What Labaronne-Citaf does

Labaronne-Citaf is a French industrial manufacturer founded in 1958 and headquartered in Pont-Évêque, France, that invented and continues to produce flexible tanks (citernes souples) for liquid storage and transport. The company operates a single 8,000 m² vertically integrated manufacturing site producing approximately 4,000 tanks per year, with a product range spanning self-supporting closed tanks up to 2,000 m³, semi-underground tanks up to 10,000 m³, transportable tanks, basins, biogas covers, and anaerobic digestion membranes. The technical core is proprietary technical-fabric engineering — coated textiles, welded seams, and ISO-certified quality processes — augmented in 2023 by the Spectosensor IoT telemetry module for remote tank monitoring. Certification stack (ISO 9001, ACS for drinking water contact, KIWA, REACH, Made in France, UN Level 2 supplier) qualifies the product line for municipal water, humanitarian, and regulated industrial tenders.

The company serves five named verticals — agriculture, industry, humanitarian, municipalities, and events — and reports a cumulative installed base of 55,000 customers across 40 countries. Named relationships include large French industrial and utility groups (Bouygues, Colas, Suez, Véolia Foundation), international humanitarian agencies under UN procurement, the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, and a dedicated Atexen division focused on biogas / methanization. The business model is project-based B2B sales with quote-driven pricing; direct sales are complemented by dedicated distributors in Chile, Spain, and Italy. Revenue mechanics are dominated by one-time equipment sales with the Spectosensor representing the first connected-product layer that could support future recurring service revenue.

Labaronne-Citaf is a privately held company with 11–50 employees concentrated at the Pont-Évêque site, and no disclosed external funding rounds, M&A activity, or institutional investors. Strategic posture is incremental rather than transformational: geographic localization, vertical diversification (notably biogas), and a measured move into connected hardware. Concentration risk is low given the breadth of the customer base and the absence of disclosed anchor accounts.

Name

Labaronne-Citaf

Legal name

LABARONNE-CITAF

Website

https://labaronne-citaf.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1958

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Labaronne-Citaf is a French manufacturer founded in 1958 that invents and produces flexible tanks for liquid storage, serving agriculture, industry, humanitarian, municipal, and event clients across 40 countries with 55,000 installed customers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Flexible Liquid Storage Tanks

NAICS

Boiler, Tank, and Shipping Container Manufacturing (3324)

SIC

Miscellaneous Plastics Products (3080)

akta.pro primary industry

Water Storage & Delivery Infrastructure (Tanks, Reservoir Liners, Bladders) (AFABAHAK)

Keywords

• Flexible liquid storage
• Flexible tank manufacturing
• Industrial water storage
• Biogas storage systems
• Agricultural effluent storage

Headquarters

HQ city

Pont-Évêque

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Flexible tank sales: One-time sale of flexible tanks for liquid storage. Products include closed self-supporting flexible tanks, semi-buried tanks (Hyperbag/Ecobag), transportable tanks, basins, retention tanks, biogas covers, and digesters. Pricing is quote-based with no public pricing available.
2. Installation and maintenance services: PIE service (Preparation, Installation, Maintenance) providing technical installation and ongoing maintenance for flexible tanks. Includes technical support, on-site installation assistance, and after-sales service.
3. Connected sensor solutions: IoT-connected Spectosensor sensor sold as an add-on product for monitoring liquid levels in flexible tanks, with real-time data visualization via Grafana platform.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Labaronne-Citaf designs, manufactures, and installs flexible tanks (citernes souples) made of high-resistance PVC/PU-coated polyester fabric for the storage, treatment, and transport of liquids up to 10,000 m³. Its product range includes closed self-supporting tanks, semi-buried tanks (Hyperbag/Ecobag), transportable tanks, open self-rising basins, reinforced Clarif basins, retention tanks, biogas covers, and flexible digesters, plus the proprietary Spectosensor IoT monitoring sensor and PIE installation/maintenance services. All production occurs at a single 8,000 m² site in Pont-Évêque, France.

Product overview

Labaronne-Citaf is a French manufacturer and inventor of high-resistance flexible tanks (citernes souples) for liquid storage, treatment, and transport since 1958. The core product portfolio centers on the Citerne souple fermée autoportante (self-supporting closed flexible tank), the flagship product for storing various liquids up to 2,000 m³, made of high-resistance PVC/PU-coated polyester fabric with UV treatment. Complementary core products include the Citerne souple semi-enterrée / Hyperbag/Ecobag for semi-underground installation up to 10,000 m³, the Citerne souple transportable for liquid transport, the Bassin automontant (bassin oignon) for open self-supporting storage, and the Bassin sur armature / Clarif with steel structure for humanitarian/military applications. Accessories include the Bac de rétention (flexible retention tank), Spectosensor IoT-connected sensor for level monitoring, and biogas-specific products (Couverture biogaz, Digesteur souple, Gazomètre). Gas storage solutions (Gazomètre gélule, Gazomètre) serve methanization units. Support services include PIE (Préparation, Installation, Entretien) and the Atexen division for biogas projects. The product line covers storage needs across water (drinking, rainwater, fire reserve), agricultural (effluents, liquid fertilizers, digestates), industrial (wastewater, lixiviates), and gas (biogas, natural gas) applications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Atexen: Division dedicated to biogas storage and recovery projects, including methanization solutions, soft digesters, and biogas covers.

