Cofra

What Cofra does

Cofra B.V. is a specialized ground improvement and environmental barrier contractor founded in 1923 and headquartered in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Boskalis (a publicly listed global dredging and offshore contractor) since 2006, the company delivers ground engineering solutions across four core technique categories: consolidation (prefabricated vertical drains, vacuum consolidation, sustainable PVD materials), compaction (roller compaction, dynamic compaction, vibro compaction), elements (geotextile encased columns, stone columns, piled embankments), and barriers (HDPE liners, Geolock vertical HDPE barriers). The company serves enterprise clients across infrastructure, mining, oil & gas, land reclamation, pollution management, and construction sectors in over 40 countries, with notable projects at Changi Airport, Manila International Airport, Mexico City Airport, ARAMCO Jafurah Gas Plant, and major ports including Khalifa, Duqm, and Felixstowe.

The company's technical platform is anchored by proprietary patented products including the MebraDrain PVD brand (produced in-house by sister company Geotechnics at the Amsterdam facility running on solar energy), the Geolock HDPE vertical barrier system, AuGeo piled embankment system, and BeauDrain vacuum consolidation technology. Cofra deploys a capital-intensive fleet of over 60 PVD installation rigs, excavators ranging from 30 to 90+ tons, and what it describes as the world's heaviest RIC hammer (20 ton), with GPS-guided quality control monitoring across all operations. The in-house geotechnical engineering department and laboratory enable turn-key project delivery from design through monitoring and execution.

Cofra operates a project-based revenue model with regional direct sales through offices in Amsterdam (HQ), London, Stockholm, Singapore (Asia regional HQ), Bratislava, and Abu Dhabi (Middle East regional HQ). The customer base consists of governments, port and airport authorities, oil & gas companies, mining operators, and construction contractors. Revenue is generated through one-time project contracts for ground improvement services and through geosynthetic product sales (hundreds of millions of meters of PVD shipped annually). Pricing is project-specific and quote-based with no public pricing model. As part of the Boskalis Cofra Holding, the company benefits from its parent's maritime resources and floating equipment for offshore project execution.

Name

Cofra

Legal name

Cofra B.V.

Website

https://cofra.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1923

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Cofra is a specialized Dutch ground improvement contractor (founded 1923) and Boskalis subsidiary that delivers soil consolidation, compaction, structural elements, and environmental barrier solutions for airports, ports, mining, oil & gas, and infrastructure projects across 40+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Ground Improvement Services

NAICS

Site Preparation Contractors (23891)

SIC

Water, Sewer, Pipeline, Comm & Power Line Construction (1623)

akta.pro primary industry

Geotechnical Design, Engineering & Consulting (Analysis, Design, Peer Review) (IMAFAOAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Foundations & Geotechnical Works (Piles, Anchors, Ground Improvement) (EUAMAFAB)

Keywords

• Ground improvement services
• Soil consolidation techniques
• Vertical drain installation
• Dynamic compaction contracting
• Geosynthetic barrier systems

Headquarters

HQ city

Amsterdam

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Ground Improvement Project Contracting: Cofra serves as a specialized contracting company executing ground improvement projects on a per-project basis. Revenue is generated through project contracts for consolidation, compaction, elements, and barrier installation services. Projects range from small to extremely large scale and are executed worldwide. The company provides turn-key solutions including design, installation, and monitoring.
2. Geosynthetic Products (via Geotechnics): Geotechnics, the trading and production sister company, generates revenue from producing and supplying proprietary geosynthetic products including MebraDrain PVD brand (MD7404, MD88H, MD88HD, BioDrain, Green PVD), Geolock barrier systems, and HDPE geomembranes/liners. Products are shipped globally with hundreds of millions of meters shipped from the Amsterdam production facility.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Cofra is a specialized ground improvement and barrier installation contracting company executing projects in four technique segments: Consolidation (prefabricated vertical drains, vacuum consolidation, sustainable biobased/plant-based drain materials), Compaction (roller, dynamic, and vibro compaction), Elements (geotextile encased columns, stone columns, piled embankments), and Barriers (HDPE liners and Geolock vertical HDPE barriers). The company provides turn-key solutions from design through installation and monitoring, serving airports, ports, roads, mining, oil and gas, construction, and land reclamation projects worldwide. Sister company Geotechnics manufactures and globally distributes the proprietary MebraDrain PVD brand and other geosynthetic products.

