Copex

What Copex does

COPEX (legal entity: S.A. COPEX) is a French industrial equipment manufacturer founded in 1948 and headquartered in Caudan, France (with manufacturing at the Kerpont industrial zone in Lanester). The company designs and produces hydraulic presses, shears, and baling equipment used for material compaction, baling, and metal recycling processing. Its product portfolio spans two main families: (1) scrap metal shears including the LIDEX side-compression line (1,000–2,000 tonnes cutting force), the S-WING press-wing shears (800–1,000 short tons), the REFLEX mobile/portable shears (650–950 short tons), and the KOLOSS heavy-duty line; and (2) balers including the versatile PMM presses (up to 30 tonnes/hour throughput), PACK METAL presses for metal packaging, PCC single-compression lid balers, and PCV two/three-compression box balers. The machines process ferrous and non-ferrous metals, agricultural fibers, plastics, cardboard, textiles, WEEE, RDF/SRF, and municipal solid waste.

The company's go-to-market is a hybrid enterprise field sales model combined with an extensive international distribution network spanning 40+ countries. Direct enterprise sales are handled by a Group Sales Director and regional Area Sales Managers (Françoise Le Bail, Olivier Lefèvre, Hassoun Ishak, Patrick Prunier, plus Terry Sturgell Sr. as VP Sales for North America), while regional coverage is supported by an extensive list of independent distribution partners (e.g., BTC-Tsanaktsidis in Greece, Envitech in Japan, Cheng Ho Hsing in Taiwan, Treppo Group in South Africa, Recuperma in the Benelux). Revenue is generated primarily through custom-quoted industrial equipment sales, supplemented by after-sales services (preventive/corrective maintenance, operator training, 4,000+ spare parts references), retrofit and modernization projects, and refurbished/used equipment sales. Primary customer segments are metal recyclers and waste management operators (both designated primary), with secondary applications in agriculture, nuclear waste conditioning, and other industrial sectors.

In July 2023, COPEX was acquired by LEFORT, a Belgian metal recycling equipment manufacturer described as a global market leader. The combined group employs approximately 300 people and generates €110M+ in revenue. COPEX continues to operate from its Caudan facility under its own brand, with a unified sales organization effective December 2023 and new leadership under Director General Fawaz Ezzat. Named enterprise customers include SG Boswell and Sons, CAPDEA, Guyot Environnement, Galloo, Gold Star, Paprec, and Sims Metal.

Name

Copex

Legal name

S.A. COPEX

Website

https://copex.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1948

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

COPEX is a French manufacturer founded in 1948 that designs and produces hydraulic presses, shears, and baling equipment for metal recyclers, waste management operators, and industrial processors across 40+ countries, and was acquired by Belgian group LEFORT in July 2023.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Metal Recycling Machinery

NAICS

Packaging Machinery Manufacturing (333993)

akta.pro primary industry

Industrial Waste Handling & Compaction Equipment (Balers, Compactors) (IMAHALAI)

Keywords

• Hydraulic scrap shears
• Metal recycling equipment
• Baling presses
• Waste compactors
• Material processing machinery

Headquarters

HQ city

Caudan

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Industrial Equipment Sales: Sale of hydraulic presses, shears, and baling equipment to recycling facilities, metal processors, waste management companies, and industrial manufacturers. Equipment ranges from小型 compactors to large-scale 2000-tonne shears.
2. After-Sales Service and Maintenance: Comprehensive service offerings including operational management, installation, operator training, preventive and corrective maintenance, spare parts supply, and maintenance contracts for installed equipment base of 900+ machines worldwide.
3. Retrofit and Modernization: Upgrading and modernizing existing machines with latest technological developments, as well as machine relocation and site transfer services.
4. Used Equipment Sales: Sale of refurbished and second-hand machines through dedicated occasions/used equipment section of the business.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Copex designs and manufactures hydraulic presses, scrap shears, and baling equipment for the recycling and waste processing industry. Its product portfolio includes fixed side compression shears (LIDEX), press wing shears (S-WING, KOLOSS), portable shear balers (REFLEX), versatile baling presses (PMM), and specialized balers for metal packaging (PACK METAL), serving ferrous and non-ferrous metal recyclers, waste management operators, agricultural producers, and nuclear and automotive industries.

