Clextral : being small and conquering the world

In 1956, the company which was later to become Clextral acquired an operating licence for twin-screw extrusion technology. Using this technology and sharing its growth with its clients‚ Clextral was able to conquer markets as varied as industrial equipment for making cornflakes, and banknote paper pulp production (a sector in which Clextral is now world leader). Despite several changes of majority shareholder (including Compagnie des Ateliers et Forges de la Loire (CAFL) ; Creusot Loire ; Framatome ; an LBO with investment funds ; and finally Legris Industries since 2007), Clextral has managed to forge a very strong identity which it has been able to share with its shareholders and is based on respect for the product, and the company’s clients and employees. Growth has taken place as a result of innovation and internationalisation. Today, Clextral employs two hundred and seventy-five people including eighty engineers at its site in Firminy near Saint Étienne. It sells its machines in eighty-eight countries and has subsidiaries and offices on every continent.