What Allimand does

Allimand is a French designer and manufacturer of custom paper, board, and wetlaid nonwovens production machinery, founded in 1850 and headquartered in Rives, France. The company engineers complete production lines and rebuilds for specialty paper mills (thin, security, technical, and specialty coated grades), containerboard manufacturers, graphic paper producers, and wetlaid nonwovens producers serving wipes, medical, filtration, building, and electrical applications. Core technology spans proprietary forming (Sandy Hill Rotoformer, Sandy Hill Deltaformer, Hydrofiber, Rotofiber, Top Former), pressing (NAOS Shoe-Press), headbox (S4, SFP, Hybrid), coating and sizing (SC-Sizer), calendering, and winding systems, validated through five R&D pilot lines in France and one in the USA. The business model is project-based: Allimand earns revenue primarily through one-time equipment sales (custom-engineered lines and rebuilds), supplemented by recurring aftermarket revenue from ALLIMAND SERVICES (spare and wear parts, new rolls, audits, overhauls, and technical assistance) and pilot-line testing services at its Nonwovens Competence Center. Distribution is direct enterprise sales through a global agent network and wholly-owned subsidiaries in the USA (ALLIMAND INTERWEB) and China (AMES). The company has been privately held by French private equity firm Arcole since April 2023 and is led by CEO Patrick Gamet.

Name

Allimand

Legal name

ALLIMAND

Website

https://allimand.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1850

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Allimand designs and manufactures custom paper, board, and wetlaid nonwovens production lines for specialty paper mills and nonwovens producers worldwide, with an installed base of 170+ lines since 1850.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Paper and Nonwovens Machinery

NAICS

All Other Miscellaneous General Purpose Machinery Manufacturing (333998), Commercial and Service Industry Machinery Manufacturing (33331)

SIC

Misc Industrial & Commercial Machinery & Equipment (3590), Printing Trades Machinery & Equipment (3555)

akta.pro primary industry

Paper Converting Services (slitting, sheeting, coating, laminating, rewinding) (IMAMAHAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Paperboard Sheet & Roll Converting (Slitting/Sheeting/Rewinding) (IMAMAFAM), Paper & Paperboard Packaging Converting & Finishing (Die-Cutting, Gluing, Windowing, Coating) (IMALACAL)

Keywords

• Paper machine manufacturing
• Wetlaid nonwovens lines
• Specialty paper machinery
• Industrial board equipment
• Paper mill engineering

Headquarters

HQ city

Rives

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Custom Paper & Board Machine Manufacturing: Design and manufacture of custom paper and board machines for specialty papers, containerboard, and graphic papers. Includes new machine delivery and rebuild projects.
2. Wetlaid Nonwovens Production Lines: Complete production line design and equipment for wetlaid nonwovens industry including wipes, filtration, medical, building construction, and electrical applications.
3. Nonwovens Competence Center Services: Pilot line testing and product development services allowing customers to validate technologies and products under near-industrial conditions.
4. ALLIMAND SERVICES: Comprehensive lifecycle support including spare & wear parts, new rolls, technical assistance, audits, and equipment overhauls for paper mills.
5. Machine Conversion & Upgrading: Modernization and improvement of existing nonwoven production lines and machine conversions for product diversification.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Allimand designs, engineers, and manufactures custom paper, board, and wetlaid nonwovens production lines, including forming sections, headboxes, press sections, coaters, calenders, and winders. The company also rebuilds and upgrades existing paper machines, and provides lifecycle services (spare parts, audits, overhauls, technical assistance) and R&D pilot-line testing through its Nonwovens Competence Center.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Paper & Board Machines Custom-designed and manufactured paper and board production machines for specialty papers (cigarette, banknote, decor, food packaging, thermal, carbonless), containerboard (fluting, liner, coated board), and graphic papers (printing/writing, magazine LWC-MWC, office/copy paper). Each machine is custom engineered to customer specifications, from initial diagnosis to final commissioning.
• Wetlaid Nonwovens Production Lines Complete wetlaid nonwovens production lines including formers, headboxes, press sections, dryers, and winders for wipes (flushable, industrial), medical (face masks), filtration (teabags, coffee pads, air/water/oil filters), building construction (glass mat for shingles, flooring, bituminous membranes), electrical (battery separators, capacitor dielectric, aramid fiber), home & office (wall cover, overlay, wood veneer), and specialty applications (cryogenic/thermal insulation, ceramic materials, carbon fibers).
• ALLIMAND SERVICES Comprehensive lifecycle support offering for paper mills, including spare and wear parts, new rolls, technical assistance, audits, and equipment overhauls to ensure reliability and performance of installed paper and board machines.
• Nonwovens Competence Center — Pilot Line Testing and Product Development Pilot line testing and product development service allowing nonwovens customers to validate technologies and products under near-industrial conditions using a highly flexible pilot line with basis weight range from 9 g/m² to 3200 g/m² and support for cellulose pulps, long fibers, synthetic fibers, and high-tech fibers.
• Machine Conversion & Upgrading Modernization, improvement, and conversion of existing nonwoven production lines, enabling product diversification and lifecycle extension of installed equipment at customer paper mills and nonwovens plants.

