The HBH group announces
the acquisition of the CARBOMAN group

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Le groupe HBH annonce
l'acquisition du groupe CARBOMAN

The HBH group which is led by Damien HARLÉ and Jean-Denis BARGIBANT, of which OUEST COMPOSITES INDUSTRIES, is a key company, finalised the takeover of the CARBOMAN France group.

This initiative to increase external growth was started at the end of 2021 ahead of the anticipated retirement of the President of the CARBOMAN Group, Dominique DUBOIS who is due to participate in the 2023 Ocean Globe Race
The objective of this merger is to create a true benchmark operation in the world of composites, capable of delivering a broader offering to the whole of this market.

About CARBOMAN France Group

The CARBOMAN France Group (MULTIPLAST, PLASTINOV and PLASTEOL) has built up significant know-how and a respected image in the worlds of ocean racing, aeronautics, industry and defence.

MULTIPLAST is recognized for its skills in the development and manufacture of parts in composite materials with high added value. Offshore racing is in the company's DNA (3 Routes du Rhum, 6 Jules Verne Trophies, 3 Ocean Races, etc.) and this represents 50% of its activity. The remainder of the turnover is divided between fuselage parts, radars, radomes, rigging elements for cruise ships or parts for the luxury industry. The company is ISO 9001 and EN 9100 certified.

PLASTINOV is a company specializing in the production of parts in composite materials mainly intended for industry. Located in Marmande (Southwest of France), its core business is mainly in the production of glass-polyester parts.

PLASTEOL is dedicated to the repair and maintenance of wind turbine blades. The company operates all over France and benefits from all the technical expertise of the CARBOMAN group companies.

The merger with HBH will make it possible to continue the development of each entity by relying on the industrial know-how of a group which is already well established in France and Europe.

The logical next steps of further expanding the areas of development that the group are already operating in pleases Dominique DUBOIS. "Our diversification process took time; CARBOMAN has now reached a solid level of maturity and has now mastered the production of series parts. The arrival of the HBH group is a now real opportunity to continue this development and take new steps," says Dominique DUBOIS.

Yann PENFORNIS, the Managing Director of MULTIPLAST, will remain at the helm of the company and obviously intends to continue its development. "Personally, after 20 years spent alongside Gilles Ollier (the founder of MULTIPLAST) and 13 years of working with Dominique Dubois, I am delighted to now be moving into this third chapter in the history of MULTIPLAST….. I don’t think we will be getting bored," he says.

HBH / OUEST COMPOSITES INDUSTRIES a key player in industrial markets

Taken over in 2017 by the duo Damien HARLÉ and Jean-Denis BARGIBANT, OUEST COMPOSITES INDUSTRIES is a key player in the production of composite material parts for industrial markets.

The group currently has two production sites: OUEST COMPOSITES INDUSTRIES in France and BALTIC COMPOSITES in Poland.

OUEST COMPOSITES INDUSTRIES offers its customers an integrated global offer, from the production of models and moulds to mass industrialization, and integration into complex logistics systems such as those of the automotive industry with a strong predominance on glass-polyester parts.

HBH / CARBOMAN: A strong presence in Morbihan

Barely 20 kilometers apart, the two main sites are both located in Morbihan at Auray (OUEST COMPOSITES INDUSTRIES) and Vannes (MULTIPLAST). This merger is an opportunity for HBH to further anchor its involvement in professional development and employment. "We capitalize enormously on professional training and want to go further in this area in order to recruit, develop and retain the professional skills and talents of tomorrow", confirms Damien HARLÉ.

HBH / CARBOMAN: Birth of a European leader

The merger of the two groups will make it possible to offer an expanded offer meeting a large part of the needs for parts in composite materials: from prototype to series, from glass-polyester to carbon-epoxy prepreg, the group will have a wide range of knowledge -to be distributed over the various production sites, each with its own speciality.
The HBH / CARBOMAN group has four production sites (3 in France and 1 in Poland), with nearly 250 employees for an annual turnover of nearly €30 million.

Takeover by entrepreneurs

Dominique DUBOIS particularly wanted to transfer the group to respected industry professionals rather than to pure financial investors. This is what he liked about the pair of buyers, Jean-Denis BARGIBANT and Damien HARLÉ who are ‘hands on’, in charge of their companies. The duo is also particularly committed in the Morbihan region through the CCI, MEDEF, Réseau Entreprendre Bretagne and CJD. "This project is above all a human and entrepreneurial adventure. We are committed to staying in touch with our employees, our customers and our territory," says Jean-Denis BARGIBANT. "The idea of building a Morbihan company that is one of the leaders in its field is especially exciting," adds Damien HARLÉ.

The two buyers together hold 80% of the capital of HBH and are supported by the investment funds BREIZH INVEST PME and SOPROMEC as well as a few private investors. Yann PENFORNIS, the Managing Director of MULTIPLAST, is also one of the partners of this new entity.
"Our aim is to capitalize on the significant know-how of each of the group's companies to continue to develop our markets. We are fortunate to have high-performance industrial tools and the strong expertise of all employees. This pooling of skills and resources will give everyone even more strength in their respective markets," explains Jean-Denis BARGIBANT.

The partners involved in the transaction:

• Financial auditors: Expert & Co (Luc DELVA)
• Legal advice: FIDAL Vannes (François DESJARS)
• Accounting expertise: EFFICIENCE (Anne-Louise RODES)
• Insurance expertise: AXA QUENARDEL
• Participating banks: CIC Ouest, Crédit Mutuel de Bretagne (ARKÉA), Crédit Mutuel Loire Atlantique Centre Ouest

Contacts :

Dominique DUBOIS This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. +33 6 22 15 77 54
Jean-Denis BARGIBANT This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. +33 6 72 15 56 18
Damien HARLE This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. +33 6 71 55 85 00

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