LEFORT
LEFORT is a Belgian, family-owned manufacturer founded in 1947 that designs and produces heavy-duty hydraulic presses, shears, and shredders for the global metal recycling industry, selling direct via subsidiaries in four countries and a 45-country dealer network.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1947
- HeadquartersGosselies, Belgium
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What LEFORT does
LEFORT (Presses et Cisailles Lefort S.A.) is a Belgian, family-owned industrial manufacturer founded in 1947 and headquartered in Gosselies, Belgium. The company designs and produces heavy-duty hydraulic equipment for the metal recycling industry, including stationary shear balers (KONKEROR 600-1000T, KOLOSS 1000-2000T, LIDEX 1000-2000T), portable and mobile wheeled shears (MOBILE 500-1000T), the patented self-propelled tracked TRAX series (600-1250T), E-TRAX electric-hybrid variants, end-of-life-vehicle balers (P6000/KAR series), and shredders up to 3,000 HP. A dedicated in-house factory produces all hydraulic cylinders, and the firm holds international patents on key technologies including the TRAX tracked platform (EP 3405333).
The company sells through wholly-owned subsidiaries in the UK, France, Germany, and the USA, supported by a 54-dealer network spanning 45 countries across five continents; 98% of production is exported. Revenue is generated primarily through direct, project-based hardware sales of individually configured machines priced between approximately EUR 1.5M and EUR 7.5M, supplemented by an aftermarket stream of spare parts, blade changes, on-site retrofits, and remote monitoring (Web Visu). The customer base is concentrated in metal recycling yards, demolition contractors, and steel mills, with documented multi-decade relationships (e.g., J. Davidson's 11th LEFORT machine over 25 years; Kroon's 20+ year tenure).
In July 2023, LEFORT completed its first external growth move in over 75 years by acquiring French hydraulic shear manufacturer COPEX S.A. (founded 1948, based in Caudan, France). The combined group employs approximately 300 people, generates over 110 million euros in revenue, and operates under continued family ownership led by Chairman Christian Lefort, with sons Antoine and Julien in strategic and marketing roles and an external CEO (Alexandre Henkens, appointed September 2022) running day-to-day operations.
LEFORT firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- LEFORT
- Legal name
- Presses et Cisailles Lefort (Société Anonyme)
- Website
- https://lefort.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1947
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- LEFORT is a Belgian, family-owned manufacturer founded in 1947 that designs and produces heavy-duty hydraulic presses, shears, and shredders for the global metal recycling industry, selling direct via subsidiaries in four countries and a 45-country dealer network.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
LEFORT industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Metal Recycling Equipment
- NAICS
- Metalworking Machinery Manufacturing (33351), Other General Purpose Machinery Manufacturing (3339)
- SIC
- Metalworkg Machinery & Equipment (3540), Special Industry Machinery, Nec (3559)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Metal Forming & Fabrication Machines (Presses, Bending, Shearing, Stamping) (IMAHADAC)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Industrial Waste Handling & Compaction Equipment (Balers, Compactors) (IMAHALAI)
Keywords
Where LEFORT is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Gosselies
- HQ country
- Belgium
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices4 records
Markets served
LEFORT business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Heavy Equipment Sales: Sale of industrial metal recycling machines including presses, shear balers, and shredders. Machines range from 500T to 2000T+ cutting force and are sold in various configurations (stationary, mobile, tracked).
- Aftermarket Parts and Service: Spare parts sales, maintenance, blade changes, on-site repair and retrofit works. LEFORT maintains the largest stock of spare parts which can be dispatched worldwide.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Custom machine configurations - price varies by specifications |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels9 records
LEFORT product offering
Product offeringCore offering
LEFORT designs, manufactures, and services heavy-duty industrial equipment for the metal recycling industry, including hydraulic shear balers, presses (balers), and shredders. Machines are offered in stationary, mobile, portable, and tracked configurations with cutting forces ranging from 500 to 2,000+ tonnes and shredders up to 3,000 HP. The company also provides aftermarket spare parts, maintenance, blade-change, on-site repair, and retrofit services through wholly-owned subsidiaries and a global dealer network covering 45 countries.
