Picanol

Picanol Group is a diversified industrial group and it is active worldwide in the fields of mechanical engineering, agriculture, food, water management, the efficient (re)use of natural resources and other industrial markets. The company is based in Ypres (Belgium), with production plants in Asia and Europe. More than 7,000 employees work at Picanol Group worldwide. 
Brand names produced by Picanol Group include Picanol, Proferro, PsiControl and Melotte.
Picanol Group has been listed on Euronext Brussels since 1966 (ticker: PIC).
History.
The company was founded in 1936 by the Belgian industrialist Charles Steverlynck as "Weefautomaten Picañol NV".
In 1966 the company was listed on the Brussels Stock Exchange. At the ITMA exhibition in Paris in 1971, Picañol exhibited the MDC, the world’s first electronically controlled flying shuttle machine. In 1989 the foundry division was split off from the other activities and made into a separate company, Proferro NV. Also in 1989 Picanol became part owner in what was then Protronic (now PsiControl) and also Melotte becomes a member of Picanol Group in 1990. In 1993 Picanol achieved ISO 9001 certification, as a guarantee of the quality of its products and services. Verbrugge NV in Belgium and Steel Heddle Inc. in the USA were acquired in 2001. In 2003 among others Burcklé in France joined the group, while GTP Bandung was set up in Indonesia, GTP São Paulo in Brazil and GTP in Mexico. 
In 2007, the company launched the new OptiMax-"i" and GT-Max rapier weaving machines and 2 years later, CEO Luc Tack made his entry. Two more years later, Picanol Group celebrates its 75th anniversary with the introduction of two new products: the new high-end airjet weaving machine OMNI"plus" Summum and the positive rapier weaving machine. In 2012, Picanol Group invested in the further expansion of its global sales and services network, including a new headquarters in India and a new office for Picanol of America.
On the 25th of July 2013, SNPE SA and Picanol Group have signed a binding agreement for the sale of a stake held by SNPE SA in Tessenderlo Group, representing 27.52% of the share capital of Tessenderlo Group. In 2015, Picanol Group celebrated the 40th anniversary of the production of rapier weaving machines with the global launch of its new OptiMax-"i" rapier machine, the fastest industrially produced rapier weaving machine in the world. Picanol Group also launched two new weaving machines for the weaving of terry cloth: the TerryMax-"i" (rapier) and the TERRY"plus" Summum (airjet). Picanol Group is the only machine manufacturer to offer both rapier and airjet technology for terry cloth weaving. 
In November 2015, Picanol Group successfully participated in the 17th edition of ITMA in Milan, the most important four-yearly textile machinery exhibition in the world. In June 2019, Picanol Group has launched its newest airjet weaving machine, the OmniPlus-"i", at ITMA Barcelona. With the introduction of the OmniPlus-"i", Picanol Group sets a new benchmark in airjet weaving machines.