Meet Decospan, a family business from West Flanders that has grown to become a European market leader with more than 250 million euros in turnover. Decospan has been steadily expanding for nearly 50 years, always guided by its long-term vision and focusing on continuous reinvestment and innovation. “Our ambition is to manufacture in the US, but further consolidation in the European market currently has top priority”, CEO Pieterjan Desmet says.

Decospan was incorporated in 1978 and, just like many other companies in the southwestern part of Flanders, has its roots in the flax industry. However, the Desmet family chose not to join the textile industry, but to process flax waste into panels instead. Today, the company manufactures wooden flooring and ornamental panels for the furniture, kitchen and interior sectors and other industries.

The group currently has branches in 9 European countries, 1 000 employees and turnover that will hit 250 million euros this year. CEO Pieterjan Desmet, a third-generation member of the family, believes this success results from the long-term vision of the family business: “We have never looked for turnover growth, but we do seek to create added value. As we always reinvest much of our profits, we lead our industry in terms of innovation and automation.

Its ambition to achieve sustainable growth took Decospan abroad. Since 2007, the company has been expanding its production activities through acquisitions in countries including Croatia, the Czech Republic, France and Portugal. “Most of the acquisitions were strategically important, bringing us closer to raw materials or a new market, for example. At other times, an opportunity arose when a foreign manufacturer did not have a successor. As we are an industry peer, they easily trusted us.”

Today, the group is a high-performing organisation with an extensive product portfolio and a healthy balance sheet. “Our ambition was to become a European market leader, and we achieved that ambition. Now, our main aim is to consolidate our sector in Europe. The veneer industry is under pressure and we want to be the consolidator that secures the future”, the CEO stresses.

At the same time, Desmet looks further ahead. The United States is a major market and a company production site seems inevitable: “Today, 80 per cent of our raw materials are sourced in Europe, which means that exporting to the US is still worthwhile. However, if we want to boost our activities there, we will have to manufacture locally as well.” Decospan considered accelerating the launch of a US project when Donald Trump introduced trade tariffs, but consolidation in Europe has priority for now.

KBC Commercial Banking is a relevant partner in this regard. The bank supports Decospan in Belgium, but also has a presence in regions where the group operates internationally, such as Eastern Europe and the US. “Working with your local partner abroad provides substantial benefits. KBC Commercial Banking knows our company, our balance sheets and our strategy. They match with our DNA and our vision”, Pieterjan Desmet says. “They already welcomed me at their New York branch to discuss our activities in the US. Being able to explain your case in your own language and build personal relationships through the bank definitely has added value.”

Nexus also serves to illustrate Decospan’s sustainability vision. “For many years, we have made substantial efforts to improve ecology and circularity – renewable energy, FSC certification, and so on – but the social aspect and good governance are equally important. This is the only way to expand a business that is able to survive for generations. Our global ambition is not necessarily to become the largest company in our industry, but we definitely want to be the best”, the CEO concludes.