What CBE Group does

CBE Group is a French industrial engineering company founded in 1987 and headquartered in Saint-Avertin, France, specializing in the design, manufacture, and commissioning of custom concrete segment moulds and automated carousel production plants for tunnel construction. The company's core offerings include tailor-made segment moulds (voussoirs), turnkey automated carousel plants (including novel double-carousel configurations), robotic demoulding systems, handling equipment, and a QR/RFID-based segment traceability solution. All design engineering is centralized at the French headquarters, while physical manufacturing is split between a French workshop at L'Ile Bouchard and a Chinese production plant in Yangling opened in 2009 to serve the Asian market. The company has produced more than 30,325 moulds, installed 240 automated plants, and delivered 625 projects across 53 countries, commanding an estimated 40% global market share in tunnel segment moulds and carousels per TRAVAUX Magazine (March 2023).

The business model is project-based B2B specialist equipment sales, with each installation custom-engineered to a specific tunnel's geometry, segment diameter, ring configuration, and automation level. Revenue is generated primarily through one-time custom equipment sales tied to multi-year infrastructure projects (e.g., HS2, Grand Paris Express, Snowy Hydro 2.0, Follo Line), with a smaller recurring stream from spare parts, after-sales service, and carousel refurbishment/retrofit work. Go-to-market is enterprise direct sales, with technical sales engineers managing bids through competitive tenders on major infrastructure programs; marketing is anchored in industry trade shows (BAUMA, World Tunnel Congress, NAT, ATS) and earned media in tunnelling trade press. As of July 29, 2025, CBE Group was acquired by Construx Group, a Belgian/Dutch-founded formwork and precast concrete machinery platform that also owns Weckenmann, creating a combined entity of approximately €100 million in turnover and nearly 700 employees.

Name

CBE Group

Legal name

CBE Group

Website

https://cbe-tunnels.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

CBE Group designs and manufactures custom concrete tunnel segment moulds and automated carousel production plants for global infrastructure contractors. It is the global market leader with ~40% share, serving rail, metro, road, and water tunnel projects across 53 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Tunnel Construction Equipment Manufacturing

NAICS

Industrial Mold Manufacturing (333511), Construction Machinery Manufacturing (33312)

SIC

Construction Machinery & Equip (3531), Construction, Mining & Materials Handling Machinery & Equip (3530)

akta.pro primary industry

Concrete Equipment (Mixers, Pumps, Batching) (IMAHAAAK)

Keywords

• Tunnel segment moulds
• Automated carousel plants
• Tunnel construction equipment
• Precast concrete production
• Robotic demoulding systems

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint-avertin

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Custom Equipment Manufacturing (Moulds & Carousels): CBE designs, manufactures, and sells tailor-made segment moulds and automated carousel plants to tunnel contractors. Products are custom-engineered per project specifications. Revenue is generated through project-based orders with delivery and commissioning services included.
2. Spare Parts & After-Sales Service: CBE provides spare parts and customer service support for installed equipment, including refurbishment and retrofit of existing carousels (e.g., Port-La Nouvelle carousel refurbished from Calais project).
3. Robotics & Automation Add-ons: Robotic demoulding systems and traceability solutions are offered as supplementary systems to base carousel installations, generating additional revenue per project.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CBE Group designs, manufactures, and installs custom-engineered concrete segment moulds and turnkey automated carousel plants for tunnel construction projects. The company supplies tunnel contractors and infrastructure developers with bespoke moulds, robotic demoulding equipment, lifting/handling gear, and a QR/RFID-based segment traceability system, managing the full project lifecycle from engineering studies through manufacturing, on-site installation, commissioning, and after-sales service. CBE is the global market leader in tunnel segment moulds with approximately 40% market share and has produced 30,325+ moulds across 625 projects in 53 countries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• APS: Automated plant solutions for breakwater and other precast concrete applications
• ACIMEX

Products and services

• Segment Moulds (Moules de voussoirs) Custom-designed concrete moulds used to form precast tunnel segments. Each mould is engineered to project-specific tolerances, segment diameters, and ring configurations, and is manufactured at CBE's French or Chinese production facilities for delivery to tunnel contractor job sites.
• Automated Plants / Carousels (Usines automatisées) Turnkey automated production plants for the continuous manufacturing of precast concrete tunnel segments, including single and double carousel configurations with pre-storage zones. CBE handles engineering, manufacturing, on-site installation, and commissioning for each plant. Used by tunnel contractors on major rail, metro, road, and water tunnel projects.
• Handling Equipment (Équipements) Segment handling equipment designed to optimize transport within automated plants, including lifting beams, vacuum lifters, stackers, automated storage systems, and external handling equipment (storage clamps, chariots). Engineered for use inside carousels and in outdoor storage yards.
• Customer Service & After-Sales Support (Service client) Comprehensive post-installation support services for installed carousel plants and moulds, including technical assistance, maintenance, refurbishment, and retrofit of existing equipment to extend operational life.
• Spare Parts (Pièces de rechange) Supply of new spare parts and full or partial reconditioning services for existing CBE carousel systems, enabling customers to maintain operational continuity of installed equipment.
• ACIMEX Heavy Load Handling Solutions Heavy load handling solutions using vacuum technology, complementing CBE's tunnel segment offering. Used by industrial clients to lift and move precast concrete elements safely and efficiently.

