Farbal
Farbal is a French industrial machinery manufacturer, founded in 1974, specializing in custom large-format polyethylene film packaging machines (up to 3.75m wide) for enterprise manufacturers across furniture, joinery, automotive, building materials, and logistics sectors, sold via direct enterprise sales and an international channel partner network.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1974
- HeadquartersBlois, France
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Farbal does
Farbal SAS is a privately held French industrial machinery manufacturer founded in 1974 and headquartered in Blois, France. The company engineers and builds custom large-format film packaging machines that use polyethylene (PE) film for heat-shrinking around oversized and non-standard-shaped products, with custom configurations up to 3.75m wide and 1.4m high. The core product portfolio consists of wrapping units (fardeleuses), heat-shrink tunnels, side sealing and side cutting units, conveyors, floor-mounted film unwinders, and PLC-based electrical cabinets, sold as individual modules or as complete turn-key packaging lines. All machines comply with the EU Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC.
The company sells primarily to enterprise manufacturers across 12+ verticals, including bedding and upholstered furniture, joinery and doors/windows, interior and garden furniture, automotive parts (e.g., BMW), building materials and insulation, HVAC/radiators (e.g., Arcelor), signage, sports equipment, and logistics/e-commerce. Pricing is custom quote-based per project, and the company does not publish standard price lists. Go-to-market is enterprise field sales supported by direct technical consultation, supplemented by trade show presence at FACHPACK, All4Pack, Prod&Pack, and RosUpack, and an international channel partner network covering Benelux, Germany, Spain, USA, Canada, Turkey, and several Eastern European markets.
Revenue is generated across five streams: one-time sales of custom machinery, spare parts (with sealing bars rated for up to 1 million cycles), after-sales service and maintenance (professional services), equipment evolution and upgrades, and second-hand refurbished equipment. The company also operates the myFarbal digital customer extranet for technical documentation, 3D spare parts visualization, and support ticket submission. No revenue, headcount, or external funding is disclosed; the company appears to be founder- or family-owned and has not raised disclosed venture or private equity capital.
Farbal firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Farbal
- Legal name
- FARBAL SAS
- Website
- https://farbal.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1974
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Farbal is a French industrial machinery manufacturer, founded in 1974, specializing in custom large-format polyethylene film packaging machines (up to 3.75m wide) for enterprise manufacturers across furniture, joinery, automotive, building materials, and logistics sectors, sold via direct enterprise sales and an international channel partner network.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Farbal industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Industrial Packaging Machinery
- NAICS
- Packaging Machinery Manufacturing (333993)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Wrapping & Bundling Equipment (Shrink/Stretch) (IMAHAOAD)
Keywords
Where Farbal is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Blois
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Farbal business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Custom Packaging Machinery Sales: Sale of bespoke large-format film packaging machines designed and manufactured to customer specifications. Machines include wrapping units, shrink tunnels, side sealing/cutting units, conveyors, and complete turn-key lines.
- Spare Parts: Sale of replacement parts including sealing bars (rated for up to 1 million cycles), film unwinders, and specialized components. Maintains permanent spare parts inventory for rapid shipping.
- After-Sales Service and Maintenance: On-site technician interventions for breakdown response, preventive maintenance, and equipment optimization. Remote support capabilities and contractual maintenance services.
- Equipment Evolution and Upgrades: Technical modifications and upgrades to existing customer machines including relocation services and performance enhancements.
- Second-Hand Equipment: Sale of refurbished Farbal machines and equipment, giving older machines a 'second life'. Machines from 2005 to 2017 available.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Custom quote-based pricing for all equipment |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels4 records
Farbal product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Farbal designs, engineers, and manufactures custom large-format film packaging machines using polyethylene (PE) film for industrial packaging applications. The company produces complete turn-key packaging lines comprising wrapping units (fardeleuses), heat-shrink tunnels, side sealing and cutting units, conveyors, floor-mounted unwinders, electrical cabinets, and handling equipment. Machines are custom-built up to 3.75m wide and 1.4m high for oversized and non-standard shaped products across industries such as bedding, furniture, joinery, automotive, and building materials.
