What Pennel & Flipo does

Pennel & Flipo SA, founded in 1924 in Roubaix (France) and now headquartered in Mouscron, Belgium, is a specialty industrial manufacturer of engineered coated fabrics and technical textiles sold under the ORCA® brand. The company applies proprietary rubber and elastomer compounds (CSM, CR, TPU, NBR) onto textile backings using in-house coating technology developed over a century, producing fabrics for rigid inflatable boats (RIBs), marine equipment, mass-transport interiors, defense, oil & gas, energy, safety/rescue, aeronautic, civil engineering, environment, medical and subsea applications. The Mouscron plant supplies 1.5 million m² of fabric per year to more than 1,000 customers worldwide through a portfolio of 500+ product references, supported by a Bureau Veritas-verified laboratory and 15 polymer R&D engineers.

The business operates three integrated material platforms: legacy elastomer-coated textiles (ORCA®, ORCATHANE®, ORCA® Pro/Tech/Cord/Boom/Sheets/T/3D, NAUTA® Tank/Floor/Accessories), thermoplastic multilayer films added through the 2017 acquisition of FAIT PLAST (PLASTITANE®), and carbon fabric added through the 2019 acquisition of Angeloni Group. Products carry certifications including ISO 9001, ISO 6185, ISO 15372/SOLAS, Bureau Veritas, RINA and MCA, and are offered with a 5-year warranty on ORCA® and ORCATHANE® grades.

Pennel & Flipo generates revenue through B2B direct sales via four regional offices (Belgium HQ, Shanghai, Mt Pleasant SC, São Paulo, with additional presence in Milan and Kuala Lumpur), supported by a growing DTC e-commerce layer (ORCARetail.com for the EU launched 2022, ORCARetail.us for North America launched February 2026) and channel partners/distributors. The company is privately held by private equity firm IDI since 2015; Olivier Lavedrine, who took control of the company in 2001 and refocused it on inflatable high-tech products, remains involved as owner/controller. Disclosed 2023 sales were €60M.

Name

Pennel & Flipo

Legal name

PENNEL & FLIPO SA

Website

https://orca.eu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1924

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Pennel & Flipo is a Belgian specialty manufacturer (Mouscron, founded 1924) of proprietary ORCA®-branded engineered coated fabrics — elastomer, thermoplastic and carbon — supplying marine, transport, defense, energy and industrial OEMs across 1,000+ customers and 8 verticals from a 1.5M m²/year production base.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Technical Coated Fabrics Manufacturing

NAICS

Fabric Coating Mills (31332), Textile and Fabric Finishing and Fabric Coating Mills (3133)

SIC

Coating, Engraving & Allied Services (3470)

akta.pro primary industry

Coated & Laminated Industrial Fabrics (Tarpaulins/Awnings/Inflatables/Architectural Membranes) (IMAOADAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Protective & Safety Textiles (FR/Arc/Heat/Cut/Chemical) (IMAOADAA), Packaging & Wrapping Technical Textiles (FIBCs/Big Bags/Industrial Sacks/Strapping Substrates) (IMAOADAN), Coated & Laminated Base Fabric Mills (Pre-finish Substrates) (IMAOABAI), Automotive & Transportation Technical Textiles (Interiors/Airbags/Seatbelts/Acoustic) (IMAOADAE), Technical Fabric Mills (Performance/Protective/Medical Substrates) (IMAOABAH)

Keywords

• Engineered coated fabrics
• Elastomer-coated textiles
• Flexible storage tanks
• Marine inflatable fabrics
• Thermoplastic technical films

Headquarters

HQ city

Mouscron

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Technical Fabric Sales: Sale of engineered coated fabrics under ORCA® brand for RIBs, inflatables, and industrial applications. Fabrics sold by linear meter through retail and wholesale channels.
2. ORCA Retail E-commerce: Direct-to-consumer and professional sales through ORCARetail.com (EU) and ORCARetail.us (North America) for fabrics, adhesives, accessories, and maintenance products.
3. Accessories and Consumables: NAUTA® accessories including glue, hardener, dissolution products, cleaners, and rubrail profiles for boat maintenance and repair.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Pennel & Flipo designs, manufactures, and distributes engineered coated fabrics (elastomer-coated textiles including CSM, CR, TPU, and NBR compounds) under the ORCA® brand for marine, industrial, transport, defense, oil & gas, energy, safety, aeronautic, civil engineering, environment, and medical applications. The portfolio also includes vulcanized flexible storage tanks (NAUTA®), thermoplastic technical films (PLASTITANE®), and accessory consumables such as adhesives, hardeners, cleaners, and rubrails. Fabrics are sold by the linear meter through four regional sales offices worldwide and direct e-commerce platforms (ORCARetail.com in the EU, ORCARetail.us in North America).

