remaining 80 percent and converted the Danish operation into its Innovation Center. Preben Fritzbøger, WiseCon’s CEO at the time, said in a company statement: “By being fully owned by Anticimex, we open up for fast growth globally and further resources to develop our products and concepts for new customer groups and markets.”
Building SMART: From 20,000 to 525,000 Connected Devices
The acquisition gave Anticimex ownership of what became its SMART platform. The company had installed 20,000 digital rodent devices globally by 2017. That number climbed past 200,000 when EQT Future took controlling ownership in late 2021. By early 2025, more than 525,000 SMART devices monitored properties across 21 countries.
The Innovation Center now employs 70 engineers and researchers. They’ve secured 12 patents with 120 registrations worldwide. All devices get manufactured and tested at the Danish facility before deployment.
The platform includes:
• Connected traps reporting captures in real time
• WiseCam systems for underground monitoring
• WiseBox sensors tracking pest movement patterns
• Cloud analytics predicting infestation locations
• Customer dashboards with compliance documentation
Revenue from SMART services now represents 14 percent of total Anticimex sales. The digital monitoring business has grown over 25 percent annually since the EQT Future transaction.
Spanish Operations: €72 Million Revenue, 30% Growth
Anticimex 3D Sanidad Ambiental operates as the Spanish subsidiary. The company runs 24 branches covering mainland Spain, the Balearic Islands, and Canary Islands from headquarters in Sant Cugat del Vallés, Barcelona.
The Spanish operation employs 735 people serving more than 30,000 commercial, government, and residential clients. Financial records show revenue hit €72 million in 2023, up 30 percent from the prior year. Organic growth contributed 24 percent of that increase, with seven acquisitions adding €4 million.
The subsidiary operates under environmental health standards set by UNE EN 171210-2008 and UNE EN 16636:2015, which govern integrated pest management in Spain. Municipal contracts show Anticimex 3D Sanidad Ambiental winning public tenders for mosquito control, rodent management, and disinfection services across Spanish cities.
The Platform Economics
Traditional pest control companies sell periodic visits. Technicians inspect properties, set traps, apply chemicals, and return weeks or months later. Revenue comes from service calls and product sales.
The WiseCon platform strategy changed that model. Anticimex now sells continuous monitoring with immediate response. Customers pay subscription fees for 24/7 sensor networks. The company collects data on pest behavior, building conditions, and seasonal patterns. That information feeds back into device placement and service scheduling.
Jarl Dahlfors, Anticimex CEO since the company’s transformation under EQT ownership starting in 2012, explained the shift in a 2017 announcement: “Our vision is to be the global leader in preventive pest control. By acquiring WiseCon, we strengthen our leading position within digital pest control.”
Andreas Aschenbrenner, Partner at EQT Private Equity, described the investment thesis during the 2021 transaction: “Anticimex is a digital leader in the pest control industry with its SMART technology, driving change towards pesticide-free solutions and increasing efficiency in preventing infestations.”
Scale Through Acquisition, Technology Through Development
EQT’s strategy combines aggressive acquisition with centralized technology development. Anticimex has completed more than 400 acquisitions since 2015, entering new markets while converting acquired companies to the SMART platform. The company now operates approximately 240 branches across Europe, Asia Pacific, North America, and Latin America.
The Innovation Center in Denmark provides the technology foundation. Local branches handle sales, installation, and service. The model lets Anticimex scale geographically while maintaining control over its core platform technology.
The Spanish subsidiary demonstrates how this works in practice. Anticimex 3D Sanidad Ambiental absorbed multiple smaller pest control companies, integrated their customer bases, and deployed SMART devices across existing accounts. Revenue growth accelerated as the company shifted clients from traditional service contracts to platform subscriptions.
What Changed in Pest Control
The WiseCon acquisition gave Anticimex something competitors couldn’t easily replicate: years of sensor data, proven hardware, and manufacturing capability. Building that infrastructure from scratch would require substantial capital and time.
That advantage shows in market positioning. Food processing plants, healthcare facilities, and hospitality companies now specify digital monitoring in procurement requirements. Insurance companies offer lower premiums for properties using connected pest control systems. Regulatory bodies recognize platforms like SMART as meeting integrated pest management standards that emphasize prevention over chemical treatment.
For Anticimex 3D Sanidad Ambiental and the broader Anticimex network, the estrategia de plataforma from the WiseCon acquisition created a business selling technology subscriptions rather than technician hours. The shift from reactive service calls to preventive monitoring backed by real-time data represents the kind of margin improvement that justifies billion-dollar valuations in industries most investors overlook.
