What Willemen Groep does

Willemen Groep is a Belgian family-owned construction group, described as the largest family construction group in Belgium, headquartered in Mechelen. The group delivers integrated construction services spanning building construction, civil engineering, road construction, port and airport works, project development, and project financing through complementary wholly-owned subsidiaries including Willemen Bouw (the merged entity created on 30 April 2025 from Willemen Construct, Cosimco, Franki Construct, and Tools), Willemen Infra, Franki, Aswebo, Kumpen, Sanitechniek, and AMV Wegenbouw, alongside real estate developer NOWA. Its technology stack centers on Building Information Modeling (BIM) under a group-wide Open BIM strategy adopted in 2021, LEAN construction methodology applied with on-site Lean coaches and digital planning boards, and proprietary products such as Drainphalt — a low-temperature open asphalt that drains rainwater directly into the subsoil. The group also operates the Willemen Innovation Hub, an internal digital platform organizing working groups across construction execution, road construction, equipment, project development, asphalt production, concrete production, and material recycling.

The company primarily serves Flemish, Belgian federal, and Walloon government bodies, public institutions, port and airport authorities, healthcare providers, and real estate developers. Named clients include Lantis (Oosterweel connection, the largest public works project in Flemish history), Vlaamse Waterweg (Albert Canal bridge raising PPP), VRT (new 65,000 m² Brussels headquarters), CHU de Liège (€22.4 million Integrated Oncology Center), Regie der Gebouwen (€75 million Prison Leuze-en-Hainaut DBFM), NMBS/Infrabel, Fluvius, Aquafin, Water-Link, and North Sea Port. Its business model combines project-based one-time construction contracts (general contracting for buildings and infrastructure) with long-duration DBFM (Design-Build-Finance-Maintain) public-private partnerships that generate recurring managed-services revenue for 25-30 year maintenance periods, plus real estate development margins from projects such as Rives Ardentes (1,325 low-energy and passive housing units across 25 hectares in Liège, developed with CIT Blaton and Jan De Nul).

Go-to-market is exclusively direct via competitive public procurement tendering, direct negotiation with institutional and industrial clients, and participation in PPP/DBFM consortia. Reported operating income was €756 million in 2024, down from €836 million in 2023, while equity capital nearly doubled to €102.9 million and total assets reached €479 million. The group is led by CEO Tom Willemen, with founder-family member Johan Willemen having previously served as president of the European construction federation FIEC. Certifications include ISO 9001, GDPR compliance, BREEAM (project-level, e.g., Prison Leuze-en-Hainaut 'Very Good'), and consecutive Top Employer Belgium recognition (2025, 2026).

Name

Willemen Groep

Legal name

NV Willemen Groep

Website

https://willemen.be

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Willemen Groep is Belgium's largest family-owned construction group, offering integrated building construction, civil engineering, road construction, port works, and project development. The company serves government, public institutional, and private developer clients through subsidiaries and PPP/DBFM project financing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Mechelen

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Construction Services: Core revenue from general contracting for buildings, civil engineering, road construction, and infrastructure projects. Revenue is project-based and generated through competitive tendering for public and private clients.
2. Public-Private Partnerships (DBFM): Design-Build-Finance-Maintain contracts where the company designs, builds, finances, and maintains infrastructure for 25-30 years. Provides long-term revenue stream through maintenance phases.
3. Project Development: Real estate development activities including residential projects (Rives Ardentes eco-district), commercial and office buildings. Revenue from property sales and development margins.
4. Project Financing: Financial involvement in infrastructure projects as part of consortium financing arrangements.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Willemen Groep is a Belgian family-owned construction group that provides general contracting for buildings, civil engineering, road construction, port and airport works, and project development, delivered through subsidiaries such as Willemen Bouw, Willemen Infra, Franki, Aswebo, and NOWA. The group also finances and maintains infrastructure assets through long-term PPP/DBFM concessions (typically 25–30 years) and participates in large consortia for flagship public works such as the Oosterweel connection and the Albertkanaal bridge raising program.

Product overview

Willemen Groep is Belgium's largest family-owned construction group, operating as a unified platform of complementary construction companies. The group provides end-to-end services spanning building construction, civil engineering, road construction, port works, project development, and project financing. Core brands include Willemen General Contractor (main contracting entity), Willemen Bouw (merged entity incorporating former Willemen Construct, Cosimco, Franki Construct, and Tools), Willemen Infra (infrastructure), and Franki (specialized building/civil engineering). Supporting the core services are innovation initiatives including the Willemen Innovation Hub (digital platform for tracking innovation projects), BIM by Willemen (standardized Building Information Modeling methodology), and LEAN by Willemen (continuous improvement philosophy). Proprietary innovations include Drainphalt (draining asphalt product) and VR-based recruitment tools. The group also offers specialized services such as project financing through PPP/DBFM models, international operations, and integrated project delivery.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Drainphalt: Proprietary open asphalt paving product developed by Willemen Infra that allows rainwater to drain directly into the ground or temporarily buffer in the asphalt pavement.
• Willemen Innovation Hub
• BIM by Willemen
• LEAN by Willemen

