What Groupe ISB does

Groupe ISB is a French industrial distributor and supplier of engineered wood construction solutions, headquartered in Bruz (Brittany) under the holding company Florencia, and founded in 1962. The company serves construction, exterior-development, and interior-development professionals across France through a tri-pillar portfolio: structural products (CLT, Kerto® LVL, glulam, I-beams, framing timber, OSB/3 panels), exterior solutions (fire-resistant and preservative-treated claddings, decking, fencing, structural outdoor timber), and interior solutions (wall coverings, parquet, plywood panels under the Skylty® range, decorative printed panels). Its competitive position rests on three exclusive or strategic European supply partnerships — Metsä Wood (Finland) for Kerto® LVL, SCA Group (Sweden) for raw timber, and HASSLACHER Group (Austria) for CLT — combined with in-house proprietary brands (Woodafix®, Woodalisa®, Swelite®, X-fix connectors, Kerto-Ripa® cassettes) and regulatory credentials including DTA certification for CLT (2025) and Euroclass B-s1, d0 fire-rated cladding.

The business model is B2B wholesale distribution: ISB sells to construction professionals (architects, structural engineers, carpentry firms, building companies) through a network of French distributors, supported by a direct field sales force of 30+ commercial agents deployed nationwide and a dedicated Direction Technique for technical prescription. Revenue mechanics are quote-based, not publicly priced, and pricing is not disclosed. Customer evidence spans enterprise real-estate developers (Nexity Ywood, Groupe Pichet-Legendre Immobilier), public-sector clients (Brigade des Sapeurs-Pompiers de Paris, Ville de Noisy-le-Grand, Département de la Gironde), and large infrastructure projects (the Paris 2024 Olympic Athletes Village, Jandri cable car stations, a 12-story CLT building in Malmö). The company is privately held, structured as a SAS, with no disclosed funding rounds or external investors; share capital is €608,117.

Strategically, ISB is positioning for the French low-carbon construction transition driven by RE2020 regulations: individual FDES environmental declarations, biosourced preservative treatments, Bois de France-labelled Douglas products, and decarbonized engineered-wood substitution for concrete/steel. Recent moves — the 2021 Kerto® exclusivity, 2025 DTA for CLT, FIRE cladding launch in 2026, and Olympic Village contract — indicate active offensive expansion into higher-value engineered-wood segments while maintaining the established distribution franchise.

Name

Groupe ISB

Legal name

Florencia

Website

https://groupe-isb.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1962

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Groupe ISB is a French industrial distributor and supplier, founded in 1962, that provides engineered wood construction, exterior, and interior solutions to construction professionals across France via an exclusive network anchored by partnerships with Metsä Wood, SCA, and HASSLACHER.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wood Building Materials

NAICS

Lumber, Plywood, Millwork, and Wood Panel Merchant Wholesalers (42331), Veneer, Plywood, and Engineered Wood Product Manufacturing (3212), Engineered Wood Member Manufacturing (321215)

SIC

Wholesale-Lumber, Plywood, Millwork & Wood Panels (5031), Millwood, Veneer, Plywood, & Structural Wood Members (2430), Lumber & Wood Products (No Furniture) (2400)

akta.pro primary industry

Engineered Wood Products Distribution (LVL, I-joists, Glulam, CLT) (IMAMAIAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Engineered Wood Siding, Trim & Mouldings (IMAMACAI), Engineered Wood Product Distribution & Fabrication Services (IMAMACAO)

Keywords

• Wood building materials
• Engineered wood products
• Timber distribution
• Structural wood solutions
• Wood cladding panels

Headquarters

HQ city

Pacé

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Wood Construction Materials Sales: B2B sales of wood construction materials including structural products (CLT, LVL, glulam, I-beams), cladding, decking, and processed panels to construction professionals through a distributor network.
2. Professional Wood Solutions Distribution: Complete range of wood solutions for construction, interior development and exterior development. Products sold through distributor network to professionals.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Groupe ISB is a French distributor and processor specializing in wood-based solutions for construction, interior, and exterior applications. The company supplies engineered wood products (CLT, Kerto LVL, LVL Pin, glulam, I-beams, OSB/3 panels), exterior wood products (cladding, decking, fencing, structural wood), interior products (wall coverings, parquet, plywood), roofing timbers, and joinery-grade Nordic wood. It is the exclusive French distributor of Metsä Wood Kerto® LVL.

