What Simon Frères does

Simon Frères (legal entity SIMON SAS) is a French industrial equipment manufacturer founded in 1856 and headquartered in Cherbourg-en-Cotentin, Normandy, operating as an autonomous SME within Synext Group since 2018. The company designs and manufactures continuous butter processing equipment, with its flagship CONTIMAB® churn platform (introduced 1955) forming the centerpiece of a portfolio that spans the entire butter production chain: cream treatment, continuous churning, reworking, texturizing, mixing, fat melting, pumping, storage in silos, and block packaging. Supporting equipment includes the CONTIMALAX® reworking system, MXT continuous mixers, TXT 100 and PM 200 blending/texturizing units, MLX 100 batch blender, CONTISTOCK® packaging lines, PBC sinusoidal rotor pumps, and butter silos. Capacities range from 50 kg/h batch mixers to 12,000 kg/h industrial churns, with proprietary features including chilled-water temperature control, de-aeration for extended shelf life, CIP cleaning, and EHEDG hygienic design. Since 1955, more than 1,500 machines have been sold to customers in 60 countries across five continents.

The company generates revenue through one-time equipment sales of custom-configured machines and complete production lines, supplemented by an aftermarket service business spanning spare parts (5,000+ items), maintenance, overhauling, technical audits, and process optimization. Distribution combines direct field sales with a global network of agents, commercial partners, and field technical support teams in over 50 countries, with RIECKERMANN serving as the dedicated Chinese market representative. The customer base consists primarily of large and medium-scale industrial dairy companies and butter specialty producers, including disclosed references such as Elle&Vire, Candia, and Paysans Bretons. The go-to-market is anchored by enterprise field sales, supported by trade show presence (notably the 2026 China International Dairy Technology Expo), a multilingual website (French, English, Spanish, Russian), and active LinkedIn and YouTube channels. Pricing is bespoke and not publicly disclosed, with configurations tailored to each customer's production requirements.

Simon Frères is positioned as the recognized global leader in continuous butter processing equipment, anchored by 65+ years of continuous CONTIMAB® development, an integrated in-house engineering capability (mechanical workshop, sheet metal fabrication, surface treatment, assembly, quality control, CAD/CAM, and electrical/automation), and a century-plus brand heritage. Strategic priorities reflected in recent activity include a scheduled 2026 relocation to a new factory in the Bénécère Economic Activity Zone, an active push into the Chinese market through RIECKERMANN and trade show participation, and continued product line broadening through the CONTIMAB PROFLEX® and EASYFLEX® platforms. The company holds registered trademarks (CONTIMAB®, CONTIMALAX®, CONTISTOCK®, PROFLEX®, EASYFLEX®), has received recognition including a 1961 French export Oscar and a 2000 IPA Innovation Trophy, and operates as part of Synext Group, a diversified dairy and cheese equipment holding.

Name

Simon Frères

Legal name

SIMON Société par Actions Simplifiée

Website

https://simon-sas.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1856

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Simon Frères designs and manufactures industrial continuous butter processing equipment — churns, reworking systems, mixers, packaging lines — and serves large dairy manufacturers in over 50 countries from its Cherbourg, France headquarters as a subsidiary of Synext Group.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Roissy-en-france

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Industrial Equipment Sales and Installation: Simon Frères generates revenue through the design, manufacture, and sale of industrial butter processing and continuous mixing equipment. The company supplies standalone machines or complete production lines with varying levels of automation tailored to each customer's application. Equipment includes continuous churns, reworking machines, blenders, silos, pumping systems, packaging lines, and fat melting systems.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Simon Frères designs, manufactures, and installs industrial butter processing equipment for dairy manufacturers worldwide. The core offerings include continuous butter churns (CONTIMAB® PROFLEX® and EASYFLEX® ranges), butter reworking systems (CONTIMALAX®, BPR 380 MAX), continuous blending and texturizing units (MXT, TXT 100, PM 200), butter silos and pumping systems, continuous fat melting systems, and block packaging systems (CONTISTOCK® KM4, Simplistock). Equipment capacities range from 250 kg/h to 12,000 kg/h, with custom configurations tailored to each customer's production requirements. The company also provides comprehensive aftermarket services including spare parts, maintenance, and process audits.