Quantifiable outcome

• More than 170 complete production lines delivered worldwide for paper, board, nonwovens, and composites

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature14 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• PakkacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2025Partnership between Pakka and Allimand for a new paper machine in Ayodhya, India targeting 115 tons per day of specialty output. This is a significant equipment supply and development partnership.
• AMEScoreOthersWholly-owned subsidiary based in China that facilitates data collection and processing operations, as well as sales support for the Chinese market.
• ALLIMAND INTERWEBcoreOthersSubsidiary established in 2017, operates the wetlaid nonwovens machinery business including Sandy Hill Rotoformer and Sandy Hill Deltaformer technologies. Has sales office and nonwovens pilot in USA.
• Grenoble INP-PagoraminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEngineering school that trains future professionals of the paper industry. Located near Allimand's industrial site in Rives. Allimand participates in open house events and employs alumni.
• GPC Papier et CartoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership since 2012 when the rebuild of the former Papeteries de Ledar paper machine became GPC's M3. Current project involves modification of the press section of GPC's Machine 2 for very low-grammage papers production, with start-up scheduled for 2026.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Toscotec: Toscotec is an Italian designer and manufacturer of paper machines and components specializing in tissue, specialty, and packaging paper grades. Highly comparable mid-sized specialist competitor to Allimand, with similar custom-engineering model and customer base in specialty paper mills.
• Recard: Recard is an Italian machinery maker focused on specialty paper production lines, tissue, and airlaid nonwovens. Direct peer to Allimand in custom paper and nonwovens machinery, competing for similar specialty paper mill customers in Europe and emerging markets.
• Trützschler Nonwovens: Trützschler Nonwovens supplies complete nonwovens production lines and components across wetlaid, spunlace, and airlaid technologies. Competes directly with Allimand in wetlaid nonwovens machinery, with a broader overall nonwovens portfolio.
• A.Celli Paper Machinery: A.Celli is an Italian manufacturer of paper machinery and converting equipment, primarily for tissue and specialty grades. Comparable mid-sized custom machinery supplier with similar product positioning and aftermarket services model.
• PMC (Paper Machinery Corporation): PMC is a US-based designer and manufacturer of paper machines and components, with focus on specialty and recycled paper grades. Comparable mid-sized custom paper machinery peer serving North American and international specialty paper customers.

Broad incumbents

• Oerlikon Nonwoven: Oerlikon Nonwoven (formerly Oerlikon Manmade Fibers segment) is a major global supplier of manmade fiber and nonwoven production systems. Competes with Allimand in nonwovens machinery but is part of a much larger diversified industrial group with broader technology reach.
• Andritz: Andritz is a major global supplier of pulp, paper, and nonwovens machinery, including complete production lines and key components like headboxes, formers, and press sections. Directly competes with Allimand across paper and wetlaid nonwovens machinery with a much larger installed base and broader portfolio.
• Valmet: Valmet is a leading Finnish paper machinery OEM serving pulp, paper, and energy customers worldwide with full-line equipment, services, and automation. Overlaps with Allimand across paper machine engineering, rebuilds, and aftermarket services at significantly greater scale.
• Voith Paper: Voith Paper is one of the world's largest full-line paper machinery OEMs offering complete mills, services, and digital solutions across all paper and board grades. Directly comparable to Allimand as a paper machinery supplier, but operates at vastly greater scale and product breadth.

Others

• GL&V (now part of Andritz) Pulp & Paper: GL&V historically supplied paper machinery and pulping equipment before being acquired by Andritz. Its former Sandy Hill product line (rotoformer/deltaformer) was acquired by Allimand in 1998, making this a direct historical link and indirect comparable in wetlaid nonwovens machinery heritage.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries2 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 Allimand