BENOIT BOULET CEO Cotting Group
As a global specialist in manufacturing coated textiles, Cotting Group is celebrating 75 years in business and plans to continue for many more years.
First things first: what exactly are coated textiles and what are they used for?
Coated textiles have been treated to make them stronger, more weather resistant, and longer lasting. As opposed to interweaving a bolstering fibre directly into the fabric, these fabrics are coated so that they’re impervious to damage. They are coated in substances like PVC, plasticisers, pigments, and varnish and are used in a wide range of industries, from transportation to protection clothes, and healthcare to contract furniture. Cotting Group, part of the Swedish group DUROC AB since 2019, is a marriage between French company Griffine and Belgium’s Plastibert. Benoit Boulet was appointed CEO just under a year ago following a shareholder change.
Diversity is key
“I was hired as CEO in June last year,” he says. “I view Cotting like a rough diamond – there’s huge potential and we’re in a very strong position, despite the pandemic, but we can go much further. We make high quality products in Europe, which is important for our customers
and our supply chain. There’s room for improvement, especially in areas such as digitalisation, sustainability, innovation, and operational excellence, which is why I’ve been hired, to grow Cotting both organically and through acquisitions.”
Benoit explains that because Plastibert is well diversified “in terms of sector” it has not been badly affected by the pandemic. In fact, the coated textiles specialist is now producing a higher volume than before as it provides
Our culture of innovation, high quality products, and employee and customer loyalty is what stands Cotting apart from its
competitors