Product overview

Simon Frères is a manufacturer of industrial butter processing equipment operating under two main product ranges: the Butter Range (Gamme Beurre) and the Specialties Range (Gamme Spécialités). The Butter Range centers on the CONTIMAB® continuous butter making machines, available in PROFLEX® (advanced technology) and EASYFLEX® (accessible) variants, with capacities from 250 kg/h to 12,000 kg/h. Supporting equipment includes CONTIMALAX® and BPR 380 MAX reworking solutions, PBC pumps, butter silos (STRO/ST/SO), and packaging systems (CONTISTOCK KM4, Simplistock). The Specialties Range focuses on butter diversification through the TXT 100, PM 200, MXT continuous mixers, and MLX 100 batch blender for producing light butter, spreads, and butter with various ingredients. The company also provides comprehensive customer service including spare parts, maintenance, and technical audits.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CONTIMAB PROFLEX® Continuous Butter Making Machines New generation continuous butter making machines available in five models (120, 170, 200, 300, 400) with capacities from 250 kg/h to 12,000 kg/h butter output. Features chilled water circulation for precise temperature control, de-aeration for improved shelf life, flexibility for cream fat content 30-60%, and EHEDG food-grade design. Intended for industrial dairy manufacturers producing butter at scale.
• CONTIMAB EASYFLEX® Butter Churns New range of continuous butter churns designed to be more accessible, available in models 120 and 170 with capacities from 250 to 1,500 kg/h butter output. Targeted at dairy manufacturers seeking cost-efficient continuous butter production equipment.
• CONTIMALAX® Butter Reworking System Continuous reworking solution for butter blocks at temperatures above -5°C, capacity up to 3,000 kg/h. Butter blocks are crushed by a chopping device and then reworked in the working section. Designed for industrial dairy processors needing to rework butter blocks at scale.
• BPR 380 MAX Butter Reworking Solution Crushing and reworking solution for frozen butter blocks at temperatures above -20°C, with capacity up to 5,000 kg/h. Blocks are crushed and reduced to small pieces then processed through the PM 200 pin mixer for homogenization and texturization. Targeted at dairy manufacturers processing frozen butter blocks.
• SR 170 / SR 280 Reworking Tanks with PM 200 Texturizer Reworking and texturizing tanks for butter blocks at temperatures above +4°C, with capacity up to 3,000 kg/h. Direct connection with packaging machines is possible. SR tanks have buffer capacity dedicated to both reworking and texturizing work. Aimed at dairy manufacturers seeking integrated butter block processing and packaging.
• CM 170 Butter Reworking Solution Reworking solution for butter blocks with capacity up to 1,000 kg/h. Targeted at small to medium-scale dairy processors requiring butter block reworking capability.
• MXT Continuous Mixers Continuous blending units with regulated double jacket for mixing fat-based products. Wide range of capacities from 50 kg to 3 t/hour, incorporating liquid, pasty, powder, or dry inclusion products. EHEDG compliant, automatic CIP cleaning. Designed for food industry professionals producing mixed fat products.
• CONTISTOCK® KM4 Packaging System Semi-automatic block packaging solution for butter blocks from 5 to 25 kg, designed for small-scale production up to 3,000 kg/h. Targeted at dairy manufacturers requiring semi-automatic butter block packaging.
• Simplistock / Contifiller Packaging System Fully automatic block packaging solutions with adjustable automation levels, capable of handling 5 to 25 kg blocks with output from 200 kg/h to 12 t/h. Size change in minutes with high dosing accuracy. Designed for industrial dairy manufacturers requiring automated butter block packaging.
• Customer Service Comprehensive aftermarket support including spare parts supply (5,000+ items), maintenance and overhauling, technical audits, and process optimization services. Targeted at industrial dairy manufacturers with installed Simon Frères equipment requiring ongoing support worldwide.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1,500 CONTIMAB, CONTIMALAX, blending units and packaging machines sold in 60 countries on all 5 continents since 1955
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 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

Feature12 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• RIECKERMANNcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 26 May 2026RIECKERMANN serves as Simon Frères' Chinese sales representative and market partner. Simon Frères will be present at the CHINA INTERNATIONAL DAIRY TECHNOLOGY EXPO 2026 in Chengdu at RIECKERMANN's booth N° H7-36, demonstrating the strategic importance of this distributor relationship for the Chinese market.
• SYNEXT GroupcoreOthers · 1 January 2018SYNEXT Group is the parent company of Simon Frères. Simon Frères operates as an autonomous SME within the group. The group encompasses 6 companies specializing in dairy and cheese equipment. Synext Group publishes annual RSE (CSR) reports and signed the French Diversity Charter in June 2023.
• PROJITECminorOthersPROJITEC is a French company specializing in the production of equipment for hard cheese dairies (pâtes pressées). It has joined SYNEXT Group, the parent company of Simon Frères. This represents sibling company integration within the group rather than a direct commercial partnership with Simon Frères.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• GEA Group: GEA is one of the largest dairy processing equipment manufacturers globally, offering butter churns and continuous butter processing lines that directly compete with Simon Frères' CONTIMAB platform for the same industrial dairy customer base.
• SPX FLOW: SPX FLOW designs and manufactures dairy processing equipment including butter churns and continuous mixing systems, offering comparable products to Simon Frères' CONTIMAB and Specialty Range for industrial dairy customers.

Broad incumbents

• Andritz Group: Andritz offers separation and dairy processing equipment as part of a wider industrial portfolio, with capabilities that overlap with Simon Frères' butter processing domain and serve comparable industrial dairy customers.
• Alfa Laval: Alfa Laval supplies separators, heat exchangers, and dairy processing equipment as part of a broad industrial portfolio, serving the same industrial dairy customer base with complementary processing technology.
• Tetra Pak: Tetra Pak is a global food processing and packaging incumbent with a broad dairy portfolio including butter processing equipment; it competes in the same industrial dairy customer set but does not specialize exclusively in butter equipment.
• John Bean Technologies (JBT): JBT provides food processing equipment and technology solutions spanning dairy, meat, and prepared foods, serving similar industrial dairy customers as Simon Frères with a broader equipment portfolio.

Others

• Coperion: Coperion provides food processing and material handling equipment including industrial mixers and blenders, an adjacent capability to Simon Frères' continuous mixing and blending lines for fat-based products.
• Hosokawa Micron: Hosokawa Micron provides powder and particle processing equipment for food applications, an adjacent technology enabler relevant to dairy ingredient processing where Simon Frères operates.
• Bühler Group: Bühler supplies processing equipment for food industries including dairy and fats, representing an adjacent competitor in industrial food processing technology with overlapping customer relationships.

Regional players

• IDMC Limited: IDMC is an Indian dairy equipment manufacturer offering milk processing and butter-making equipment primarily serving the Indian dairy market, a comparable butter-processing focus in a different geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC4kuqufjPw2-cGHo5qWn7bg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/simonfreres

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Simon Frères