Momentum maintained for Purflux Group

And this roadmap seems to be working well so far: "After achieving a turnover of almost €600 million in 2024, this milestone should be exceeded this year thanks to growth of nearly 10%", says Julien Grange, CEO of Purflux Group, even though the global market is expected to decline by 2 to 4%. "This momentum is based on additional market share gained in both OEM and aftermarket sale", he explains.

The recipe for success? First, premium products that perfectly match manufacturers' specifications. Second, a near-perfect balance between the three OEM/OES/IAM markets and, in this case, growth in these three markets that is also ‘roughly’ balanced. In addition, integrated production with local sourcing of raw materials. Finally, a balanced geographical distribution of activity, with 60% of its turnover generated in Europe, 20% in North America and the remaining 20% in India.

In India, where it has been present for more than 40 years, Purflux Group is the leader in the original equipment market, and has diversified its product portfolio (water pumps, manifolds, etc.) through its three production sites. Last year, the French equipment manufacturer also launched its aftermarket business there. North America also experienced strong growth, estimated at over 10%, but unfortunately eroded by the unfavourable exchange rate. However, the United States remains a growth driver for Purflux Group, as do the Middle East and Southeast Asia "excluding China, as we are not large enough to properly penetrate this market": Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand and, of course, India...

Purflux Group remains a specialist in combustion engine filtration, but its catalogue already includes filtration solutions for electric vehicles, such as battery cooling and air filtration. For hydrogen technology, the equipment manufacturer also offers fuel cell ion charge filtration and water separation filtration. It is closely following the energy transition, thanks in particular to its cooperation with tier 1 suppliers and its long-standing customers, in order to deliver ever more complete (and complex) modules to manufacturers. More than half of the funds allocated to R&D are focused on new forms of mobility. These continue to contribute to the trend towards concentration in the sector, or coopetition, as illustrated by "the recent announcement of the partnership between Renault and Ford for the manufacture of electric commercial vehicles", points out Julien Grange.

However, far from the procrastination in Brussels ("our roadmap gives us a vision for more than 15 years and is completely independent of political choices or any factors external to the company", says the CEO), the equipment manufacturer continues to invest in combustion engines and aims to be ‘the last man standing’ in filtration for this technology! And "with nearly €300 million in new business in 2025, Purflux is breaking records for original equipment contracts for combustion engines", noted Julien Grange at the latest Equip Auto trade show last October. He added: "Thanks to investments in new factories and the modernisation of our production lines, we have doubled our production capacity in recent years."

Another lever: diversification. Purflux Group is set to open up a new market with the announcement at Equip Auto last October of the European launch next year of an offering for industrial vehicles, a segment in which it has a strong presence in OE but not (yet) in the independent aftermarket. From the first quarter onwards, it will market a range of more than 1,000 products, with a coverage rate of more than 95% of the European fleet.

Alongside the four traditional families (air, oil, fuel and cabin), Purflux covers all needs with air dryer filters, urea filters, coolant filters, hydraulic filters for gearboxes, steering systems, etc. "With the launch of this new offering, Purflux is positioning itself as a one-stop supplier for commercial vehicle filtration", announced Jérôme Brunner, the equipment manufacturer's new HD (heavy duty) sales director, at the Paris trade show. He intends to capitalise on the group's reputation in the light vehicle segment to gain market share in the heavy vehicle aftermarket. The support package is comprehensive, with an electronic catalogue, cross-list, website, communication materials including brochures, flyers, posters and technical bulletins.