RCA

What RCA does

RCA (Robert Chartier Application) is a French civil engineering group founded in 1983 that specializes in the maintenance, repair, and construction of transportation infrastructure, with a particular focus on expansion joints for bridges, viaducts, roads, airports, ports, parking structures, and railways. The group operates as a vertically integrated platform of five wholly-owned subsidiaries — RCA (works), SACO (expansion joint manufacturing), EUROJOINT (hydro-blasting and road maintenance), SNAC (elastomer bearing pads, the sole French manufacturer per EN 1337-3), and H. PETIT & Cie (tunnel ventilation and metalwork) — supported by five regional agencies across France (Est, Sud-Est, Centre Atlantique, Sud-Ouest, Nord & IDF) and international operations in approximately 14 countries.

The company's core technology centers on proprietary expansion joint systems — including the trademarked Polyjoint and Robberjoint coating joints, the GTA hiatus-joint series, the GS/GTX/GTS comb-joint family, railway-specific Garde-Ballast and Couteaux joints, and the J.S. Park parking joint — combined with hot-applied polyurethane waterproofing and structural repair services such as concrete rehabilitation, fissure injection, and bearing device replacement. GTA B2000 is described as the most-installed road joint in France with approximately 4,000 meters installed annually.

RCA generates revenue primarily through project-based B2B contracts secured via competitive public procurement and direct sales to government infrastructure owners — French municipalities, road and rail authorities, airport operators, and port authorities — with a secondary revenue stream from proprietary product sales by SACO and SNAC to other contractors. Pricing is project-specific and quote-based, with no public pricing. The group employs approximately 200 people and reports annual revenue of approximately €45 million.

Name

RCA

Legal name

RCA ROBERT CHARTIER APPLICATION SA

Website

https://rca-sa.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

RCA is a French civil engineering group specializing in expansion joint installation, waterproofing, and structural repair for bridges, roads, airports, ports, and railways. It serves government infrastructure owners across France and 13 other countries through five subsidiaries and five regional agencies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Vernon

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 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. Infrastructure construction and maintenance services: RCA generates revenue through one-time project contracts for civil engineering work on bridges, viaducts, roads, airports, ports, parking structures, and canals. Projects include expansion joint installation, structural repair, waterproofing, and ongoing maintenance services. Revenue comes from public procurement contracts and private infrastructure owner engagements.
2. Proprietary product manufacturing and sales: Through its subsidiary SACO, the company manufactures expansion joints and related hardware (flat jacks, public works equipment) for internal use and external sales to other contractors.
3. Specialized component manufacturing: SNAC manufactures elastomeric bearing pads (unique French manufacturer per EN 1337-3 standard). H. PETIT & Cie provides tunnel ventilation, industrial boiler work, and metalwork through its subsidiaries.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

RCA is a French civil engineering company that designs, manufactures, and installs expansion joint systems and provides infrastructure maintenance, structural repair, and waterproofing services for bridges, roads, airports, ports, railways, parking structures, and canals. Through five specialized subsidiaries, the company delivers end-to-end solutions spanning proprietary joint product manufacturing (Polyjoint, Robberjoint, GTA series), bridge civil engineering works, road and transport infrastructure maintenance, and polyurethane/epoxy waterproofing applications.

