Who we are
as TenCate Geosynthetics
Who We Are
TenCate Geosynthetics is the world’s leading provider of geosynthetics and industrial fabrics.
TenCate Geosynthetics has a global production platform, commercial and technical organization and has successfully consolidated and developed core markets to maximize value for customers and stakeholders. TenCate Geosynthetics serves the market globally with two commercial divisions - TenCate Geosynthetics and TenCate Industrial Fabrics.
Through the processing of synthetic raw materials, we develop, manufacture, and provide innovative and reliable industrial technical textiles that enhance the performance of our customers’ products and projects.
Do you ever take a moment to look around?
We kindly invite you to join us on our exciting journey as we show you how we see the world we live in. As specialist in Geosynthetics and Industrial Fabrics we see a huge opportunities in the markets we operate in.
Do you want to know more about our vision, values and future goals? We tell you more about it on the following pages:
Our History
Europe
The North Sea Flood of 1953 launched TenCate’s quest for innovative product development. This catastrophic flood destroyed the coast of The Netherlands, leaving in its wake nearly 2,000 dead. With a strong will to survive, the Dutch immediately began work on a new generation of dike that would be strong enough to withstand nature’s harshest forces. The search ended at Nicolon B.V. of Holland, a company dedicated to creating stronger, more advanced industrial textiles.
As the use of geosynthetics began to develop world-wide, TenCate was at the forefront of this expansion.
In Europe, at the beginning of the century, Rhône Poulenc established a factory in Bezons, France and used Brandenberger's patent. The well-known brand “Bidim” was registered in more than 100 countries and our geosynthetics were used on many significant huge projects.
Polyfelt G.m.b.H. was founded as a department of Chemie Linz AG in Linz, Austria the 1970s. The “Polyfelt” geosynthetics were recognized for their quality and used in many projects. In 1990, Polyfelt acquired Bidim Geosynthetics, formerly owned by Rhône Poulenc.
In 2005, TenCate Geosynthetics acquired the Polyfelt Group to form TenCate Geosynthetics Europe with Headquarters in Linz, Austria.
The Americas
In the Americas, TenCate’s history began in the late 1960s with the development of a new experimental product from “MIRAcle Fibers” - Mirafi® geosynthetics. The brand name “Mirafi” is now widely recognized in North America as “the company that started an industry.”
To meet the growing demand for geosynthetics and industrial fabrics in the Americas, Nicolon Corporation constructed a production facility in the United States in 1979. In 1991, Nicolon Corporation acquired Mirafi® Inc. and formed the Nicolon/Mirafi® Group. The Nicolon/Mirafi® Group soon became known as TenCate Geosynthetics Americas with Headquarters in Pendergrass, Georgia, United States.
Asia
In Asia, TenCate Nicolon Asia was formed in 1996 to focus on the fast growing geosynthetics opportunities in Asia.
In 2005, TenCate Geosynthetics acquired the Polyfelt Group to form TenCate Geosynthetics Asia with Headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Emas Kiara was acquired in 2011, completing the Asian operations and activities.
In 2016, TenCate was bought by Gilde Buyout Partners and the Geosynthetics division became a standalone company.
Today all of these companies work together as the global leader in Geosynthetics and Industrial Fabrics, under the name TenCate Geosynthetics.
Timeline