Product overview

Pennel & Flipo operates as a manufacturer of engineered coated fabrics and technical textiles under the ORCA® brand umbrella. The portfolio comprises a unified platform of elastomer-coated and thermoplastic fabric technologies with multiple specialized sub-brands addressing distinct market segments: marine (ORCA® fabrics for RIBs in various grades 215/820/828/866/859), industrial applications (ORCA® Tech, ORCA® Cord for cords and profiles, ORCA® 3D drop-stitch fabrics), transport safety (ORCA® T certified for fire resistance standards), storage solutions (ORCA® Tank and NAUTA® flexible tanks for water/fuel), environmental protection (ORCA® Boom for oil containment), and accessories (ORCA® Cleaner, Glue, Hardener, Rubrail). The acquired FAIT PLAST business added PLASTITANE® thermoplastic films. Products are sold through direct e-commerce platforms (ORCARetail.com for EU, ORCARetail.us for North America) and distributed globally through regional offices.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ORCA: Main brand for engineered fabrics for RIBs and inflatables
• ORCATHANE
• ORCA Pro
• ORCA Tech
• ORCA Cord
• ORCA Tank
• ORCA Boom
• ORCA Tube-in-line
• ORCA Safety
• ORCA Protect
• PLASTITANE
• ORCA Sheets
• ORCA 3D
• NAUTA Tank
• NAUTA Floor
• NAUTA Accessories

Products and services

• ORCA® Engineered Fabrics for RIBs and Inflatables Main brand of elastomer-coated engineered fabrics designed for inflatable boat tubes, hulls, and floors; available in multiple grades (ORCA 215, 820, 828, 866, 859) with tensile strengths from 275 to 700 daN/5cm, offering UV resistance, ageing properties, and durability for marine use.
• ORCATHANE® Fabrics for RIBs and Inflatables Specialized fabrics for ribs and inflatable applications with enhanced performance characteristics for marine environments.
• ORCA® Pro Engineered Fabrics Professional-grade engineered fabrics for ribs with enhanced specifications for commercial and demanding marine applications.
• ORCA® Tech Technical Fabrics Technical fabric brand line focused on specialized industrial and technical applications beyond marine RIBs.
• ORCA® Cord Coated Cords Coated cord solutions using Aramid, Polyamid, Polyaramid, and Polyester with NR/SBR, CR or EPDM rubber coatings, designed for high-pressure, high-abrasion, and aggressive chemical environments.
• ORCA® Tank Flexible Tanks Industrial flexible tank solutions including fresh water tanks (NAUTA 911), fuel and used water tanks (NAUTA 915), large capacity fuel tanks (NAUTA 945), and portable fuel tanks for outboard motors (NAUTA 521), vulcanized for storage of liquids including hydrocarbons.
• ORCA® Boom Oil Containment Booms Oil containment boom fabrics designed for environmental protection and oil spill response applications.
• ORCA® Tube-in-line Fabrics Fabrics designed for tube-in-line applications in marine and industrial settings.
• ORCA® Safety Fabrics for Rafts Safety-focused fabrics for life rafts and emergency flotation equipment, including personal protection equipment variants.
• ORCA® Protect Personal Protection Fabrics CSM fabric solutions for personal protection equipment, designed for worker safety and protective gear.
• PLASTITANE® Thermoplastic Technical Films Thermoplastic multilayer films brand acquired through the FAIT PLAST acquisition in 2017, expanding Pennel & Flipo beyond elastomer-coated textiles into thermoplastic films.
• ORCA® Sheets Coated Sheet Fabrics Sheet fabric products for various industrial and marine applications.
• ORCA® T Transport Fabrics Transport fabrics certified according to international fire resistance and toxicity standards (DIN, NFF, UNI, NFPA, TSEN, BS, GOST) for mass transportation systems including trains, buses, and aircraft; offers soundproofing, durability, and tear/puncture/abrasion/UV resistance. Product lines include ORCA T3, ORCA T5, and ORCA T Elastique.
• ORCA® 3D Drop-Stitch Fabrics Drop-stitch fabric range from 50 mm to 600 mm thickness with CSM, CR, TPU, or NBR coating options, used for inflatable floors, structures, and lifting bags.
• NAUTA® Tank Flexible Marine Tanks Vulcanized flexible tanks for boaters ranging from 20 L to 1500 L capacity, including fresh water tanks (NAUTA 911), fuel and used water tanks (NAUTA 915), large-capacity tanks (NAUTA 945), and portable fuel tanks for outboard motors (NAUTA 521).
• NAUTA® Floor Inflatable Floors Inflatable floor solutions for military boats, SUPs, and floating platforms, featuring vulcanized manufacturing for outstanding robustness and airtightness.
• ORCA® Glue Neoprene Adhesive Professional-grade neoprene adhesive for Hypalon and inflatable boat repair.
• ORCA® Hardener (RFE) Catalyst Catalyst (RFE) for enhanced bonding performance with ORCA neoprene adhesive.
• ORCA® Cleaner Cleaning Range Cleaning products including New Magic (surface dirt removal), Shmuffex (chlorine-based spot/stain remover and disinfectant), and Gumemp 100 (protective coating against salt, UV, and atmospheric agents).
• ORCA® Rubrail Protective Profiles Protective rubrail profiles in various shapes (Half Moon, Double Half Moon, Wave, Shark, Tunnel Black) for the RIB market.
• ORCA® Dissolution Solvent Dissolution product for adhesive and coating applications in fabric repair.
• NAUTA® Fittings Fittings and accessories for NAUTA flexible tank installations.

