Franki Foundations

What Franki Foundations does

Franki Foundations is a Belgian-headquartered deep foundation and geotechnical engineering contractor with over 110 years of operating history, founded in 1910 as Les Pieux Franki and operating today as a wholly-owned subsidiary of BESIX Group (acquired in 2008). The company delivers a comprehensive range of foundation techniques including driven piles, bored piles, screw displacement piles (Omega, Atlas), CFA piling, PCS augercast piles up to 1000mm in diameter, secant and soil mix retaining walls, ground anchors and nails, rigid inclusions, soil improvement, and injection works, supported by a specialized equipment fleet that includes the Fundex 2800 and Fundex 3500 piling rigs.

Franki serves clients across six horizontal segments: Buildings (commercial, residential, governmental, hospital), Infrastructure (road, rail, bridge, utility), Industry (petrochemical, cement, power, manufacturing), Marine Works, Sport and Leisure, and Environment (remediation and containment of polluted sites). Revenue is generated through project-based construction contracts ranging from small private housing subcontracts to major industrial and infrastructure general contracts, with reference contract values between EUR 312,000 and EUR 3,000,000. The company operates both as general contractor and as specialist subcontractor, with distribution channels combining direct field sales, competitive tendering, negotiated contracts, public tenders, and BESIX Group referral pipelines.

The company maintains four-country operating presence through wholly-owned subsidiaries: Franki Foundations Belgium (Saintes), Atlas Fondations / Atlas Palen (Koekelare, Belgium and Lezennes, France), Franki Grondtechnieken (Dordrecht, Netherlands), and Franki Foundations UK (Dartford and Fareham). Notable enterprise customers include Holcim Belgium, Total, Nexans, Heineken International, Aerospacelab, Vanmarcke, Infrabel, CIT Blaton, and Tecnicas Reunidas, alongside flagship infrastructure engagements such as the Oosterweel connection in Antwerp and the Liège Guillemins railway station. Franki is ranked in the top 10 of European foundation specialists and is actively extending into African infrastructure projects.

Name

Franki Foundations

Legal name

Franki Foundations

Website

https://ffgb.be

Company type

Private

Founded year

1910

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Franki Foundations is a Belgian deep foundation and geotechnical contractor with 110+ years of history, operating as a BESIX Group subsidiary across Belgium, the Netherlands, France, and the UK. It delivers driven, bored, screw, and CFA piling plus retaining walls and soil improvement for industrial, infrastructure, and building clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Geotechnical and deep foundation construction services

NAICS

Foundation, Structure, and Building Exterior Contractors (2381), Poured Concrete Foundation and Structure Contractors (23811)

SIC

Heavy Construction Other Than Bldg Const - Contractors (1600)

akta.pro primary industry

Piling & Deep Foundations (Driven, Bored, CFA, Micropiles) (IMAFAOAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Foundation Remediation & Underpinning (Jack Piles, Resin Injection, Re-leveling) (IMAFAOAL)

Keywords

• Deep foundation construction
• Geotechnical engineering
• Piling services
• Soil improvement
• Ground anchors

Headquarters

HQ city

Tubize

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Foundation and Deep Foundation Construction Contracts: Franki Foundations generates revenue primarily through fixed-price or cost-plus construction contracts for deep foundation, retaining wall, soil improvement, and related geotechnical works. Projects range from small private housing subcontracts to large-scale infrastructure and industrial general contracts. Revenue is project-based, one-time, and derived from both private and public sector clients.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Franki Foundations is a specialist geotechnical contractor that designs and executes deep foundation works, including driven and bored piles, retaining walls, soil improvement, and ground anchors for building, civil engineering, and infrastructure projects. The company sells engineering know-how and on-site execution capacity rather than manufactured products, addressing ground conditions and load-bearing requirements for general contractors and project owners across Belgium, the Netherlands, France, the United Kingdom, and other European markets.

Product overview

Franki Foundations is a multi-service contractor specializing in deep foundation solutions with over 110 years of experience. The company operates as a core offering of foundation construction services including deep foundations (various pile types), retaining walls (pile walls, secant walls, soil mix), soil improvement (rigid inclusions), and ground anchors/nails. The portfolio is organized around technical solutions for buildings, infrastructure, and industrial projects. The company is part of the BESIX Group (since 2008) and maintains regional subsidiaries including Atlas Fondations (France), Franki Grondtechnieken (Netherlands), and Franki Foundations UK.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Deep foundations (driven and bored piles) Design and installation of driven precast and Franki piles, bored piles, and continuous flight auger (CFA) piles to carry building, bridge, and infrastructure loads to competent bearing strata. Sold to general contractors and project owners on building, civil engineering, and infrastructure projects with variable soil conditions.
• Retaining walls Construction of secant, tangent, and sheet pile retaining walls (including Berliner walls) to support deep excavations, basements, and cut-and-cover structures. Sold to general contractors and developers on urban building and infrastructure projects requiring temporary or permanent earth retention.
• Soil improvement Ground improvement works including soil mixing and jet grouting to increase bearing capacity, reduce settlement, and mitigate liquefaction risk. Sold to general contractors and project owners on sites with weak, compressible, or contaminated soils.
• Ground anchors and soil nails Installation of ground anchors and soil nails to stabilize slopes, retain excavations, and support retaining walls. Sold to general contractors, infrastructure owners, and public authorities on transport, civil, and building projects.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 110 years of international experience in foundation solutions
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature9 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and major.