Product overview
LEFORT manufactures a comprehensive portfolio of industrial metal recycling equipment, including shears, presses, and shredders. The product line comprises: KONKEROR (stationary shear balers 600-1000T), MOBILE (wheeled portable shears 500-1000T), TRAX (patented tracked self-propelled shears 600-1250T), KOLOSS (heavy-duty stationary shears 1000-2000T), LIDEX (side compression shears 1000-2000T), and balers (P6000/KAR series). The 2023 acquisition of COPEX expanded the portfolio with COPEX-branded products (LIDEX, REFLEX). The company also developed E-TRAX, an electric-hybrid tracked variant. Products range from 500 to 2000 tonnes cutting force and serve metal recycling yards, demolition sites, and industrial facilities worldwide.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- LEFORT France: Sales and service subsidiary covering France and French-speaking Switzerland
- LEFORT UK
- LEFORT America
- COPEX
Products and services
- KONKEROR Shear Baler Stationary shear baler series with cutting forces from 650 to 1,250 tonnes, designed for processing ferrous metals and demolition scrap with low operating costs in fixed scrap-yard installations.
- MOBILE Shear Baler Wheeled, portable shear baler series with cutting forces from 600 to 1,000 tonnes, designed for versatility across yard operations and on-site demolition work.
- TRAX Tracked Shear Baler Internationally patented self-propelled tracked shear baler with cutting forces from 600 to 1,250 tonnes; the machine moves to the scrap rather than the scrap being moved to the machine, reducing handling costs. An E-TRAX electric-hybrid variant is also offered for lower energy use.
- KOLOSS Heavy-Duty Shear Heavy-duty stationary shear baler series weighing up to 550 tonnes with cutting forces from 1,000 to 2,000 tonnes, available in TS (wrap-around) or BL (side compression) compression-box configurations for the largest scrap-processing operations.
- LIDEX Side-Compression Shear Side-compression shear with cutting forces from 1,000 to 2,000 tonnes featuring a fully automatic compression and shearing cycle, designed for high-throughput processing of heavy and voluminous scrap.
- P6000 / KAR 6000 Heavy-Duty Baler Heavy-duty baler with a 6-metre box, powerful lids, and a 180-tonne baling ram, designed for processing end-of-life vehicles and producing compact bales of light scrap.
- KAR 5200 Mobile Baler Mobile baler with integrated crane for processing end-of-life vehicles (ELVs) directly at customer collection sites.
- REFLEX650 Baler Former COPEX mobile baler product integrated into the LEFORT portfolio after the 2023 acquisition of COPEX S.A.
- LEFORT Shredders (Broyeurs) Hammer-mill shredders of up to 3,000 HP for processing a wide range of ferrous and non-ferrous materials, including light scrap, end-of-life vehicles, and white goods.
- Aftermarket Spare Parts, Maintenance & Service Spare-parts supply, scheduled maintenance, blade changes, on-site repair, and retrofit works delivered through wholly-owned subsidiaries (UK, France, Germany, USA) with the largest spare-parts stock in the industry, dispatchable worldwide.
Quantifiable outcome
- J. Davidson processes 1,500 tonnes of scrap weekly with KOLOSS 1300 TS
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use LEFORT
Customer profileNamed customers12 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
LEFORT technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature8 records
LEFORT partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- COPEX (SA COPEX)coreLEFORT acquired 100% of COPEX capital in July 2023. COPEX, founded in 1948, specializes in design and manufacture of hydraulic shear balers for treatment of scrap metals, metals, and solid waste. COPEX exports to five continents and serves specific industrial needs including nuclear dismantling, agricultural fiber baling, and wastewater waste processing. The combined group has approximately 300 employees and generates 110+ million euros in revenue.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves9 records
Expansion highlights7 records
LEFORT competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- C&G S.r.l. (Taurus): Italian manufacturer of hydraulic scrap shears marketed under the Taurus brand. Directly competes with LEFORT's KOLOSS and LIDEX lines in the European metal recycling market and is the named counterparty in LEFORT's TRAX patent enforcement proceedings in Milan.
