Soudal is a Belgian company whose headquarters is located in Turnhout. The company has developed into one of the most important independent producers of silicone and caulks, polyurethane-foams, and adhesives in Europe. Soudal has a consolidated turnover of 690 million USD, and the company distributes its products to more than 100 different countries worldwide. The company is active in three markets: professional construction, do-it-yourselfhardware stores and industrial applications. The company is still fully owned by, who founded the company in 1966. In 2014, Soudal partnered with Lotto to sponsor the team at Tour de France. In April 2020, Riders for the Lotto-Soudal team voluntarily waived part of their wages as a gesture of solidarity due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
History
In 1966, Vic Swerts bought a small producer of welding materials and of polyesterputties for the repair of damaged car bodies, located near the AntwerpOssenmarkt. Two years later, he moved his company to Turnhout, at the location of the former market garden of his parents. He then invested heavily in a sophisticated vacuum mixer for the production of polyester putties and high quality silicone sealants as a competitor to the knifing filler. In 1976, he moved to the industrial area of Turnhout and renamed the company Soudal. In 1993, a heavy fire destroyed the factory in Turnhout, which was rebuilt within a year. A second production plant was built nearby. Plant 2 is the biggest production site of Polyurethane-Foams worldwide. In 1997, Vic Swerts acquired BAVG from Bayer, a company specialized in finished construction products. Since its acquisition the factory in Leverkusen doubled its production. In September 2004 he acquired his competitor Rectavit in Drongen. Rectavit continued to operate as an independent entity. In 1999, Soudal opened a sales office and storage space in Shanghai. In 2005 the company opened offices in Turkey, Norway and Portugal. In 2011, Soudal opened its 11th production unit through the establishment of a joint venture with the McCoy Group from New Delhi, India. Soudal entered into E-commerce in India via McCoy Soudal by selling on Amazon India, ShopClues, Snapdeal, McCoy Mart and IndustryKart.