Product overview
Farbal is a French industrial machinery company specializing in large-format film packaging machines since 1974. The product portfolio centers on turn-key film packaging lines comprising core wrapping machines and complementary modules. The main offering includes Wrapping Units (fardeleuses) as the primary sleeve-wrapping machines that wrap products in polyethylene film, paired with Shrink Tunnels for heat-shrinking the film around products, Side Sealing Units for creating side seams, and Side Cutting Units for trimming excess film. Supporting modules include Conveyors for product transport, Floor Unwinders for film roll handling, Electrical Cabinets with PLC systems, and Handling Equipment for material flow optimization. The company also offers spare parts, maintenance services, a customer extranet (my*FARBAL), and second-hand equipment. All machines comply with Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC and use PE (polyethylene) film, which is 100% recyclable.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Wrapping Unit (Fardeleuse) Primary sleeve-wrapping machine that wraps products in polyethylene film, forming a sleeve around the product. Standard models feature sealing/cutting knives from 750 to 4000mm with passage opening heights from 100 to 1100mm. Capable of widths up to 3.75m (148 inches) and heights up to 1.4m (55 inches) for oversized industrial products.
- Shrink Tunnels Heat-shrink tunnels that shrink polyethylene film around packaged products. Feature passage heights from 200 to 1400mm and widths from 400 to 3500mm, with adjustable speed from 2 to 30 meters per minute and power ranging from 12 to 120 kW.
- Side Sealing Units Side sealing stations that weld film on the sides of packaged products, creating seams perpendicular to the sleeve wrapper seams. Capable of side seams from 750 to 3500mm with manual or automatic width adjustment, available with constant heat for high productivity or impulse heat for low speeds.
- Side Cutting Units Side cutting units equipped with disc saws that cut excess film on the sides of packaged products. Feature automatic width adjustment via photocells, allowing use of single film rolls for products with varying widths and heights.
- Conveyors Conveyor systems including belt conveyors (smooth or anti-slip), gravity or powered roller conveyors, and chain conveyors. Can be customized with work tables, tilting conveyors, 90-degree turning conveyors, and curved configurations.
- Floor-Mounted Unwinders Floor-positioned film unwinders placed perpendicular to the sleeve wrapper station. Available in single or double configurations with integrated film storage, manual or semi-automatic film splicing units, and patent-pending special environmental protection covers.
- Electrical Cabinets Custom electrical control cabinets comprising PLCs, operator interfaces, safety relays, speed regulators, and contactless starters. Compatible with PLCs from Schneider Electric, Siemens, Leroy Somer, Allen-Bradley and other manufacturers.
- Handling Equipment and Miscellaneous Adaptations Material handling equipment and custom adaptations including protective pad installation, centering, alignment, angular transfer, rotating devices, tippers, automatic film changeover, product compression devices, and additional dispensers.
- Second-Hand Equipment Refurbished and second-hand Farbal machines available for purchase, including wrapping units and shrink tunnels. Gives older machines a 'second life'.
Quantifiable outcome
- Up to 1 million cycle lifespan for sealing bars
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Farbal
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments12 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Farbal technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature7 records
Farbal partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- ALFATECHNICS bvbacoreAuthorized channel partner for Farbal covering Benelux region (Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg). Contact: Benny Verbist, Lindenlaan 30, B-2460 Kasterlee, Belgium. Tel: +32 (0) 473/844.302
- Espac MaschinenbaucoreAuthorized channel partner for Farbal covering Germany. Contact: Jürgen Schwinghammer, Paulusstr. 56, D-72639 Neuffen, Germany. Tel: +49-7025-842232
- IPS Packaging & AutomationcoreAuthorized channel partner for Farbal covering USA. Located at 701 Brookfield Pkwy, Suite 300, Greenville SC 29607. Contact for equipment: [email protected], for service & parts: [email protected]. Tel: +800-277-7007
- GRUPO CEEM PACKAGING, S.A.coreAuthorized channel partner for Farbal covering Spain. Located at C/. Félix Rodríguez de la Fuente, 90, Elche Parque Industrial, 03203 Elche (Alicante), Spain. Tel: +34 965 68 14 25
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights12 records
Farbal competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- MSK Verpackungs-Systeme: German manufacturer of palletizing, shrink wrapping, and end-of-line packaging systems. Direct functional overlap with Farbal's shrink tunnel and wrapping equipment, particularly in European building materials and furniture markets.
