Derichebourg Group acquires large Spanish metal recycler

France-based Derichebourg Environnement has announced that it finalized the acquisition of the Lyrsa Group, a Spanish leader in scrap metal recycling. Derichebourg has acquired 100 percent of the capital of Lyrsa, Archamesa and Redisa from Layro, the majority shareholder, and from minority shareholders, Derichebourg reports in a news release on the acquisition. 

Lyrsa had revenue of 427 million euros (or about $480 million) in 2018, according to a news release from Derichebourg on the acquisition. The group processes about 1 million metric tons of scrap metal annually—about 160,000 metric tons of those materials are nonferrous metals. The group has about 600 employees. 

Lyrsa was founded in 1939 and operates 18 recycling centers, 17 in Spain and one in Portugal. The company is a large independent Spanish scrap metal recycler. It operates three shredders. One of those shredders has been jointly operated with Derichebourg Group for 27 years, the company reports in a news release. Lyrsa also operates a sorting center for shredded metal, an aluminum refinery and a lead refinery. 

“We commend the work done by the founding families and their descendants to build this great group,” says Abderaman El Aoufir, deputy CEO of Derichebourg Group. “We are aware of the importance of this change for the Lyrsa Group and its employees and are enthusiastic about beginning a new chapter in the history of the Lyrsa Group and the Derichebourg Group.”

Derichebourg Group offers a comprehensive and integrated range of services in two business segments: environmental services (recycling, recovery, collection of household waste, urban cleaning, and management of waste reception centers) and business services (cleaning, energy, temporary employment and aeronautics). The group has a presence in 12 countries with approximately 36,800 employees worldwide.