Product overview

Groupe ISB offers a comprehensive portfolio of wood construction solutions organized into three main categories: Construction (structural products including CLT, Kerto LVL, glulam, I-beams, and framing components), Exterior Solutions (claddings/bardages, decking, fencing, and traditional rabotés), and Interior Solutions (wall coverings, flooring, and panels for fitting). The product range includes branded offerings such as Kerto® LVL (from Metsä Wood partnership), Swelite® I-beams, Skylty® formwork and panel products, and Protect/Extra cladding lines. The company positions itself as an industrial supplier, manufacturer, and designer of complete decarbonized wood solutions for professionals in construction, interior fitting, and exterior development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Kerto® LVL: Produit d'ingénierie bois aux hautes performances mécaniques (LVL - Laminated Veneer Lumber) fabriqué par Metsä Wood et distribué en France par ISB
• Skylty®
• Swelite®
• Bardages FIRE

Products and services

• Kerto LVL (Laminated Veneer Lumber)

Quantifiable outcome

• Decarbonated construction - wood materials contribute to low-carbon building construction compliant with RE2020 environmental standards
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Metsä Wood (Finland)coreTechnology or Integration · 2 July 2021Exclusive commercialization agreement making Groupe ISB the sole distributor of Metsä Wood's Kerto® LVL branded products in France. ISB integrates former Metsä Wood sales staff (Loïc Robin Kerbrat, Laureline Roy) to strengthen product expertise. Partnership supports expansion of sustainable construction market in France aligned with RE2020 environmental standards.
• SCA Group (Sweden)coreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2019Strategic rapprochement in 2019 enabling consolidation of raw material supplies. SCA Group is a Swedish forest products company providing ISB with secured timber supply for its wood processing operations.
• HASSLACHER Group (Austria)coreTechnology or IntegrationCLT (Cross Laminated Timber) manufacturing partnership. In France, HASSLACHER Group CLT is distributed by Groupe ISB. ISB obtained DTA (Technical Approval) for CLT in 2025, enabling broader market distribution.
• France Bois 2024coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInitiative by French wood industry to promote wood construction in Olympic Games projects. SINBPLA (associated with ISB) supplied 268 m³ of Kerto® LVL for the Athletes Village under France Bois 2024 label.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Piveteau Bois: French solid sawn timber and engineered wood manufacturer (CLT, glulam) that directly competes with ISB's structural timber, glulam, and CLT distribution business in the French construction market, sharing a similar customer base of carpenters and developers.
• Simonin SAS: French manufacturer of glulam and CLT structural wood products, competing head-to-head with ISB in multi-story wood construction projects in France and serving the same architect and developer customer base.
• Mathis SAS: French timber construction specialist offering engineered wood solutions (I-beams, glulam, panels) for residential and multi-story construction, with significant overlap to ISB's structural product portfolio in the French market.
• HASSLACHER Group: Austrian CLT manufacturer that is itself ISB's CLT supplier partner but also a direct competitor in the French CLT market, as it could sell directly to French developers and bypass the ISB distribution agreement.

Broad incumbents

• Saint-Gobain Distribution France (Point.P, Lapeyre, CEDEO): Saint-Gobain's French building materials distribution network is a much larger incumbent in the same B2B distribution channel for construction professionals, offering broader portfolios (lumber, panels, insulation) that overlap with ISB's structural and cladding offerings, though Saint-Gobain is not specialized in engineered wood.
• Binderholz GmbH: Austrian integrated engineered wood manufacturer producing CLT, glulam, and LVL at industrial scale; competes with ISB's distributed HASSLACHER CLT and Metsä Kerto LVL in large French projects and is increasingly pursuing direct French developer relationships.
• Stora Enso Wood Products: Major European CLT, LVL, and engineered wood producer with growing direct sales into France, competing with the Metsä/HASSLACHER brands that ISB distributes in multi-story construction and large commercial projects.

Regional players

• Rubner Holzbau: South Tyrolean engineered wood manufacturer (glulam, CLT, timber frame systems) that competes with ISB's structural product offerings in cross-border French projects, particularly for high-profile multi-story wood buildings.

Others

• Metsä Wood (Metsä Group): Finnish manufacturer of Kerto® LVL and birch plywood that supplies ISB under the exclusive 2021 distribution agreement; a key partner but also a structural supplier risk, as Metsä Wood could choose to sell directly into France in the future.

Emerging players

• Martinsons (Holmen): Swedish manufacturer of CLT, glulam, and engineered wood products that competes with ISB-distributed Metsä LVL in selected French multi-story projects, especially via the same Swedish/Nordic supply channel.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/groupeisb

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Groupe ISB