Products and services

• Willemen General Contractor Full-scope general contracting services for building construction, civil engineering, road construction, port and airport works, and integrated project development, delivered across Belgium and selectively internationally through the group's combined subsidiaries.
• Willemen Bouw Building construction and renovation services for public and private clients, formed from the 2025 merger of Willemen Construct, Cosimco, Franki Construct and Tools; covers hospitals, schools, offices, correctional facilities, residential and mixed-use projects.
• Willemen Infra Infrastructure construction services including road building, asphalt production and laying, civil engineering projects, bridges, tunnels, water management and specialized infrastructure solutions for public-sector clients.
• Franki Specialized construction and civil engineering services including building construction, renovation and complex civil works; part of Willemen Groep since 1998 and now operating within the merged Willemen Bouw entity since 2025.
• Aswebo Road Construction and Asphalt Production Road construction and asphalt production services delivered by Aswebo, a wholly-owned subsidiary with 460 employees working across offices and 45 Belgian construction sites, including recycled asphalt operations.
• NOWA Real Estate Development Real estate project development services covering residential, commercial and office buildings; responsible for projects such as the Rives Ardentes eco-district in Liège.
• Project Financing (PPP/DBFM) Project financing services for complex infrastructure projects delivered under PPP/DBFM (Design-Build-Finance-Maintain) structures, with maintenance obligations of 25–30 years providing long-term recurring revenue.
• Integral Projects (Geïntegreerde projecten) Integrated project delivery combining design, construction, financing and maintenance services from multiple Willemen subsidiaries under a single contract, used for complex public and private projects that require multi-disciplinary coordination.
• International Construction Operations

Quantifiable outcome

• Rives Ardentes eco-district: 1,325 low-energy housing units on 25 hectares
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability6 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• CIT Blaton and Jan De NulflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2021Consortium partners for Rives Ardentes eco-district project in Liege, started October 2021
• TM ROCO Consortium (with Willemen Bouw and Willemen Infra)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsortium responsible for Oosterweel connection project including canal tunnels and new ring road sections. Construction began May 2026 with first concrete pour.
• Vlaamse WaterwegflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPPS project for raising 15 complex bridges over Albertkanaal to 9.10m clearance before 2022, with 30-year maintenance commitment
• FluviuscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMultiple projects including energy-positive regional office in Lubbeek, water reuse infrastructure in Pelt with European funding
• LantisflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerClient for Oosterweel connection, the largest public works project in Flemish history
• North Sea PortminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSustainable infrastructure works using electric heavy machinery for access road renovation
• Stad AntwerpencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublic domain renovation projects including Kielsbroek business park with sustainable asphalt recycling
• AquafincoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWastewater infrastructure projects including Belgian-first 2000mm diameter pipe renovation in Brugge
• Water-LinkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCombined sewer and water management projects in Antwerp area
• Groen Beton vzw (GBV)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociation promoting and developing environmentally friendly concrete with recycled aggregates
• De BrabandereminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for green concrete production and cycling path construction using recycled materials
• Aertssen GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for complete renovation of runway and landing strip at Antwerp Airport Deurne
• CordeelcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsortium partner for prison Leuze-en-Hainaut DBFM project worth €75 million

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Strabag Belgium: Strabag is a major European construction group with Benelux operations active in civil engineering, road construction and PPP bids, putting it in direct competition with Willemen on Belgian infra tenders.
• Eiffage Benelux: Eiffage is one of Europe's largest construction and concession groups; its Belgian arm regularly bids and wins DBFM infrastructure and road-building work directly against Willemen Infra in the same Flemish tendering pool.
• VINCI Construction Belgium: VINCI Construction is the building/civil engineering arm of the VINCI group and operates in Belgium through subsidiaries competing for the same large building and infrastructure projects as Willemen Bouw and Willemen Infra.

Direct peers

• Cordeel Group: Cordeel is a Belgian general contractor and direct consortium partner with Willemen on PPP/DBFM prison projects (e.g., Prison Leuze-en-Hainaut), sharing the same institutional client base and tendering pool.
• BESIX Group: BESIX is a major Belgian-headquartered general contractor active across buildings, civil engineering, infrastructure, and PPP/DBFM concessions, and is the most direct domestic competitor to Willemen Groep for large Flemish public tenders.
• Royal BAM Group: BAM is a Dutch-headquartered construction group with strong Benelux presence across buildings, civil engineering and PPP concessions, directly competing for the same Flemish/Belgian mega-infrastructure tenders as Willemen.
• Jan De Nul Group: Jan De Nul is a Belgian construction and marine infrastructure group; it is a current consortium partner of Willemen on the Rives Ardentes eco-district and competes for heavy civil/infrastructure contracts across Belgium.
• CIT Blaton: CIT Blaton is a long-standing Belgian general contractor and consortium partner of Willemen on the Rives Ardentes development in Liège, with overlapping capabilities in buildings and civil engineering.
• CFE Group (Compagnie d'Entreprises CFE): CFE is a Belgian construction group operating across building, civil engineering, and real estate development via its DEME, BPI and VMA subsidiaries, frequently forming the same consortia/bidding pools as Willemen for Belgian public works.

Regional players

• Aertssen Group: Aertssen is a Belgian heavy civil and earthworks specialist that partners with Willemen Infra on specialized infrastructure projects (e.g., Antwerp Airport runway) and competes on similar earthmoving/heavy infrastructure tenders.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/WillemenGroep
• Facebookfacebook.com/WillemenGroep
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/willemen-groep
• Instagraminstagram.com/Willemen.Groep
• Xx.com/WillemenGroep

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries10 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 Willemen Groep