What Sobelcomp does

Sobelcomp (legal name: Société Belge de Matériaux Composites) is a Belgian composite materials manufacturer headquartered in Loncin (Ans), Belgium, founded in 2005 when brothers John-Thomas and Laurent Thaels took over the business. The company designs and produces custom composite parts from one-off prototypes through medium production runs, serving three verticals: aeronautics, defense, and industry/construction. Sobelcomp operates a 2,500 m² production facility with four injection machines, a Kuka F-85600 6-axis robotic machining cell (repeatability under 0.2 mm), a Faro Edge ScanArm for 3D measurement, a 27 m³ oven, a painting booth, and — added in 2024 — a 200-ton hydraulic press enabling ballistic panel fabrication and sheet thermoforming. Manufacturing processes span RTM, RTM Light, infusion, vacuum compaction, robotic machining, and prepreg, with materials expertise covering fiberglass, carbon fiber, Kevlar/aramid, and resin systems including polyester, vinyl ester, epoxy, polyurethane, and silicone. Noteworthy production programs include air inlet handles (bellmouths) for CFM56-5B engines on Airbus A320 aircraft, cartridge collectors and protective housings for FN defense applications, Eloy water treatment plants, ADR-certified IBC containers, road signs, shower screens, chemical enclosures, tanker bottoms, and Imperia hybrid sports car bodies.

The business model is project-based custom manufacturing with engineering and design services as a complementary revenue stream. Pricing is quote-based with no public list prices; billing is structured as multi-year contracts tied to industrial program needs. Sobelcomp holds EN 9100 and ISO 9001 certifications (obtained March 2016) for the Aeronautics, Space and Defence sector, plus CE marking under EN 12899-1:2007 for road signs and ADR 11H2 certification for dangerous-goods IBC containers. The go-to-market is enterprise field sales targeting industrial customers in Belgium and neighboring regions (France, the Netherlands, Luxembourg), with acquisition driven by direct contact, website forms, trade show participation (JEC World, Composites Meeting Nantes), and referrals. The company remains privately held by the Thaels brothers with no external institutional investment disclosed.

Name

Sobelcomp

Legal name

SOCIETE BELGE DE MATERIAUX COMPOSITES

Website

https://sobelcomp.be

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Sobelcomp is a Belgian composite materials manufacturer that designs and produces custom composite parts for aeronautics, defense, and industrial customers using RTM, infusion, robotic machining, and related processes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Composite Materials Manufacturing

NAICS

Other Plastics Product Manufacturing (32619), Plastics Packaging Materials and Unlaminated Film and Sheet Manufacturing (32611)

SIC

Plastics Products, Nec (3089), Plastic Materials, Synth Resins & Nonvulcan Elastomers (2821), Miscellaneous Plastics Products (3080)

akta.pro primary industry

Composite Structures & Layup Manufacturing (IMABAEAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Structural Assemblies & Integration (Airframe Subassemblies) (IMABAEAD), FRP/GRP & Composite Materials (Resins, Fibers, Core Materials) (IMAJAKAC), Multilayer Laminates & Composite Structures (Solvent/Water/Extrusion Laminated) (IMALABAD), Industrial & Protective Thermoformed Packaging (Dunnage, Trays, Clamshells) (IMANAHAC)

Keywords

• Composite materials manufacturing
• RTM molding services
• Aerospace composite parts
• Defense composite components
• Industrial composites fabrication

Headquarters

HQ city

Loncin, Ans

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Custom Composite Parts Manufacturing: Design and manufacture of composite parts from prototype to medium-sized production runs, including one-off remarkable pieces. Revenue generated through project-based custom manufacturing for industrial customers. Services include CAD design, finite element analysis, production, quality control, and assembly.
2. Engineering and Design Services: Specialist engineering services including needs assessment, CAD design, 3D modeling, and finite element calculations for structural sizing of composite elements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Sobelcomp designs and manufactures custom composite parts from prototype through medium-sized serial production runs (50 to 3,000+ items/year) using fiberglass, carbon fiber, Kevlar/aramide reinforcements and polyester, vinyl ester, epoxy, polyurethane, or silicone resins. The company serves aeronautics (aircraft engine components), defense (cartridge collectors, weapon housings), and industrial/construction (treatment plants, IBC containers, road signs, shower screens, tanker bottoms, car bodies) markets. Offerings include in-house CAD design, finite element analysis, multiple manufacturing processes (RTM, RTM Light, Infusion, Vacuum Compaction, Robotic Machining, Prepreg), assembly, and quality control including NDT.