- Lindemann Metal Recycling (MFW / NHI Group): German-headquartered manufacturer of shredders, shears, and balers for the metal recycling industry. Long-standing direct competitor to LEFORT in stationary and mobile shears, serving the same scrap yard and steel mill customer base.
- Erdwich GmbH: German manufacturer of shredders and recycling machinery for scrap metal, e-waste, and industrial waste. Directly comparable to LEFORT's shredder/broyeur line in scale and customer type, though LEFORT's broader shear portfolio gives it a wider offering.
- Forrec S.r.l. Italian designer and manufacturer of industrial shredders, granulators, and metal recycling machinery. Overlaps with LEFORT in shredder/broyeur products for end-of-life vehicles and light scrap processing, with comparable European customer base.
- SSI Shredding Systems: US-based manufacturer of industrial shredders and size-reduction equipment for scrap metal and waste-to-energy markets. Comparable to LEFORT's shredder product line; serves North American yards with similar high-horsepower equipment up to several thousand HP.
- Wendt Corporation: American manufacturer of shredders, hammer mills, and separation equipment for the scrap metal and recycling industries. Competes with LEFORT in shredding technology and serves similar North American scrap processor customers.
- Vecoplan AG: German manufacturer of shredding, conveying, and separation equipment for recycling and waste handling. Adjacent competitor in shredders and size-reduction systems used by scrap yards and waste processors, with overlapping European customers.
- Bano Recycling: Italian manufacturer of scrap shears, balers, and briquetting presses for the metal recycling industry. Closely comparable to LEFORT and COPEX in product range, scale, and Mediterranean/European end markets.
Broad incumbents
- Metso: Finnish-listed global industrial incumbent in aggregates, mining, and metal recycling equipment. Offers overlapping shredder and metal recycling capabilities as part of a much broader portfolio, competing with LEFORT primarily in larger scrap processing installations.
- Danieli Centro Recycling: Division of Italian steelmaking equipment giant Danieli, providing scrap shears, shredders, and briquetting systems. Competes with LEFORT at the high-capacity end (steel mill scrap preparation) with the benefit of being embedded in a larger group serving global steel producers.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
LEFORT social profiles
Digital presenceLEFORT compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
LEFORT financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
LEFORT leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles11 records
LEFORT subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries5 records
LEFORT funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
LEFORT M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A2 records
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about LEFORT
What does LEFORT do?
LEFORT designs, manufactures, and services heavy-duty industrial equipment for the metal recycling industry, including hydraulic shear balers, presses (balers), and shredders. Machines are offered in stationary, mobile, portable, and tracked configurations with cutting forces ranging from 500 to 2,000+ tonnes and shredders up to 3,000 HP. The company also provides aftermarket spare parts, maintenance, blade-change, on-site repair, and retrofit services through wholly-owned subsidiaries and a global dealer network covering 45 countries.
Is LEFORT a public or private company?
LEFORT is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was LEFORT founded?
LEFORT was founded in 1947. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is LEFORT based?
LEFORT is headquartered in Gosselies, Belgium, in the Europe region.
How does LEFORT make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Heavy Equipment Sales are the primary driver. The others are aftermarket Parts and Service.
Who are LEFORT's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are C&G S.r.l. (Taurus), Lindemann Metal Recycling (MFW / NHI Group), Erdwich GmbH, Forrec S.r.l., SSI Shredding Systems, Wendt Corporation, Vecoplan AG and Bano Recycling. Broad incumbents are Metso and Danieli Centro Recycling.
Does LEFORT have an API?
No public API is recorded for LEFORT.
What industry is LEFORT in?
LEFORT's product category is Metal Recycling Equipment. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAHADAC, Metal Forming & Fabrication Machines (Presses, Bending, Shearing, Stamping), with a secondary code of IMAHALAI, Industrial Waste Handling & Compaction Equipment (Balers, Compactors). Its NAICS code is 33351 and its SIC code is 3540.