From family forge to European leader
Boldness and innovation are integral to the spirit of the LIEBOT Group, forged by visionary men and women since 1745.
This pioneering ambition ensures the Group and its partners remain competitive, while cultivating its human and family values.
A FAMILY
HISTORY OF METAL
The LIEBOT Group's history dates back to 1745, when Anselme-Aristide Briand, a blacksmith/specialist forger, founded his forge in the town of Herbiers, establishing a family tradition of metalworking. The family forge was then passed down from father to son, uninterrupted, for eight generations, until the mid-20th century.
A FAMILY THAT DARES TO REINVENT ITSELF
In the 1950s, the small family forge was threatened with the disappearance of its traditional activity. Anselme and Jeanne Briand took the bold step of turning their forge into a metalsmithing and structural steel workshop for farm sheds and craft workshops and, in 1957, founded BRIAND Construction Métallique. In 1965, with the growing use of aluminium in the building industry, they created OUEST ALU, specialising in the manufacture and installation of aluminium joinery products and curtain walls.
In 1976, a holding company was founded under the name of the BRIAND Group: Anselme and Jeanne Briand entrusted the management of BRIAND Construction Métallique (structural steel work) to their son, Roger Briand, and the management of OUEST ALU (windows and façades) to their son-in-law, André Liébot.
ANDRÉ LIÉBOT: ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND INNOVATION
The arrival of André Liébot at the helm of OUEST ALU in 1972 provided a significant boost to the development of the window and façade business. A visionary and pioneer, in 1974 he created the original concept of 'ready-to-fit' windows, sold exclusively to professional installers. Its choice to focus on a B2B customer base has never been in doubt.
Under his management, OUEST ALU was reorganised into two separate areas of activity: a façade contractor business for producing curtain walls for commercial buildings, and an industrial business for the manufacture and sale of 'ready-to-fit' aluminium windows.
Alongside my teams, I've spent my whole life undertaking to serve and innovate for our customers.
André Liébot,
Chairman and Founder of the LIEBOT Group, 1972-2022
INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL GROWTH
From OUEST ALU, the BRIAND Group's window and façade division contined to develop over time, both internally and externally. In 1987, the acquisition of Cholet-based company CAIB was the first step in external growth, involving two major diversifications: the opening up of its distribution channel to businesses and the development of its PVC subsidiary. In 2022, spurred on by the success of its new aluminium range, CAIB changed its name to WIBAIE. In 1990, the group acquired MC FRANCE, a Clisson-based company which was founded in 1983 and pioneered of the concept of wood-aluminium joinery products. This acquisition enabled the Group to diversify, adding wood-aluminium alongside aluminium and PVC.
In 2020, the company took the name of its new range of windows, MéO, and established itself as the leading manufacturer of wood-aluminium windows in France. In 1993, in order to expand the sale of PVC windows to professionals, the BRIAND Group acquired Bipa in Soissons. In 1994, OUEST ALU created K•LINE, a new line of aluminium windows that revolutionised the traditional design of aluminium windows and introduced a new standard in joinery: the two-tone window, which offers an area 15% more glazed than a traditional window. In 1997, OUEST ALU's 'ready-to-fit' window division adopted the name K•LINE on the back of this success.
BRUNO LÉGER: CREATING AND DEVELOPING A LEADING GROUP
The arrival of Bruno Léger as K•LINE's Managing Director in 2003 provided exceptional impetus for commercial and industrial development, propelling K•LINE to become the leading manufacturer of windows, made from all materials, on the French market. He has played a key role in a number of important projects for the company's development: one-piece door (2009), new sliding bay window (2011), K•LINE Smart Home (2016), K•LINE CITY (2017), Lyon factory (2018), motorised joinery products (2020) and an environmental focus with K•LINE Planet (2023).
In 2007, Bruno Léger also became Managing Director of the LIEBOT Group, placing innovation, industrialisation and operational excellence at the forefront of Group strategy. 2014 and 2021 saw him launch two major diversification strategies respectively: firstly, opening up to international markets, then integrating upstream strategic activities with EUREKA, EX'AL and CORALIUM. Thanks to his approach, passion and vision, Bruno Léger has radically transformed the LIEBOT Group into an exceptional medium-sized family enterprise with a turnover of €860,000,000 (2023) and over 4,000 employees in five countries, not to mention all the indirect impacts on our partners.
It takes time for projects to develop and succeed, and this requires a combination of long-term vision and sense of community. All these years I've been working on involving all our teams in our business plan.
Bruno Léger,
Managing Director of the LIEBOT Group, 2007-2024
A GROUP WITH A EUROPEAN AMBITION
The Group's ambitions are not just limited to France. Back in 1999, K•LINE decided to set up in Barcelona under the name VENTANAS K•LINE in order to introduce 'ready-to-fit' aluminium windows, a concept which did not exist in Spain at the time. In 2014, the Group began to implement its European strategy. Its ambition: to become one of Europe's leading window manufacturers by producing and selling at the heart of high-potential markets. Thus, in July 2014, the group acquired Polish PVC joinery product manufacturer VETREX, then, in 2003 it acquired a majority stake in the German family business PaX, which produces a wide range of PVC, wood, wood-aluminium front doors and windows. In 2019, K•LINE also decided to set up shop in Italy, a market with a strong culture of aluminium, where the concept of 'ready-to-fit' aluminium windows was still in the early stages of development.
A STRATEGY
OF UPSTREAM INTEGRATION
To secure procurement in the face of sustained growth, the LIEBOT Group has adopted a policy of the upstream integration of its strategic activities, supported by another company within the Liébot family. In 2019, a roller shutter factory was also built in Clisson to supply all Group companies. This factory, called EUREKA, which was doubled in size and extensively modernised in 2023, assembles PVC or aluminium roller shutter aprons.
In 2021, the Liébot family created EX'AL, an aluminium extrusion and lacquering plant based next to the K•LINE factory in Plaine de l’Ain. In 2022, the Liébot and Corre families (FINEIRAL Group – a LIEBOT Group supplier, launched CORALIUM, a low-carbon aluminium foundry processing all types of aluminium waste (production offcuts and end-of-life aluminium), to secure their procurement of carbon-free aluminium and protect their independence and competitiveness. The first low-carbon smelting is scheduled for January 2025.
NEW GENERATION, NEW HORIZONS
Today, the LIEBOT Group is a medium-sized family enterprise based in the Vendée region comprising 13 companies organised around two core businesses: façades and industrial windows. The leading Group for windows and façades on the French market, it is most probably the third largest group in Europe. Thanks to its innovations and vertical integration, the Group is a major player at the forefront of industrialisation and sustainability. On 1 January 2023, after 50 years as Chairman at the helm of the LIEBOT Group, André Liébot handed over the reins to his eldest son, Jean-Pierre Liébot, who has been with K•LINE for 23 years as its Communications Director and was founding Director of the K•LINE Expert Rénovateur network for 15 years.
This handover to the 10th generation reflects the company's history and values. Jean-Pierre Liébot, surrounded by his siblings who are Group Directors, is committed to continuing to turn the Group into the leading French window and façade producer, as well as a major European stakeholder, by stepping up development of new markets in Spain, Poland, Italy and Germany.
This transition is a strong message to our customers and employees. It reflects our desire to make this family Group an exceptional company and market leader, which listens to its employees and acts respectfully towards the planet.
Jean-Pierre Liébot,
Chairman of the LIEBOT Group
FIND OUT MORE
Every project, innovation and success is the fruit of a collective effort, guided by a long-term vision that is able to think outside of the box.