Quantifiable outcome

• ORCA® tubes have demonstrated 25+ year lifespan in real-world marine use
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments12 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Forum du BateauminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBoating community platform providing exchanges between boaters and enthusiasts. Offers interactive nautical guide, schedule of crossings to Corsica, boat expertise assistance, and e-magazine. Promotes ORCA® products to engaged boating community.
• Forum SR-BOATminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFrench boating forum and community platform for boat enthusiasts and professionals.
• FAIT PLASTcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean leading manufacturer of technical thermoplastic films acquired in April 2017. Expands Pennel & Flipo's capabilities in thermoplastic multilayers films alongside existing elastomer-coated textiles activity.
• Angeloni GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcquired in July 2019 as third business unit dedicated to carbon fabric alongside elastomer coated textiles and thermoplastic multilayers films. Unique entity offering expertise, innovation, efficiency, and flexibility.
• Replic'AirminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHistorical aircraft recreation company. Pennel & Flipo provided NAUTA® flexible tanks for celebration of Roland Garros' 1913 Mediterranean flight, replicating the original route with the same airplane model.
• AB Inflatables USAminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorImporter and distributor of AB inflatable boats to North America. Partnered with Pennel & Flipo for Pink Project charity initiative raising $20,000 for American Cancer Society using pink ORCA® CSM fabric.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• ContiTech (Continental AG): German industrial rubber and elastomer-coated fabric producer with broad applications in marine, transport, oil & gas, and industrial segments. Comparable in elastomer coating chemistry but operates at much larger scale across diverse end markets.
• Trelleborg AB: Swedish engineered polymer and coated solutions group serving marine, offshore, and industrial segments with rubber-coated fabrics and polymer solutions. Overlaps with Pennel & Flipo's marine, oil & gas, and offshore/subsea fabric offerings.
• SIOEN Industries: Belgian technical textiles and coated fabrics group and a direct competitor in industrial coated fabrics. Notably, SIOEN acquired Pennel & Flipo's former automotive and wallcovering divisions in 2003, providing a clear precedent of overlapping product portfolios and customer bases.

Direct peers

• Pronal: French specialist in flexible tanks, inflatable structures, and elastomer-coated textile products for defense, industry, oil & gas, and environment. Direct overlap with Pennel & Flipo's NAUTA flexible tanks and ORCA Cord/Boom/Safety product lines.
• Heytex Bramsche GmbH: German technical textiles manufacturer specializing in coated fabrics for marine, automotive, defense, and industrial applications. Direct peer in elastomer-coated textile technology and multi-segment industrial fabric markets.
• Serge Ferrari: French manufacturer of technical coated and laminated composite fabrics for marine, architecture, and industrial applications. Closely comparable in proprietary coating technology, technical textile focus, and marine/industrial end markets.
• Mehler Texnologies: German coated technical textiles manufacturer producing elastomer-coated fabrics for marine, defense, transport, and industrial sectors. Direct comparable in coated fabric technology and customer segments, particularly European OEM supply.
• Verseidag Indutex GmbH: German manufacturer of technical coated and laminated fabrics (PVC, TPU, silicone-coated textiles) for marine, industrial, and architectural applications. Direct competitor in coated textile substrates with overlapping elastomer and thermoplastic chemistry capabilities.

Regional players

• Seaman Corporation: US-based manufacturer of coated and laminated fabrics (vinyl-coated polyester, architectural textiles) for marine, industrial, and architectural applications. Comparable product chemistry with primary overlap in North American marine and industrial fabric markets.
• Hyosung TNC (technical textiles): Korean technical textile manufacturer producing coated fabrics, tire cord, and industrial textiles for marine and industrial applications. Regional peer serving APAC boat-building clusters with overlapping elastomer and coated fabric offerings.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/PennelFlipo
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCCyySII1T9O3QrSyX5q9_ag
• Facebookfacebook.com/orca.by.pennel.flipo
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pennel-&-flipo

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors2 records

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 Pennel & Flipo