Products and services

• Citerne souple fermée autoportante (Self-supporting Closed Flexible Tank) Primary flexible tank for storing liquids up to 2,000 m³. Made of high-resistance polyester fabric coated with PVC or PU, assembled with proprietary high-frequency welding, and featuring double-face anti-UV treatment. Used for water, effluents, liquid fertilizers, and various industrial liquids.
• Citerne souple semi-enterrée / Hyperbag / Ecobag Semi-underground flexible tank fixed solution allowing storage up to 10,000 m³. Uses diamond-point excavation for increased heights; designed for liquids up to 12% non-strawy dry matter content, with integrated retention for digestate storage.
• Citerne souple transportable (Transportable Flexible Tank) Flexible tank designed for liquid transport by truck, trailer, pickup, boat, or helicopter. Features fixation harnesses (simple or encircling) and a protection mat option; reusable and foldable after emptying.
• Bassin automontant / Bassin oignon (Self-Rising Basin) Open flexible basin with foam or inflatable collar for self-support. Compact, fully foldable, quick installation on all terrain types, no special maintenance required.
• Bassin sur armature / Clarif (Basin on Reinforcement)

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 73,000 euros annual savings in potable water costs through rainwater recovery
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers24 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Véolia FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Véolia Foundation deployed Aquaforce 2000 potabilization unit in Turkey earthquake response, using Labaronne-Citaf 10 m3 flexible tank for drinking water storage for 800 survivors.
• Grupo DELSANTEK S.A.coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDistributor in Chile for rainwater harvesting and agricultural storage solutions. Provided 100 m3 flexible tank to strawberry farmer in Magallanes region, recognized by Chilean agricultural authorities INDAP.
• Agua y Riego (Chile)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocal partner working with Grupo DELSANTEK in Chile to provide flexible tank solutions to Chilean farmers.
• Fontaine IngenierieminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerEngineering firm that conducted the study for Lannion city's rainwater recovery installation, recommending the 240 m3 flexible tank solution.
• INDAP (Instituto de Desarrollo Agropecuario)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerChilean agricultural development institute supporting farmers with water management projects, including flexible tank installations for rainwater harvesting.
• Gibbston Valley WineryminorOthersNew Zealand vineyard using 200 m3 flexible tank for spring water storage, with water transported gravitarily and filtered for winery chalets.
• WaterlabminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEvent water solution provider integrating Labaronne-Citaf flexible tanks into complete water supply systems for festivals and events.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Norwesco: Norwesco is a large North American manufacturer of polyethylene rigid tanks for water, agricultural, and industrial liquid storage. It addresses the same end-customer needs (water, effluent, fertilizer storage) as Labaronne-Citaf but with rigid rather than flexible technology, serving as a broad incumbent alternative in adjacent geographies.
• CST Industries: CST Industries designs and manufactures bolted and welded steel tanks for liquid and dry bulk storage across agricultural, industrial, and municipal markets. It is the rigid-tank incumbent alternative to flexible storage, addressing overlapping end-uses such as potable water, fire reserves, and effluent storage.
• Snyder Industries: Snyder manufactures rotationally molded polyethylene tanks and intermediate bulk containers for industrial, agricultural, and chemical applications. As a large incumbent in bulk liquid storage, it represents the rigid alternative to Labaronne-Citaf's flexible tanks in segments where durability and capacity overlap.
• Suez (Water Technologies & Solutions): Suez is a major water and waste management operator referenced as a Labaronne-Citaf industrial customer/partner. Suez also deploys its own water storage and treatment infrastructure globally, positioning it as a broad incumbent that overlaps with Labaronne-Citaf at the system level while sourcing from them at the component level.
• VEOLIA (Water Storage / Aquaforce): Veolia is a global environmental services group and a Labaronne-Citaf partner, but also offers its own water treatment and emergency response storage solutions including the Aquaforce 2000 unit. It represents a broader incumbent that competes in integrated water solutions while partnering on the flexible tank component.

Direct peers

• Textiles Coated International (TCI): TCI manufactures flexible containment products including tanks, bladders, and secondary containment using coated technical fabrics. It serves the same industrial fluid storage niche as Labaronne-Citaf, with comparable high-frequency welded construction and similar applications in environmental and industrial effluent markets.
• Cisterna (Plast Cisterna): Italian flexible tank manufacturer offering closed self-supporting and transportable tanks for agricultural and industrial liquid storage. Directly comparable to Labaronne-Citaf in product type and Italian/Southern European end-markets, where both companies overlap via distribution partners.
• Enduramaxx: Enduramaxx is a UK-based manufacturer of flexible tanks and rainwater harvesting systems serving agriculture, industrial, and construction customers. It competes directly with Labaronne-Citaf in the European storage market with overlapping product categories and similar small-to-mid-volume configurations.
• PIL Group: PIL manufactures flexible tanks, bladders, and inflatable containment for liquids across industrial, agricultural, and defense markets. It is one of the closest European direct competitors to Labaronne-Citaf, offering a similar product range including self-supporting and transportable flexible tanks.

Emerging players

• MSR Global / Flexsafe (collapsible water containers): MSR Global and similar humanitarian-focused collapsible water container makers target NGO and disaster response channels that overlap with Labaronne-Citaf's humanitarian segment. They typically offer smaller, transportable containers and represent emerging players in the same end-market with partial product overlap.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights3 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/LabaronneCitaf

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Labaronne-Citaf