With initially 15 employees, Groupe Duo‘s (Willems / France; www.duoemballages.com) newest treatment plant has gone onstream in the southeast of France. The company, which specialised in reconditioning drums and intermediate bulk containers (IBCs) made of plastic and metal, has invested EUR 6m in the new building in Castres / France to the east of Toulouse. The new facility replaces the existing nearby plant that has become too small. According to French media reports, the move to the 5,200 m² site should have been completed by the end of 2018. With this investment, Duo also wants to further develop its presence in the south of the country.

Groupe Duo, which is managed by brothers Hervé and Thierry Obaton, operates three other facilities in France apart from Castres: In addition to its headquarters in Willems on the Belgian border, the company has plants in Arras and Compiègne. The total workforce is around 100. According to figures in France's state-run commercial register "Infogreffe", Duo posted total sales in 2014 of EUR 20-25m. The current figure is likely much higher.

The drums and IBCs are collected within a radius of approximately 500 km around the sites, and then either cleaned and fitted with new closures or discharge pipes, or they are shredded and turned into recyclate. Plasteurope.com was unable to establish whether Duo has its own capacities for this or works together with partners. The Duo companies treat a total of 220,000 plastic drums a year as well as 155,000 IBCs of all brands such as Schütz, Mauser, Sotralentz, Werit and Fustiplast. On top of this, they handle 300,000 metal drums.