• BESIX GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2008Franki Foundations has been a member of the BESIX Group since 2008. The company operates as a subsidiary within the BESIX corporate structure, benefiting from group financial strength, cross-selling opportunities, shared engineering resources, and participation in large-scale integrated construction projects. BESIX Group encompasses multiple subsidiaries including BESIX, BESIX RED, Jacques Delens, BESIX France, BESIX Infra, Cobelba, BESIX Nederland, BESIX Unitec, Vanhout, BESIX Watpac, Socogetra, Lux TP, Six Construct, Wust, and regional Franki Foundations entities.
• Atlas FondationscoreOthersAtlas Fondations (Atlas Palen in Belgium) is a division and brand within the Franki Foundations group, with offices in Koekelare (Belgium) and Lezennes (France). Specializes in Atlas displacement screw pile systems. Operations are integrated within the Franki Foundations organizational structure.
• Franki GrondtechniekencoreOthersFranki Grondtechnieken is the Dutch subsidiary of Franki Foundations, based in Dordrecht, Netherlands. Operates as part of the Franki Foundations regional network covering the Benelux and broader European market.
• Franki Foundations UKcoreOthersFranki Foundations UK operates from Dartford (England) with an additional Able Piling and Construction Ltd office in Fareham. Part of the Franki Foundations international subsidiary network serving the UK construction market.
• LantisflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerLantis is the project developer/client for the Oosterweel connection in Antwerp, one of Belgium's largest infrastructure projects. Franki Foundations is carrying out specialist foundation works including vertical shores and deep foundations as part of the Oosterweel project, working alongside TM ROCO (general contractor).
• TM ROCOflagshipImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerTM ROCO is the main contractor for the Oosterweel connection project in Antwerp (consortium of BESIX and DENYS). Franki Foundations serves as the specialist foundation subcontractor, executing vertical shores, bored piles, and related geotechnical works within the broader TM ROCO-led project.
• Holcim BelgiumflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerHolcim Belgium commissioned Franki Foundations for deep foundation works on the GO4ZERO project — a major cement plant modernization initiative. Franki is executing foundation works at two sites: the Obourg cement plant and a limestone storage quarry in Vaulx, using driven cast-in-situ concrete piles, Omega piles, and pile walls at depths of 14–35 meters. BESIX and DENYS serve as civil works main contractors.
• Tecnicas ReunidasmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTecnicas Reunidas (Spain-based engineering contractor) engaged Franki Foundations for foundation works at Total's Antwerp refinery modernization (Optara project). Franki delivered 966 Omega screw piles, 91 PCS piles, and 5 micropiles. The partnership evolved from subcontractor to co-engineering partner, with Franki's Engineering Department optimizing pile designs to improve production efficiency and delivery timelines.
• BPC GroupmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBPC Group is the project developer/client for the Nexans Charleroi plant construction and Etterbeek City Hall project. Franki Foundations delivers foundation packages as a specialist contractor under BPC Group-led development projects.
• AerospacelabflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerAerospacelab commissioned Franki Foundations (engaged by BESIX) for custom-made deep foundations of the Aerospacelab Megafactory in Charleroi — a major space manufacturing facility. Nearly 550 bored piles totaling 6 km in depth were installed using CFA technique, with close collaboration on phased execution to meet tight project schedules.
• AconstructmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAconstruct commissioned Franki Foundations for the foundation works of the Vanmarcke high-freeze storage facility in Gullegem, a EUR 50 million project. Franki installed over 1,230 Atlas piles for the technically demanding automated high-bay warehouse.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Bauer AG: German-based foundation specialist with deep foundations, cut-off walls, and ground improvement activities. Competes head-to-head with Franki in heavy foundation works across European infrastructure and industrial projects.
• Soletanche Bachy: Vinci subsidiary and one of the world's largest geotechnical and foundation contractors. Directly competes with Franki across deep foundations, retaining walls, ground improvement, and underground works across Europe and globally.
• Per Aarsleff Holding (Aarsleff Ground Engineering): Danish foundation specialist providing piling, ground engineering, and foundation services with pan-European operations through subsidiaries. Direct competitor in driven and bored piling as well as ground improvement.
• Trevi Group: Italian foundation engineering group specializing in deep foundations, soil improvement, and underground works. Comparable in scale and technique breadth with significant European project overlap.
• Keller Group plc: UK-listed specialist geotechnical contractor providing piling, ground improvement, and foundation services worldwide. Direct overlap with Franki's core offering across all major European markets.
• Menard: Vinci subsidiary specializing in soil improvement and ground reinforcement, including rigid inclusions and vibro-compaction. Direct overlap with Franki's soil improvement and rigid inclusions Omega offering.

Broad incumbents

• Strabag SE: Major European construction group with significant foundation and geotechnical capabilities as part of a broader construction portfolio. Competes on large integrated projects where Franki might otherwise partner with a general contractor.

Others

• Fugro NV: Dutch geo-data specialist providing site investigation and ground characterization services that typically precede foundation construction. Ecosystem participant rather than direct competitor; represents a complementary service in the project value chain.
• Socogetra: Belgian road and civil works contractor and fellow BESIX Group subsidiary. Not a direct competitor in deep foundations but related through the group ecosystem and occasional collaboration on integrated projects.
• Socotec: Testing, inspection, and certification group serving the construction and infrastructure sectors. Adjacent service provider whose geotechnical and structural testing often accompanies Franki's foundation projects.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/FrankiGroup
• Facebookfacebook.com/Franki-Foundations-UK-Ltd-1479866362263548

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Franki Foundations