DYKA Group completes its acquisition of Pipelife France

New investments for further growth

Tessenderlo Group and its DYKA Group business unit officially finalized the acquisition of the Pipelife France plant in Gaillon on Monday, October 3, and will be incorporating it into the operations of DYKA France with a view to supporting the growth of its operations in the French market.

After announcing its intention to acquire Pipelife France in February 2022, all of the parties involved reached an agreement and all employees were kept on by DYKA as part of the acquisition. This will allow the company to embark upon a new growth trajectory supported by the combined knowledge and expertise of the teams at the French manufacturer's three production sites.

The acquisition will significantly increase DYKA France’s capacity for producing polyethylene (PE) pipes, which will in turn enable the sales department to further expand its operations in the water supply, lining, and biogas markets. Further major investment in the Gaillon plant will help support this development to enable DYKA to offer an ever more comprehensive range of products manufactured in France.

A wider range of French-made products

“With this third French production site, we’re adding an additional segment to our current range that will enable us to better meet our customers’ needs,” explains DYKA France Sales Manager Armel Vasseur. “We firmly believe in the potential of the water supply market. We’re currently losing over 1 billion m3 of water per year in France due to leaks. PE pipes offer a solution to the problem of the many aging metal pipes currently in use and this is thanks to their extreme reliability and reduced environmental impact. Therefore, it seemed obvious to us that we should add PE pipes to our drinking water supply range. PE pipes are also recognized as representing an efficient and sustainable way to transport gas, particularly with the way biogas is developing in France. This acquisition will thus allow us to offer our customers an ever-increasing range of quality products that are made in France,” continues Armel Vasseur.

Investments to optimize production methods

The takeover kicked off on Monday, October 3, in the presence of the Gaillon employees, and investments in the plant were also announced. "We see a lot of potential here: there’s some real expertise to be tapped into at this site, as well as room for new facilities,” confirms Alain Motte, Industrial Director at DYKA France. "With this in mind, we’re going to invest in the future of the site; over two million euros of investment have already been approved for the purposes of increasing production capacity by early 2024 and we’re going to continue this process of growth and optimization where production facilities are concerned in the years to come.”

Supported by a strong group

DYKA France is part of DYKA Group, which is in turn part of the Belgian company Tessenderlo Group. Gabriël Spruijt, Executive Vice-President of DYKA Group, adds: “This new acquisition is very important to our group’s growth strategy, particularly where our plans for France are concerned. In 2020, we successfully took over a plant in La Chapelle Saint Ursin (18), and we have another DYKA production site in Sainte Austreberthe (Pas de Calais), which is also our administrative headquarters for France. The French market represents a lot of opportunities for us and we want to seize them through the new investments that we have announced.”