What Groupe Desautel does

Groupe Desautel is an independent, family-owned French fire-protection group headquartered in Montluel (Ain) with the legal registered office in Lyon. Founded in 1932 as Etablissements Desautel, the company designs, manufactures, and services the full spectrum of fire-safety equipment — from portable extinguishers (water, powder, CO2, and the proprietary Zero Fluor / PFAS-free range launched in 2019) to safety lighting (BAES), fire compartmentalization, natural and mechanical smoke extraction, automatic detection and suppression systems, evacuation plans and signage, and purpose-built emergency vehicles. Manufacturing is operated through eight industrial sites, including the Meyzieu extinguisher plant (over 600,000 units per year), AUCA in Spain (over 200,000 units per year), and vehicle plants at Niévroz, Roanne, Mitry-Mory, and Tourouvre producing more than 200 fire trucks and special vehicles plus 50+ aerial ladder vehicles annually. Group subsidiaries GIMAEX, GALLIN, Echelles Riffaud, SAI PRINT, and AUCA provide vertical integration across vehicles, equipment, and signage.

The group generates revenue through four interlocking streams: one-time equipment sales (extinguishers, BAES, hardware, plans, signage), recurring installation and preventive/corrective maintenance contracts on the installed base, certified training services delivered through DESAUTEL Académie and on client sites, and emergency-vehicle manufacturing for municipal fire brigades and international civil-defense clients. Distribution combines 27 directly operated regional agencies across France with field sales and technical teams, international subsidiaries in Germany and Algeria, and authorized resellers and government contracts covering more than 100 countries. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed, with standard B2B terms of 45 days end-of-month.

Customers span industrial sites, commercial buildings and public-institution ERPs, fire brigades, and civil-defense organizations, with named enterprise clients including Crédit Agricole, MB 92, Peintures Maestria, and Groupe DEMAIN. Compliance is reinforced by an extensive certification portfolio (ISO 9001/14001/45001/50001, ECOVADIS, NF Service, QUALIOPI, and multiple APSAD categories covering sprinklers, water mist, dry risers, fire hose reels, detection, gas suppression, compartmentalization, and smoke extraction). FY2025 revenue is reported to exceed 400 M€ across 1,800+ employees, and the group has created approximately 200 new positions over the past two years, with recent acquisitions (Gallin, 2025) and the launch of DESAUTEL Académie signaling continued organic plus buy-and-integrate expansion.

Name

Groupe Desautel

Legal name

DESAUTEL

Website

https://desautel.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1932

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Groupe Desautel is a family-owned French fire-protection group founded in 1932 that designs, manufactures, and services extinguishers, suppression and detection systems, safety lighting, and emergency vehicles for industrial sites, commercial buildings, fire brigades, and civil-defense clients across 100+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fire Protection Equipment

NAICS

Security Systems Services (56162), Ventilation, Heating, Air-Conditioning, and Commercial Refrigeration Equipment Manufacturing (33341), Automatic Environmental Control Manufacturing for Residential, Commercial, and Appliance Use (334512)

SIC

Air-Cond & Warm Air Heatg Equip & Comm & Indl Refrig Equip (3585), Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823), Industrial & Commercial Fans & Blowers & Air Purifing Equip (3564)

akta.pro primary industry

Fire Protection Systems Contracting (Sprinklers, Alarms, Suppression) (IMAFALAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Fire Alarm Systems (Design/Install/Service/Monitoring) (BPABAHAA), Special Hazard Fire Suppression Systems (Clean Agent/Foam/CO2/Kitchen Hood) (IMAIAJAE), Smoke Control & Fire/Smoke Damper Inspection & Testing (IMAIAJAI), Ventilation & Smoke Control Systems (Smoke Exhaust/Pressurization) (IMADANAI), New Construction/Renovation Fire & CO System Design & Installation (HSAHAFAJ), Fire & Smoke Dampers / Firestopping / Passive Fire Protection Services (BPABAHAE), Testing, Inspection, Maintenance & Compliance Services (NFPA/Local Code) (HSAHAFAG)

Keywords

• Fire protection equipment
• Fire extinguishers manufacturing
• Fire suppression systems
• Fire safety services
• Fire vehicles manufacturing

