Belgian machine manufacturer Lefort has acquired 100 per cent share of the French company Copex. Following the takeover, Lefort's annual turnover will increase to €110m and the size of its staff to about 300, the two companies announced at the end of July. They did not disclose the purchase price.
According to the announcement, Copex is to continue to produce and market hydraulic shears and balers for scrap metal, waste and agriculture worldwide under its own name at its headquarters in Caudan, Brittany. Fawaz Ezzat, who had been responsible for Lefort's French activities since 2016, has assumed the role of Copex's general manager, taking over from Frédéric Malin, the previous majority owner of the company. Mr Ezzat's successor at the helm of Lefort France is to be announced by the company in the coming weeks.
Lefort and Copex noted in their announcement that the companies "heritage, a solid reputation for quality and service, and similar values around excellence, passion and innovation". The group created by the acquisition will therefore "be ideally placed to provide even more comprehensive services and solutions to its customers". Copex's s skills and production capacity will provide Lefort with the opportunity to increase its activity and strengthen its local and international presence, the companies explained.
Lefort CEO Alexandre Henkens described the acquisition as an important step of the company. He stressed the Copex would enhance an "invaluable heritage of knowledge and experience in the recycling industry." Frédéric Malin, who has been general manager of Copex and was the company's majority stakeholder, said that since his early days in the industry he had appreciated the technical solutions offered by Lefort, as well as the company's working methods based on honesty, respect and integrity.
Founded in Belgium in 1947, Lefort remains an entirely family-owned business. The company is headquartered in Gosselies near Charleroi and is one of the world's leading manufacturers of machinery and equipment for scrap and metal recycling. Lefort's product range includes scrap balers and shears and shredders with an output of up to 3,000 HP as well as attachments for demolition and recycling machines.