Quantifiable outcome

• 112,350 segments produced for HS2 with 8-minute average cycle time per segment
• +10 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Construx GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 July 2025CBE Group (including CBE France, ACIMEX France, CBE China, ACIMEX China) was officially acquired and integrated into Construx Group as of July 29, 2025. Construx Group is a Belgian/Dutch-founded company (2003) producing formwork and moulds for concrete elements, with German subsidiary Weckenmann (acquired 2023). The acquisition creates a ~€100M revenue group with ~700 employees. Construx Group is 100% owned by its founders (Anthony Jannes, Ward Demyttenaere) and management, with Julien Travers becoming CEO of CBE Group and subsidiaries. The shared vision is to create a global leader in formwork, carousels, and machinery for the concrete industry. CBE brings tunnel segment expertise in a key precast sector previously unexplored by Construx.
• TECHNOPREF (Demathieu Bard Group)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTECHNOPREF, the precast subsidiary of French construction group Demathieu Bard in North America, has worked with CBE for 20 years across 12 tunnel projects. General Manager Louis Charette described the relationship as built on CBE's 'competence, fiabilité, accessibilité' (competence, reliability, accessibility). Notable joint projects include HRBT (Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel) and Minneapolis (first project in 2001 that launched TECHNOPREF). TECHNOPREF values CBE's agility and flexibility in handling complex technical topics.
• PENPACcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPENPAC represents CBE Group in Australia, participating in industry events on CBE's behalf (e.g., ATS 2021 conference in Melbourne). PENPAC introduces CBE's mould and automated plant capabilities to Australian tunnel contractors and supports CBE's presence in projects including Westgate, Snowy Hydro, Sydney Metro West, and Western Sydney Airport.
• ACIMEXcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerACIMEX, part of the CBE Group and now the Construx Group, is an expert in handling heavy loads by vacuum technology — a technology not previously developed within Construx. ACIMEX co-exhibits with CBE at international trade shows (e.g., BAUMA 2022) and developed induction-powered external handling equipment for CBE's Norway projects (Follo Line). ACIMEX China operations complement CBE China's footprint. Julien Travers will integrate ACIMEX into the Construx/Weckenmann portfolio and roll it out globally.
• EVOLISminorOthersCBE Group joined EVOLIS (formerly CISMA merged with PROFLUID in June 2019) in August 2019. EVOLIS is a professional organization for construction, steel, and handling industry companies. CBE joined alongside ~320 other companies. Membership provides inter-company work meetings, training, and exhibition access. CBE views this as 'un engagement de qualité au sein d'un secteur riche' for sharing knowledge and supporting market participants.
• Traylor Precast LLCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTraylor Precast LLC is a long-standing US partner of CBE Group with ~20 years of collaboration dating back to the Detroit River Outfall project in 1999. Subsequent projects include Bay Tunnel (2010), Westside 1 (2015), Westside 2 & 3 (Los Angeles), Silicon Valley Clean Water (Oakland), and Los Angeles Outfall (2020). CBE's collaboration with Traylor has produced approximately 30 projects on US soil. CEO Louis Charette describes CBE as 'precise, responsive and trustworthy.'

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Construx Group: Belgian/Dutch parent of CBE Group, producing formwork and moulds for the broader precast concrete industry (including Weckenmann in Germany). Comparable at the parent-company level, with broader product scope but a less specialised focus on tunnel segment carousels than CBE.
• Herrenknecht: Global leader in tunnel boring machines (TBMs). Operates upstream of CBE in the same tunnelling value chain, supplying the equipment that drives demand for CBE's segment moulds and carousel plants.
• Putzmeister / Sany Heavy Industry (concrete equipment): Global concrete pumping and placing equipment maker (now part of Sany). Adjacent in industrial concrete equipment but focused on mixing/pumping rather than segment moulds; useful comparable for industrial-concrete OEM economics and global reach.

Direct peers

• Weckenmann Anlagentechnik: German manufacturer of formwork, moulds, and production systems for precast concrete elements. Already a Construx Group sister company, providing the closest internal benchmark for CBE's mould and carousel economics.
• Vollert Anlagenbau: German specialist in heavy-duty precast concrete plants, carousel systems, and moulds for concrete elements including tunnel segments. Directly comparable product portfolio (carousels, moulds, automation) and serves the same global tunnel and precast infrastructure market as CBE.
• Nordimpianti System: Italian maker of battery moulds, carousel plants, and precast concrete equipment. Direct competitor in mould and carousel technology, particularly for infrastructure and tunnel-related precast elements.
• HawkeyePedershaab: US/Denmark-based supplier of concrete pipe and precast equipment, including custom moulds and automated production systems. Comparable in serving infrastructure-grade concrete product manufacturers and competing for similar tunnel and utility customers.
• Echo Precast Engineering: Dutch maker of battery moulds, tilting tables, and carousel plants for precast concrete elements. Directly overlaps CBE's mould and carousel business and is commonly bid against on tunnel segment and infrastructure precast projects.
• Elematic: Finnish manufacturer of precast concrete production lines, moulds, and automated carousel plants for walls, slabs, and infrastructure elements. Competes head-to-head with CBE in automated precast equipment and serves overlapping tunnel/infrastructure contractors worldwide.
• Progress Group (Progress Maschinen & Automation): Austria/Italy-headquartered group supplying moulds, automation, and carousel systems for precast concrete, including infrastructure applications. Closest functional competitor to CBE in tunnel segment moulds and automated plant technology.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cbe-group

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries4 records

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 CBE Group