Product overview

RCA is a French civil engineering and infrastructure maintenance group offering a unified portfolio of expansion joint products and specialized construction services. Its product range is organized around two main categories: (1) a comprehensive suite of expansion joint products — including the Polyjoint and Robberjoint (improved coating joints), the GTA series (GTA B2000, GTA F, GTA R — hiatus joints), the GS/GTX/GTS series (comb joints in various sizes and materials), railway joints (Garde-Ballast and Couteaux), and J.S. Park (parking joints), plus custom mechanical joints; and (2) service offerings including civil engineering works on bridges (Ouvrages d'Art), road/airport/port/canal maintenance, and waterproofing (Étanchéité). The group is anchored by four specialist subsidiaries — SACO (expansion joint manufacturing), SNAC (elastomer bearing devices), EUROJOINT (hydro-blasting and road maintenance), and H. PETIT & Cie (tunnel ventilation and metalwork) — which together enable RCA to deliver end-to-end infrastructure solutions from manufacturing to installation and maintenance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Polyjoint: Flexible road expansion joint composed of aggregate and elastomer bituminous binder mixture, covered with a bridging plate. Its viscoelasticity allows it to absorb structural movement while ensuring waterproofing.
• Robberjoint
• GTA B2000
• GTA F
• GTA R
• GS/GS B2000
• GTX/GTX B2000
• GTS/GTS B2000
• J.S. Park

Products and services

• Polyjoint Expansion Joint Registered trademark expansion joint composed of a mixture of aggregates and elastomer bituminous binder, covered with a bridging plate. Its viscoelasticity allows it to absorb structural movements while ensuring waterproofing. Sold as a flexible coating expansion joint for civil engineering contractors and infrastructure owners.
• Robberjoint Expansion Joint Registered trademark improved coating expansion joint composed of aggregates and elastomer bituminous binder, reinforced with a steel/rubber composite skeleton and covered with a bridging plate. Offers excellent waterproofing and resistance to rutting for high-traffic infrastructure applications.
• GTA B2000 Hiatus Joint Mechanical lip joint composed of aluminum bars anchored in concrete beams with a rubber profile ensuring waterproofing. The most-installed expansion joint in France, with approximately 4,000 meters installed annually by RCA.
• GTA F Hiatus Joint Mechanical hiatus joint composed of aluminum bars anchored in concrete beams on either side of the joint, with an extruded rubber profile ensuring waterproofing. Designed for the most intense traffic conditions.
• GTA R Hiatus Joint Hiatus joint with movement capacity of 30 to 65 mm and T0 traffic rating. Fixed with clamps and hot resin, allowing rapid installation with traffic opening 2 hours after installation without pre-tensioning.
• GS / GS B2000 Comb Joint Cantilever-type comb joint composed of wavy aluminum teeth mounted on metallic chassis anchored in concrete beams. Offers excellent driving comfort, noise reduction, and compatibility with significant skew angles as a silent joint.
• GTX / GTX B2000 Comb Joint Cantilever-type comb joint composed of triangular aluminum teeth mounted on metallic chassis anchored in concrete beams. Robust design with a rubber profile ensuring waterproofing and driving comfort.
• GTS / GTS B2000 Comb Joint Cantilever-type comb joint composed of galvanized steel teeth with straight edges mounted on metallic chassis anchored in concrete beams. Extremely robust, suitable for the most intense traffic, with excellent waterproofing and water management.
• Joint Garde-Ballast Railway Joint Special railway expansion joint enabling the dilation of rail bridges, preventing ballast falls into the joint void, and interrupting the ballast. Designed for railway bridge structures of 90 meters or more, including high-speed rail (LGV) projects.
• Joint Couteaux Railway Joint Special railway expansion joint designed for rail bridge structures of 90 meters or less, working in conjunction with the Joint Garde-Ballast system for comprehensive railway bridge dilation management.
• J.S. Park Parking Joint System Registered trademark parking expansion joint system available in Model 41 and Model 86 variants, designed specifically for parking structures requiring specialized joint solutions for vehicle deck environments.
• Custom Mechanical Expansion Joints (Joints mécaniques spéciaux à façons) Custom mechanical expansion joints manufactured to specification for special applications requiring bespoke joint solutions beyond the standard product range.
• Civil Engineering Works on Bridges (Travaux sur Ouvrages d'Art) Construction and repair services for bridges and engineering structures including repair of degraded concrete, crack injection, bridge deck jacking via LOA systems, relaxation and replacement of bearing devices, building re-levelling, and strut post-tensioning. Sold as project contracts to government agencies and infrastructure owners.
• Road, Airport, Port, Parking and Canal Maintenance Services Maintenance services for roads, airports, ports, parking structures and canals, including crack bridging, slab joints, spalling repairs, pothole filling, hydro-blasting degumming, and waterproofing. Sold as project contracts to infrastructure operators and government agencies.
• Waterproofing Services for Structures (Étanchéité O.A.) Waterproofing application services for bridge and engineering structures using hot-applied projected polyurethane with immediate setting and EPOXY waterproofing solutions. Sold as project contracts to infrastructure owners and public agencies.