Headquarters

HQ city

Montluel

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices13 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Extinguisher and Equipment Sales: Sale of manufactured fire protection products including extinguishers (water, powder, CO2, specialized), safety lighting (BAES), hardware, plans and signage, and fire fighting equipment.
2. Installation and Maintenance Services: Installation, maintenance, and preventive/corrective service contracts for all fire safety equipment. Covers extinguishers, detection systems, BAES, smoke extraction, compartmentalization, and automatic suppression systems. Annual subscription-type maintenance contracts.
3. Fire Safety Training: Classroom and on-site training programs in fire prevention, evacuation, first aid, and general safety. Delivered by certified instructors. Covers EPI, ESI, evacuation teams, and specialized courses including SSI systems, fire permits, and first aid.
4. Emergency Vehicle Manufacturing: Design, manufacture, and sale of firefighting vehicles and special vehicles including fire trucks, aerial ladders, and kerosene avitailers. Sold domestically in France and exported internationally.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Groupe Desautel designs, manufactures, and supplies a full spectrum of fire protection equipment and systems, including fire extinguishers (water, powder, CO2, and PFAS-free variants), safety lighting (BAES), smoke extraction, compartmentalization, automatic fire detection and suppression systems, firefighting equipment, evacuation plans and signage, and firefighting vehicles. The company also provides installation, preventive/corrective maintenance, fire risk studies, and certified training services through a network of 27 regional agencies in France.

Product overview

Groupe DESAUTEL is a French fire protection company offering a comprehensive portfolio of products and services. The core product range includes fire extinguishers (water, powder, CO2, and specialized types with PFAS-free options), safety lighting (BAES), smoke extraction systems (natural and mechanical), fire compartmentalization, automatic fire detection and suppression systems, firefighting equipment (nozzles, pumps, hydraulic systems), evacuation plans and signage, and fire vehicles. The company operates manufacturing plants producing over 600,000 extinguishers annually at Meyzieu (France) and over 200,000 at AUCA (Spain), plus fire vehicle manufacturing through GIMAEX, GALLIN, and Echelles Riffaud subsidiaries. Services include installation, maintenance, risk assessment studies, and training programs. DESAUTEL is the only French operator offering complete coverage from extinguishers to rescue vehicles.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• EV PROTEC: Fire safety solution
• DESAUTEL Académie

Products and services

• Fire Extinguishers Fire extinguishers available in water (with zero-fluorine PFAS-free additive), powder, CO2, and specific fire classes. Manufactured at the Meyzieu factory (over 600,000 units/year) and AUCA factory in Spain (over 200,000 units/year).
• Safety Lighting (BAES) Autonomous emergency lighting blocks (BAES) designed for the safe evacuation of premises during fire emergencies or power outages.
• Fire Compartmentalization Systems Fire compartmentalization solutions designed to prevent the spread of fire within buildings.
• Smoke Extraction Systems Natural and mechanical smoke extraction systems for fire safety in buildings.
• Firefighting Equipment Firefighting equipment including nozzles (lances), hydraulic systems, pumps, rescue equipment, and storage/protection gear.
• Evacuation Plans and Signage Fire evacuation plans and safety signage for buildings and industrial sites, manufactured by the SAI PRINT subsidiary.
• Automatic Fire Detection and Suppression Systems Automatic fire detection and suppression systems including detection, extinction, dedicated systems, and high-expansion foam systems for industrial storage facilities.
• Firefighting Vehicles Firefighting vehicles and rescue vehicles including fire trucks, special vehicles, aerial ladder vehicles, and kerosene avitailers manufactured at company plants. Exported internationally including to Mongolia.
• Installation and Maintenance Services Professional installation, preventive maintenance, and corrective maintenance of fire safety equipment including extinguishers, detection systems, emergency lighting, smoke extraction, and fire hose reels, delivered through 27 regional agencies across France.
• Fire Safety Training Services Fire prevention, evacuation, first aid (secourisme), and general security training programs delivered on client sites by certified instructors. QUALIOPI-certified training organization.
• Fire Risk Studies and Audits Fire risk studies and audit services for installation analysis and regulatory compliance assessment.

Quantifiable outcome

• 800,000+ extinguishers manufactured per year across own factories
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 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

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core subsidiary and minor.

