02.08.2018

Klubb acquires Egi

French vehicle mounted lift manufacturer Klubb has acquired French specialist platform manufacturer Egi.

Egi is based in the small village of Les Ayvelles, near Charleville-Mézières, North East France and produces fully insulated- live line and firefighting platforms up to 65 metres. It employs 35 people at a 12,000 square metre plant located on 17 acre site in the Ardennes. These days the company exports most of its production to markets such as Qatar, China and Chile. It has been in administration since its parent Gimaex International was declared insolvent at the end of 2017. A liquidation order was issued at the start of July, leaving two months to find a buyer before being closed.
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An Egi fire fighting platform

Klubb chief executive Julien Bourrellis said: "This acquisition will enable us to rapidly develop high voltage insulated platforms, which are in great demand in many international markets. We will be able to position ourselves in countries where we are not yet present and gain export market share."

"We are also pleased to announce that on this site we will continue to manufacture firefighting platforms. EGI has established itself as a major player in this market and we are proud to ensure the continuity of this activity.
Klubb subsidiary Nacelle Assistance & Services, will maintain and repair Egi products going forward. The technicians are already being trained on the maintaining and repairing Egi products.

A little history

Egi was acquired by fire fighting vehicle specialist the Gimaex group in 2006 See Egi acquired just over a year later in 2007, the company had its first brush with insolvency when it went into temporary administration. See Egi in administration The business was restructured and by 2014 revenues had increased to €8 million, with Gimaex reportedly investing over a million euros in the business. But later that year it was caught fraudulently claiming to be an IPAF member as part of a bid to win a contract in Brazil. See Company fraudulently claims IPAF membership

In December last year the Gimaex group was declared insolvent following $10 million default on contracted in Libya and Iraq. French fire extinguisher and safety equipment manufacturer Desautel purchased Gimaex Fire Trucks and Echelles Riffaud, taking over its three plants in France, namely Roanne - formerly Gicar, Mitry Mory - formerly Bemax, and the Echelles Riffaud factory in Tourouvre.

The German manufacturing business - Gimaex GmbH - based in Wilnsdorf near Bonn, was acquired last month by Spanish company Iturri, leaving Egi, which looked set to be liquidated, until Klubb stepped in.
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The main production hall at Egi in Les Ayvelles

Vertikal Comment

This could be a very good move for Klubb, as Egi always had a good reputation for its specialist know how and expertise designing and building fully insulated platforms for live line work, but has been limping from one crisis to another for the past 12 to 15 years, due to inefficient manufacturing, a lack of investment and deplorable, to non existent marketing.

Klubb on the other hand excels in all of these areas and could transform the business and possibly restore it to its glory days when it was a major supplier to state utility EDF and major utility companies worldwide.
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