Product overview

Sobelcomp is a Belgian composite materials company that designs and manufactures composite parts from prototypes to medium-sized production runs. The company operates across three main business sectors: Aeronautics (air inlet handles for aircraft engines), Defense (cartridge collectors, protective machine gun housings), and Industry/Construction (treatment plants, shower screens, road signs, chemical enclosures, light fixtures, car bodies, tanker bottoms, and IBC containers). Sobelcomp offers a comprehensive portfolio including raw composite materials (fiberglass, carbon fiber, Kevlar, various resins), manufacturing processes (RTM, RTM Light, Infusion, Vacuum Compaction, Robotic Machining, Prepreg), and finished products across aerospace, defense, and industrial applications. The company also provides assembly services and quality testing including NDT ultrasonic control, 3D scanning, and thermography.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cartridge Collector (Helicopter Machine Gun) Composite cartridge collector mounted on helicopter machine guns; produced at 180 units/year capacity. For defense OEMs requiring lightweight, high-strength, corrosion-resistant components.
• Protective Machine Gun Housing Protective composite housings fitted on remotely operated weapons stations, manufactured via injection process at 440 units/year capacity. For defense system integrators.
• Air Inlet Handle (Bellmouth) for CFM56-5B Engines Composite air inlet handle / bellmouth part for inspection benches of CFM56-5B engines on A320 aircraft. Capacity: 3 projects/year. For aerospace OEMs.
• Eloy Composite Treatment Plant Composite sewage/wastewater treatment plant serving as a lighter, easier-to-transport alternative to concrete stations. Capacity: 1,800 units/year. For water treatment OEMs.
• Composite Shower Screens Industrial composite shower enclosures; capacity 6,000 units/year. For sanitaryware and construction OEMs.
• Composite Road Sign Panels Back-lit composite road signage units for urban areas, manufactured via RTM Light injection at 400 signs/year. CE certified under EN 12899-1:2007. For road infrastructure and signage customers.
• Chemical Industry Composite Enclosures Composite enclosures for the chemical industry covering 250 m² of surface area; capacity: 6 projects/year. For chemical processing customers requiring corrosion-resistant housings.
• Conference Center Composite Light Fixtures Composite light fixtures for conference centers and large venues (including a project for the Luxembourg European Community). For architectural lighting customers.
• Impéria Hybrid Sports Car Composite Body Composite body made entirely of composite material for the Impéria hybrid sports car, manufactured via infusion and RTM Light processes. Capacity: up to 150 bodies/year. For specialty automotive OEMs.
• Composite Tanker Bottoms Composite bottoms for truck tankers, manufactured via vacuum compaction process at 400 units/year capacity. For commercial vehicle OEMs.
• IBC (Intermediate Bulk Carrier) Composite Container FRP composite container for transport by truck, train, or ship. ADR certified (ADR 11H2), 5x lighter than steel, 920L volume, 1100kg max mass, 37kg empty weight, stackable and reusable. For logistics and chemical distribution customers.
• Composite Engineering and Design Services Specialist engineering services including needs assessment, CAD design, 3D modeling, and finite element calculations for structural sizing of composite elements. For industrial customers requiring design support for custom composite parts.
• Composite Assembly and Quality Control Services Composite part assembly (including dedicated Aero assembly in a separate building) and quality control services including active thermography, ultrasonic NDT, 3D scanning, and laser projection. For aerospace, defense, and industrial customers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Composite materials are up to 5 times lighter than aluminum (traditionally used in aeronautics)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 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

Feature8 records

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Spirit AeroSystems: Major aerostructures manufacturer including composite fuselage and wing components for Airbus and Boeing. Highly comparable on aerospace composite structural parts and EN 9100-grade supply, though at dramatically larger scale and global footprint.
• Hexcel: Global leader in advanced composites — carbon fiber, prepregs, honeycomb, and engineered parts — supplying Airbus, Boeing, and defense primes. Comparable on the composite materials/structures side Sobelcomp serves, though Hexcel operates at far greater scale and is also a key supplier of the raw carbon fiber Sobelcomp uses.
• Toray Advanced Composites: Supplier of thermoset and thermoplastic composite materials and engineered parts for aerospace, defense, and industrial markets. Comparable on aerospace-grade composite materials and structural parts for the same end customers Sobelcomp targets.
• GKN Aerospace: Tier-1 supplier of aerostructures and composite components to Airbus, Boeing, and defense OEMs. Comparable because it manufactures complex composite and metallic airframe structures for the same aerospace customer base Sobelcomp serves, but at vastly greater scale.
• TPI Composites: US-based manufacturer of composite wind blades, aerospace structures, and automotive composite parts. Comparable on large-format composite structural manufacturing using RTM, infusion, and similar processes to Sobelcomp.
• Fokker Aerostructures (GKN): Dutch aerostructures manufacturer producing composite and thermoplastic components for Airbus, Boeing, and defense. Directly comparable on European aerospace composite parts manufacturing with EN 9100 / AS9100 certifications and overlap with Sobelcomp's Benelux footprint.
• SGL Carbon: German manufacturer of carbon-based composites and components for automotive, aerospace, defense, and industrial applications. Comparable on carbon-fiber composite part production for aerospace and industrial customers, though at materially larger scale.
• Premium AEROTEC (now part of Aerostructures / Aequs): European Tier-1 aerostructures supplier (formerly Airbus subsidiary) producing composite and metallic airframe assemblies. Directly comparable on European aerospace composite manufacturing with EN 9100 qualification, though serving much larger Airbus platform content.

Direct peers

• Gurit: Swiss specialty composite manufacturer offering engineered composite materials, kits, and engineered components for wind, marine, transportation, and aerospace. Comparable as a similarly sized European composites specialist serving multiple industrial verticals including aerospace.

Emerging players

• Maruwa Composite: Japanese custom composite manufacturer producing carbon-fiber components for aerospace, motorsport, and industrial customers. Comparable as a similarly sized specialist offering design-through-manufacturing composite services to a diversified customer base including aerospace and defense.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sobelcomp

Compliance4 records

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 Sobelcomp