• GIMAEXcore subsidiaryOthersGIMAEX (Roanne and Mitry-Mory, France) is a subsidiary of DESAUTEL specializing in engineering, production, and testing of fire rescue vehicles. Over 200 vehicles produced per year. Website: www.gimaex.com
• GALLINcore subsidiaryOthersGALLIN (Montluel and Niévroz, France) is a subsidiary supplying fire intervention and rescue equipment. Also co-manufactures fire trucks and special vehicles with DESAUTEL at Niévroz facility (200+ vehicles per year). Website: www.gallin.fr
• SAI PRINTcore subsidiaryOthersSAI PRINT (St-Jean-de-Védas, France) is a subsidiary designing and manufacturing fire evacuation plans. Website: www.sai-print.fr
• AUCA (Extintores AUCA)core subsidiaryOthersAUCA (Valence, Spain) is a subsidiary manufacturing permanent pressure extinguishers. Produces over 200,000 extinguishers per year. Website: www.extintoresauca.com
• ECHELLES RIFFAUDcore subsidiaryOthersECHELLES RIFFAUD (Tourouvre, France) is a subsidiary designing, manufacturing, and commercializing firefighting vehicles with aerial ladders. Produces over 50 vehicles per year.
• Mongolian Civil Defense / Sécurité Civile MongoleminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSince 2017, DESAUTEL and its vehicle subsidiaries contribute to cooperation between France and Mongolia, providing vehicles adapted to Mongolia's specific climate and environmental conditions. Mongolian Civil Defense has been a recurring client for fire trucks.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Hochiki Corporation: Hochiki is a Japanese specialist manufacturer of fire detection and alarm systems with global distribution. Directly comparable to DESAUTEL's automatic detection and APSAD-certified detection business.
• Rosenbauer International: Rosenbauer is a leading European manufacturer of firefighting vehicles, aerial ladders, and firefighting equipment. Directly comparable to DESAUTEL's GIMAEX, GALLIN, and Echelles Riffaud vehicle businesses, and competes on the same international government tenders.
• Chubb Fire & Security: Chubb Fire & Security is a major global provider of fire extinguishers, suppression systems, detection, and service contracts. Closely comparable to DESAUTEL's full-spectrum offering and recurring maintenance revenue model.
• Morita Holdings: Morita Holdings is a Japanese fire protection and emergency vehicle manufacturer with comparable product breadth across extinguishers, fire trucks, and suppression systems. Relevant peer for DESAUTEL's international vehicle and equipment businesses.
• Minimax: Minimax is a German-based direct competitor specializing in fire protection systems, extinguishers, and sprinkler/suppression solutions with a similar integrated product-and-service model across Europe. Highly comparable to DESAUTEL's extinguisher, suppression, and service offerings.

Broad incumbents

• REV Group: REV Group is a US-based specialty vehicle manufacturer producing fire trucks and ambulances under multiple brands (E-ONE, KME, Pierce among others). Comparable to DESAUTEL's fire vehicle subsidiaries, though focused on the North American market.
• Bosch Sicherheitssysteme (Bosch Security Systems): Bosch's security systems division offers fire detection, voice alarm, and integrated safety solutions as part of a broader security portfolio. Comparable to DESAUTEL's detection and integrated systems segments.
• Siemens (Smart Infrastructure / Building Technologies): Siemens' Smart Infrastructure division offers fire detection, building automation, and integrated life-safety systems as part of a broader building technologies portfolio. Competes with DESAUTEL's detection and BAES segments but is not specialized in extinguishers or fire vehicles.
• Johnson Controls (Tyco): Johnson Controls, which absorbed Tyco's fire protection business, is a global incumbent offering fire detection, suppression, sprinklers, and integrated building safety. Comparable as a broad incumbent in fire detection and suppression, with deeper international scale than DESAUTEL.

Emerging players

• MSA Safety: MSA Safety is a global safety equipment manufacturer including fire and gas detection, respiratory protection, and emergency response gear. Partially comparable to DESAUTEL's intervention/rescue equipment business through GALLIN.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@desautelvideos4731
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/desautel-s-a-

Compliance16 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries7 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 Groupe Desautel