Acquisition of the LIXOL company by the Berkem Group

 This acquisition brings to the Group the skills and experience of a fourth specialty, still linked to chemistry.

Since 1960, LIXOL has been producing resins for the paint, wood treatment, and ink industries at its industrial site in Gironde. Pierre GALLIERE was originally at the helm of the company until he handed over management to his son, Bertrand, in 1986.

The company specializes in the development of so-called "alkyd" resins. They are made from vegetable oils, various raw materials from organic chemistry, and petroleum solvents (white spirit).

LIXOL's production infrastructure, established on 6 m² (including 200 m² of covered buildings), allows it to supply products in various forms: solvent-free resins (high dry extract range), resins in solution in various solvents (white spirit), emulsion resins (diluted in water).

Today, the company has a team of seven employees. It markets its products throughout France and in several African countries (Morocco, Tunisia, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Cameroon, and Madagascar).
LIXOL's annual resin production of around 3 tonnes represents a turnover of €000 million, 5% of which comes from exports.

LIXOL and the BERKEM GROUP: complementary professional skills
The acquisition of LIXOL is the result of the Berkem Group's desire to create a new business to develop alongside those of plant extraction, chemical formulation and distribution.
As Olivier FAHY, CEO of the Berkem Group, explains, "by uniting LIXOL with the Group's companies, the aim is to create a link between the Berkem Group's historical industrial businesses and LIXOL's use of plant-based raw materials for industrial applications. LIXOL operates in niche markets that are conducive to providing technical solutions. The infrastructure, skills, and versatility of the teams in place fully contribute to achieving this."

Interview with Bertrand GALLIERE, manager of LIXOL
« I agreed to sell LIXOL to the Berkem Group for several reasons. On a personal level, first of all, I wanted to ensure a reassuring succession for the existing production team and the company's shareholders.
For the future and sustainability of my company, belonging to the Berkem Group is a choice of trust. The Group has been a customer of our products for several years. We have gotten to know each other. We are on the same wavelength on issues such as the environment, research and development projects, and our vision of our market.
The important thing for me is that LIXOL's organization is maintained and strengthened thanks to the support of the Group's support services (research & development, purchasing, QSE and regulatory monitoring, IT, communication, etc.).
LIXOL and the Berkem Group come from the chemical sector, work in parallel professions and speak the same language: this necessarily facilitates exchanges. »

Berkem Group: an SME on the move
Founded in 1964, the Berkem Group is historically an industrial SME specializing in chemistry. It has
a production site in Dordogne (24), another in Gironde (33), currently being redeveloped, and a final one, in La Teste de Buch (33), for products made by LIXOL.
At the end of 2016, it posted a turnover of €36,5 million and employed more than 200 people in Europe.
With the arrival of LIXOL, the Berkem Group now has five subsidiaries. Four of these subsidiaries market products developed by its R&D laboratories and produced at its production sites, all intended for professional customers in the construction, industrial, cosmetics, and food industries.

More: http://www.groupeberkem.com/frpublications