Product overview

COPEX is a French manufacturer of hydraulic presses and shear balers for the recycling and waste processing industry, founded in 1948. The product portfolio consists of two main machine families: (1) Scrap Metal Shears including the LIDEX (fixed side compression, 1000-2000 tonnes), S-WING (fixed press wings, 800-1000 tons), REFLEX (mobile/portable, 650-950 tons), and KOLOSS (heavy-duty press wing) lines; and (2) Balers including PMM versatile baling presses, PACK METAL for metal packaging, PCC lid balers (single compression), and PCV box balers (2-3 compressions). The machines process materials including ferrous/non-ferrous metals, agricultural fibers, textiles, plastics, cardboard, wood, WEEE, RDF/SRF, and municipal solid waste. COPEX operates from its Caudan, France facility and was acquired by Belgian group LEFORT in July 2023.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• LIDEX: Fixed side compression scrap shears in cutting forces from 1000 to 2000 tons
• S-WING
• REFLEX
• PMM
• PACK METAL
• KOLOSS

Products and services

• LIDEX Scrap Shears Fixed side compression scrap shears for processing ferrous and non-ferrous metals, available in cutting forces from 1000 to 2000 tonnes with side compression boxes up to 10m in length. Designed for metal recyclers and scrap processing facilities requiring high-throughput material reduction.
• S-WING Scrap Shears Fixed press wing shears with cutting forces of 800 and 1000 short tons, built for heavy-duty scrap metal processing using press wing technology. Intended for industrial scrap dealers and large metal recyclers.
• REFLEX Scrap Shears Mobile, portable and static shear balers with cutting forces of 650 to 950 short tons, designed for flexible deployment at multiple scrap processing sites and collection points.
• KOLOSS Heavy-Duty Scrap Shears Heavy-duty scrap shears with press wings designed for intensive scrap metal processing operations requiring high cutting force and continuous operation.
• PMM Baling Presses Versatile baling presses capable of compacting a wide variety of materials including textiles, wood, plastics, cardboard, agricultural fibers, and multimaterials. Features uniform bale density and shape, with production rates up to 30 tonnes per hour.
• PACK METAL Balers Baling presses specifically designed for metal packaging compaction, processing cans, tins, aerosol cans, and paint pots, as well as aluminum.
• PCC Lid Balers Single-compression lid balers for baling various materials, featuring an automated lid mechanism for efficient operation in waste and recycling facilities.
• PCV Box Balers Two and three-compression box balers designed for high-density baling of various materials including cardboard, plastics, and multimaterials.
• VHU Mobile Shears (Car Balers/Loggers) Mobile shears specifically designed for processing End-of-Life Vehicles (ELVs) and light scrap at various collection points and dismantling facilities.
• F2000 Waste Compactors Waste compactors engineered for transfer station applications, reducing waste volume before multimodal transport operations.
• Used/Second-Hand Machines Refurbished and pre-owned Copex machines offered for sale, including shear balers and presses, providing lower-cost entry options for customers.

Quantifiable outcome

• LIDEX2000 achieves production capacities up to 110 tonnes/hour with 2000-tonne cutting force
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 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

Feature6 records

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Metso: Large Finnish industrial machinery group serving mining, aggregates, and metal recycling. Competes with COPEX in metal recycling equipment and offers a much broader portfolio of processing equipment to industrial customers.
• Danieli: Italian manufacturer of metalmaking equipment with scrap processing and recycling machinery lines. A broader incumbent serving steel mills and recyclers with overlapping equipment needs.

Direct peers

• Forrec: Italian manufacturer of recycling machinery including shredders, granulators, and metal recycling equipment. Competes with COPEX in WEEE and metal recycling equipment markets across Europe.
• Balemaster: US manufacturer of industrial balers and compactors for paper, plastics, metal, and waste materials. Competes with COPEX in baling equipment across multiple material types.
• Wendt Corporation: US manufacturer of scrap metal processing equipment, including shredders, balers, and shears. A direct competitor to COPEX in the metal recycling equipment market with overlapping product categories.
• Marathon Equipment: Manufacturer of balers, compactors, and waste handling equipment for recycling and waste management. Directly competes with COPEX's PMM and PACK METAL baling press lines for waste management customers.
• Harris Equipment (Harris Waste Management Group): US-based manufacturer of ferrous and non-ferrous scrap metal processing equipment including shears, balers, and shredders. Directly competes with COPEX's LIDEX and S-Wing lines for large metal recycler customers globally.
• LEFORT: Belgian manufacturer of metal recycling equipment that acquired 100% of COPEX in July 2023. Now operates as the parent company, with overlapping product portfolios in shears and balers for the same metal recycling and waste management customers.

Emerging players

• Vermeer Corporation: US manufacturer of industrial and agricultural equipment, with recycling and material processing equipment lines. Some overlap with COPEX's agricultural fiber baling and waste processing applications.
• General Kinematics: US manufacturer of vibratory equipment and material handling systems for recycling and bulk processing. Adjacent competitor in materials processing and recycling applications.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/sa.copex

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Copex