What Chereau does

Chereau is a France-based, privately held manufacturer of customized refrigerated trucks and semi-trailers, founded in 1953 and headquartered in Avranches. According to firmographic data, the company designs, manufactures, and markets temperature-controlled transport equipment, with a workforce of 501-1,000 employees. Its leadership includes Damien Destremau in the role of President.

The company's product focus is on customized refrigerated vehicle bodywork — implying engineered-to-order configurations rather than purely catalog sales — which suggests a B2B go-to-market aimed at fleet operators, logistics providers, and potentially food/pharma cold-chain carriers. The available source material does not specify pricing models, distribution channels, or named customer relationships, and the company website was inaccessible at the time of data collection, limiting visibility into product line breadth, technology stack, or aftersales/service economics.

Chereau operates within a global refrigerated trailer market that a third-party industry source valued at USD 8.50 billion in 2025 and projected to reach USD 12.78 billion by 2034, implying a 4.6% CAGR. No company-specific revenue, ownership structure, partnership, or M&A activity was disclosed in the input data, which constrains any deeper financial or strategic profile beyond the firmographic and market context above.

Name

Chereau

Legal name

Chereau

Website

https://chereau.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1953

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Chereau is a France-based manufacturer founded in 1953 that designs, produces, and markets customized refrigerated trucks and semi-trailers for cold-chain transport customers, operating with 501-1,000 employees from Avranches.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Refrigerated Truck and Trailer Manufacturing

NAICS

Truck Trailer Manufacturing (336212), Motor Vehicle Body and Trailer Manufacturing (33621), Ventilation, Heating, Air-Conditioning, and Commercial Refrigeration Equipment Manufacturing (33341), Heavy Duty Truck Manufacturing (33612)

SIC

Truck Trailers (3715), Truck & Bus Bodies (3713), Air-Cond & Warm Air Heatg Equip & Comm & Indl Refrig Equip (3585), Refrigeration & Service Industry Machinery (3580)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialty Truck Manufacturing (Fire/Rescue/Military-Commercial/Expedition) (IMACABAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Chilled / Fresh Transport (Refrigerated) (TLADAHAG), Refrigerated Vehicles (Reefer Trucks/Vans) Leasing & Rental (TLABAEAA)

Keywords

• Refrigerated truck manufacturing
• Cold chain logistics equipment
• Refrigerated semi-trailers
• Custom truck bodywork
• Temperature controlled transport

Headquarters

HQ city

Avranches

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Core offering

Chereau designs, manufactures, and markets customized refrigerated trucks and semi-trailers for the cold-chain transport industry. The company produces bespoke temperature-controlled vehicle bodywork for commercial fleet operators, food distributors, and logistics providers requiring specialized refrigerated transport equipment.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Customized Refrigerated Trucks Custom-designed refrigerated trucks built to client specifications for cold-chain transport operators and commercial fleet customers requiring temperature-controlled vehicle solutions.
• Customized Refrigerated Semi-Trailers Custom-designed refrigerated semi-trailers built to client specifications for cold-chain logistics operators transporting temperature-sensitive goods over long distances.

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights2 records

Direct peers

• Lamberet: French refrigerated vehicle and body manufacturer headquartered near Lyon. Lamberet is Chereau's closest domestic competitor, building refrigerated trucks, trailers, and semi-trailers for the same European cold-chain customer base with overlapping customization capabilities.
• Wielton: Polish trailer and semi-trailer manufacturer with a dedicated refrigerated product line. Competes with Chereau across European markets with a similar build-to-spec offering and comparable mid-sized manufacturer economics.
• Kögel: German manufacturer of commercial trailers including refrigerated semi-trailers. Kögel overlaps with Chereau in European refrigerated body manufacturing, fleet customer segments, and customization-driven go-to-market.
• Lecitrailer: Spanish semi-trailer manufacturer with a dedicated refrigerated (frigorífico) range. Comparable to Chereau in product category and customization approach, primarily serving the Iberian and broader Southern European cold-chain markets.

Broad incumbents

• Schmitz Cargobull: Europe's largest trailer manufacturer, producing refrigerated semi-trailers (S.KO Cool) alongside dry-freight and curtainsider units. Comparable to Chereau in refrigerated body manufacturing but with substantially greater scale, broader product portfolio, and pan-European dealer network.
• Krone: German commercial trailer OEM with a strong refrigerated Cool Liner product line. Comparable to Chereau in refrigerated semi-trailer design and European fleet customer overlap, while operating at significantly larger scale across multiple trailer categories.

Emerging players

• Chassis Branche International (CBMI) / Chereau-related entities: Smaller regional body-builders and upfitters across Europe that compete with Chereau on price and customization for local fleet customers. Limited publicly known peer organizations in this category.
• LTA (Le Triporteur Automobiles): French specialist in commercial vehicle body conversion and refrigerated bodies. Overlaps with Chereau in the French market on small and mid-sized refrigerated body conversions, though typically with a lighter product portfolio.

Others

• Thermo King (Trane Technologies): Global leader in transport refrigeration units, which Chereau integrates into its refrigerated bodies. While not a direct competitor in body manufacturing, Thermo King is a critical supplier and adjacent ecosystem player whose product roadmap shapes Chereau's integration roadmap.
• Carrier Transicold: Major manufacturer of refrigeration units for trucks and trailers. Comparable to Chereau as an ecosystem participant in the refrigerated transport value chain, providing the cooling equipment integrated into Chereau's bodywork.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 Chereau