- Texwrap (ProMach): Stretch wrapping and bundling systems manufacturer owned by ProMach. Competes with Farbal in wrapping technology for distribution and logistics applications, though Texwrap focuses more on stretch film and pallet/unitizing than Farbal's sleeve wrap approach.
- Sealed Air: Global protective packaging company with significant shrink film, void fill, and food packaging machinery offerings. Much larger scale than Farbal with broader product portfolio, but overlapping in protective packaging solutions for industrial and e-commerce customers.
- Lantech: Global leader in stretch wrapping machinery and load containment solutions. Overlaps with Farbal in industrial wrapping equipment, but with broader market reach, larger installed base, and a focus on stretch film pallet wrapping versus Farbal's PE shrink sleeve wrapping.
- Brenton (ProMach): Shrink wrapping and case packing equipment brand under ProMach, serving food, beverage, and industrial markets with broader portfolio than Farbal's specialty but overlapping in shrink wrap bundling and protective packaging lines.
Emerging players
- AFA Systems: North American manufacturer of end-of-line packaging machinery including case packers, tray formers, and shrink bundlers. Smaller and more focused than Farbal, with overlap in shrink bundling applications for industrial customers.
- Schneider Packaging Equipment: US manufacturer of end-of-line packaging equipment including case packers, palletizers, and shrink wrapping systems. Overlaps with Farbal in shrink wrap bundling and end-of-line integration, serving similar industrial customer base.
Direct peers
- Polypack: US-based manufacturer of shrink packaging machinery and integrated end-of-line packaging systems. Competes with Farbal in shrink wrap and bundling equipment, serving similar industrial customers with comparable wrapping and sealing technology.
- Arpac (ARPAC LLC): Manufacturer of shrink wrap and bundling equipment for industrial applications including furniture, building products, and distribution. Direct competitor in large-format shrink wrapping lines, particularly relevant for North American customers of Farbal.
- Italdibipack: Italian manufacturer of shrink wrapping and sleeve wrapping machinery, including large-format solutions for furniture and building materials. Most directly comparable competitor to Farbal in terms of product category, target verticals, and custom-engineered turn-key line delivery.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Farbal social profiles
Digital presenceFarbal compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Farbal financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Farbal leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Farbal funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Farbal M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Farbal
What does Farbal do?
Farbal designs, engineers, and manufactures custom large-format film packaging machines using polyethylene (PE) film for industrial packaging applications. The company produces complete turn-key packaging lines comprising wrapping units (fardeleuses), heat-shrink tunnels, side sealing and cutting units, conveyors, floor-mounted unwinders, electrical cabinets, and handling equipment. Machines are custom-built up to 3.75m wide and 1.4m high for oversized and non-standard shaped products across industries such as bedding, furniture, joinery, automotive, and building materials.
Is Farbal a public or private company?
Farbal is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Farbal founded?
Farbal was founded in 1974. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Farbal based?
Farbal is headquartered in Blois, France, in the Europe region.
How does Farbal make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Custom Packaging Machinery Sales are the primary driver. The others are spare Parts, after-Sales Service and Maintenance, equipment Evolution and Upgrades and second-Hand Equipment.
Who are Farbal's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are MSK Verpackungs-Systeme, Texwrap (ProMach), Sealed Air, Lantech and Brenton (ProMach). Emerging players are AFA Systems and Schneider Packaging Equipment. Direct peers are Polypack, Arpac (ARPAC LLC) and Italdibipack.
Does Farbal have an API?
No public API is recorded for Farbal.
What industry is Farbal in?
Farbal's product category is Industrial Packaging Machinery. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAHAOAD, Wrapping & Bundling Equipment (Shrink/Stretch). Its NAICS code is 333993.