Product overview

Cofra is a ground improvement contractor offering an integrated portfolio of four main technique segments: Consolidation (vertical drains, vacuum consolidation, sustainable materials), Compaction (roller, dynamic, and vibro compaction), Elements (geotextile encased columns, stone columns, piled embankments), and Barriers (HDPE liners, Geolock vertical barriers). The company also produces MebraDrain PVD products through its Geotechnics subsidiary. Cofra provides solutions from design through implementation, operating in markets including infrastructure, mining, construction, pollution management, and land reclamation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MebraDrain: Prefabricated vertical wick drain brand produced by Geotechnics, with various types including MD7404, MD88H, MD88HD.
• Geolock
• BioDrain
• Green PVD
• BeauDrain
• BeauDrain-S
• AuGeo

Products and services

• Vertical Drains (PVD)

Quantifiable outcome

• Consolidation period reduced from years to months through PVD installation
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature9 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• BoskaliscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2006Cofra and sister company Geotechnics belong to the Boskalis Cofra Holding, part of Boskalis (a leading dredging and offshore contractor and maritime services provider). Cofra joined Boskalis in 2006, strengthening its global position. Boskalis provides access to maritime resources, floating equipment, and in-house engineering for offshore projects. Boskalis is a publicly listed company providing Cofra with corporate backing.
• HueskercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCofra is a preferred installer of Huesker geotextile products for Geotextile Encased Columns (GEC). Huesker is a leading manufacturer of high-strength geosynthetics. Cofra's strong relationship with Huesker has made Cofra one of their preferred installers to install GEC piles on every location in the world. Cofra has large knowledge of both ground improvement and geotextile-related products.
• JACBO Pfählgründungen GmbHminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerFor compaction techniques in Germany, Cofra cooperates with JACBO Pfählgründungen GmbH. JACBO is a German ground improvement specialist. Cofra Germany page provides direct contact information for JACBO representatives including Roland Mamerow and Kervin Dreisbach for compaction techniques in the German market.
• GeotechnicscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGeotechnics is the trading and production company within the Boskalis Cofra Holding, producing the prefabricated vertical wick drain brand MebraDrain and the Geolock barrier system. Cofra is the specialized contracting company. Both companies share in-house engineering and quality control resources. Geotechnics ships hundreds of millions of meters of drain from the Amsterdam production facility and supports Boskalis in worldwide purchase of geotextiles, geogrids, geocomposites, and liners.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Menard: Global ground improvement specialist (part of Freyssinet/VINCI) offering dynamic compaction, vacuum consolidation, stone columns, and wick drain services. Most direct functional competitor to Cofra across overlapping techniques and end markets.
• Keller Group: World's largest specialized ground engineering contractor with divisions covering piling, ground improvement, and geotechnical services. Directly competes with Cofra on international ground improvement tenders and multi-technique ground engineering packages.
• Bauer Group: German specialist foundation and ground engineering contractor offering deep foundations, cut-off walls, diaphragm walls, and ground improvement services. Particularly relevant peer for European projects and specialized foundation techniques.
• Trevi Group: Italian foundation and ground improvement specialist with global operations in soil consolidation, underpinning, deep foundations, and marine works. Directly comparable specialty geotechnical contractor with similar customer types.
• Hayward Baker: US-focused ground improvement specialist (Keller subsidiary) providing dynamic compaction, vibro compaction, and wick drain services. Closely comparable service portfolio to Cofra, complementary geographically.

Broad incumbents

• Soletanche Bachy: VINCI's foundation specialist covering deep foundations, ground improvement, and underground works across global markets. Larger and broader portfolio than Cofra but operates in directly overlapping geotechnical contracting segments.
• Freyssinet: VINCI subsidiary specializing in structural repair, ground anchors, post-tensioning, and ground engineering; parent of Menard. Operates in adjacent ground engineering space with broader portfolio than Cofra.
• Fugro: Dutch-listed geotechnical and geo-data specialist offering site characterization, surveying, and foundation advisory. Broader portfolio than Cofra but serves overlapping customers in offshore and infrastructure markets.

Others

• Huesker: German geosynthetics manufacturer and strategic partner/supplier to Cofra for Geotextile Encased Columns (GEC). Comparable in adjacent geosynthetics space but is a product supplier rather than direct installation competitor.
• Tensar International: Geosynthetics manufacturer specializing in TriAx geogrids for ground stabilization. Adjacent supplier in the same ground improvement ecosystem with overlapping customer base but does not directly compete as a contractor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cofra-b.v.

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

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 Cofra