Fives Group Company Profile: History, Ownership, Business Areas and Figures
Updated: 7 days ago
Fives is a French industrial engineering group, based in Paris, with revenue above EUR 2 billion and about 8,500 employees. Its history goes back more than two centuries, and it once supplied the lifts for the Eiffel Tower. This profile sets out its history, ownership, business areas and figures.
Fives at a Glance
Fact | Detail |
Company | Fives |
Origins | 1812 according to the company; workshops in Paris from 1818 and in Lille from 1861 |
Headquarters | Paris, France |
Employees | About 8,500 at the end of 2019, some 4,000 of them in France |
Revenue | EUR 2.027 billion in 2022 |
Latest sales figure on the company's site | 2,143 million |
Owners | Management, Ardian, Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec and PSP Investments |
President | Frederic Sanchez |
Activities | High Precision Machines, Process Industries and Smart Automation Solutions |
Company History
The company gives 1812 as the year of its origins. A French reference source traces the group to a workshop for sugar-making equipment set up by Charles Derosne in Paris in 1818, which became Derosne et Cail in 1838, and to the workshops founded in 1861 by Basile Parent and Pierre Schaken in Fives, a district of Lille, to build railway equipment and locomotives. The name of the group comes from that district.
The Lille company became a major builder of the industrial age. In 1889 it supplied lifts for the Eiffel Tower and the steel frame of the Gare d'Orsay in Paris. In 1958 it merged with Cail to form Fives-Lille-Cail, and in 1973 a merger with Babcock-Atlantique created Fives Cail Babcock.
In the 1990s the group moved away from manufacturing and concentrated on engineering. The purchase of Cinetic in 1997 took it into the car industry. The bank Paribas sold the company in 2001, and it left the stock exchange. The short name Fives was adopted in 2007.
Key milestones
1818: Derosne workshop in Paris.
1861: Fives workshops founded in Lille.
1889: Lifts for the Eiffel Tower.
1958: Merger into Fives-Lille-Cail.
1973: Fives Cail Babcock formed.
1987: Stein Heurtey acquired.
1997: Cinetic acquired.
2001: Sold by Paribas; delisted.
2007: Renamed Fives.
2013 to 2015: Acquisitions and joint ventures, including AddUp with Michelin for metal 3D printing.
2019: Part of the machining business of Dufieux acquired.
2023: ProSim and the start-up Dizisoft acquired.
Ownership
Fives is not listed. After Paribas sold it in 2001, the private equity firms Charterhouse and Barclays Private Equity became the main shareholders in 2006. Today the shareholders are the company's management, the investment firm Ardian and, as minority shareholders, the Canadian pension investors Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec and PSP Investments.
Business Areas
Activity | Scope |
High Precision Machines | Machine tools and related equipment |
Process Industries | Equipment for steel, aluminium, cement, glass, sugar and energy |
Smart Automation Solutions | Automated handling and sorting for logistics |
Transversal activities | Maintenance, digital solutions and AI |
Industries served include steel, aerospace, aluminium, automotive, cement, energy, logistics and glass. The Smart Automation Solutions activity is the part most relevant to robotics and warehouse automation. The group also works on metal 3D printing and on equipment for liquefying hydrogen.
Financial Performance
Item | Figure |
Revenue, 2022 | EUR 2.027 billion |
Revenue, 2019 | About EUR 2 billion |
Sales, latest on the company's site | 2,143 million |
Order intake, latest on the company's site | 2,040 million |
Equity, latest on the company's site | 402 million |
The company's page does not state the currency or year of its figures; they are consistent with euros and with a year after 2022.
Leadership
Name | Role |
Frederic Sanchez | President |
Can You Invest in Fives?
No. It left the stock exchange in 2001 and is privately held.
What Is Not Covered
Profit and a current employee figure are not stated in the sources used, so they are left out.
Strengths and Challenges
Strengths
More than two centuries of engineering history.
A spread across several heavy industries and logistics.
Stable long-term shareholders alongside management.
Challenges
Exposure to investment cycles in heavy industry.
A wide range of activities to manage within one group.
Current Catalogue Coverage
Catalogue checked on 15 October 2026: 21 associated product records. The links below are representative entries, rather than a claim that every historical model is currently available.
Fives FAQ
What does Fives do?
It designs machines, process equipment and automation systems for industry and logistics.
Where is Fives based?
In Paris, France.
Who owns Fives?
Its management, Ardian, Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec and PSP Investments.
How old is Fives?
The company dates its origins to 1812; its Lille workshops were founded in 1861.
Why is it called Fives?
It is named after a district of Lille in northern France.
Is Fives publicly traded?
No. It left the stock exchange in 2001.
How big is Fives?
Revenue of EUR 2.027 billion in 2022 and about 8,500 employees at the end of 2019.
Sources
Fives: about Fives
Wikipedia (French): Fives)
Businesscoot: Fives Group