Quantifiable outcome

• GTA B2000 achieves approximately 4,000 meters of installation annually in France

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• H. PETIT & CiecoreOthers · 1 January 2019H. PETIT & Cie was acquired in 2019. The company specializes in tunnel ventilation, industrial boiler work (chaudronnerie), and metalwork (métallerie), expanding RCA's capabilities in industrial infrastructure services.
• SNACcoreOthers · 1 January 2015SNAC (Société Nouvelle d'Appareillage et de Construction) was acquired in 2015. SNAC is the unique French manufacturer of elastomeric bearing pads conforming to EN 1337-3 standard, used in bridge construction and structural support applications.
• EUROJOINTcoreOthers · 1 January 2007EUROJOINT was taken over in 2007. Originally specialized in jacking (vérinage) and road maintenance since 1982, EUROJOINT provides hydrodecapping, expansion joints, road maintenance, water civil engineering, and tramway services, complementing RCA's civil engineering offerings.
• SACOcoreOthers · 1 January 1993SACO was acquired in April 1993 and relocated to Courcelles-sur-Seine in 1995. SACO specializes in manufacturing and installation of road and railway expansion joints, flat jacks, and public works equipment. It serves as the manufacturing arm for RCA's proprietary joint products.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Trelleborg AB: Swedish polymer engineering group with infrastructure solutions including bridge bearings and sealing technologies. Partial overlap with SNAC's elastomeric bearing pad and structural polymer offerings within a vastly broader industrial portfolio.
• Colas: Bouygues subsidiary and one of the world's largest road construction and infrastructure maintenance firms. Competes with RCA's route, airport, port, and parking maintenance services at scale RCA cannot match.
• Eurovia: Vinci subsidiary focused on road construction, airports, and urban infrastructure. Overlaps with RCA in road maintenance, waterproofing, and airport runway works across France and Europe.
• Sika AG: Swiss construction chemicals leader with portfolio overlap in waterproofing, joint sealing systems, and structural solutions. Competes with RCA's waterproofing (polyurethane, epoxy) and sealing product lines as part of a much broader specialty chemicals offering.
• Freyssinet: Vinci subsidiary and global specialist in bridges, prestressing, structural repair, and bearing systems. Competes with RCA on Ouvrages d'Art and bearing pad work, with broader capabilities in new bridge construction.
• Eiffage Infrastructures: Major French civil engineering and infrastructure group active in bridges, roads, and public works. Competes with RCA for bridge Ouvrages d'Art and transport infrastructure contracts, with materially larger scale.

Direct peers

• Mageba: Swiss-headquartered global manufacturer of bridge expansion joints, structural bearings, and related products. Mageba is the most direct international counterpart to RCA's SACO and SNAC manufacturing operations, competing for the same public tender specifications on bridge and viaduct projects.
• Watson Bowman Acme: North American specialist manufacturer of expansion joints (Wabo) and bridge sealing systems. Competes head-to-head with SACO on mechanical and modular expansion joint systems for highway and bridge applications.
• Maurer SE: German manufacturer of structural protection systems including expansion joints, bearings, and damping devices. Directly comparable to RCA's combined SACO manufacturing and SNAC bearing pad positions, particularly for European infrastructure tenders.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

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• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/groupe-rca
• Instagraminstagram.com/grouperca_
• Xx.com/rcasafr

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries4 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 RCA