Clearwater International advises ADF Group on the acquisition of Novexa Group

Clearwater International has advised ADF Group (ADF), an engineering and integration end-to-end solutions provider, on the acquisition of Novexa Group (Novexa), a specialist in the wear management of rotative tubes.

Established in 1962 in Fos-sur-Mer, southern France, ADF offers engineering and maintenance services for industrial production facilities. With 3,700 employees across four continents and a turnover of €460m in 2022, the group is mainly active in the energy, air and land mobility, life sciences, and materials sectors.

Founded in 2001 by Pascale and Fabrice Ziegler, Novexa’s specialism in the wear management of rotating tubes includes kilns, ball mills, dryers, cleaning tunnels, diffusers and other related equipment, plus on-site or workshop machinery, and industrial maintenance. Their internationally recognised know-how has developed within the reprofiling of power components, which is key for building materials such as metals, plaster, and cement, alongside health and wellness sectors, two of the five business sectors of the ADF.

After an initial acceleration phase, driven by the entry of Elige Capital as a shareholder in 2019, Novexa is currently undergoing a reorganisation process with the objective of achieving €25m in sales by 2025, through organic growth. Novexa’s Expertise division, which accounts for 20% of the business, covers production tools and maintenance areas, adding value by providing customised solutions, whilst supporting a generalist diagnostic approach. The company’s unique reprofiling technique underpins this positioning, which is both rare and useful for manufacturers.

This acquisition confirms ADF’s growth strategy, by strengthening the know-how of its maintenance engineering division, through expertise that is unique to the European market. It also highlights the acceleration of the firm’s international coverage, particularly in Europe, America, and Africa, with the aim of achieving sales of over €200m outside of France by 2025.