DesjoyauxPools modernizes its La Fouillouse plant
02/07/2026Piscines Desjoyaux, the world leader in in-ground pools, will complete in 2027 a €50 million investment plan at its site in La Fouillouse (Loire), with the goal of producing almost all of its components itself (including motors) while diversifying into new activities.
Don’t expect to take a dip when walking through the gates of the imposing Piscines Desjoyaux industrial site. In this plant, with buildings spread across a 15-hectare plot built in the early 1990s in La Fouillouse, about fifteen kilometers from Saint-Étienne (Loire), the world leader in in-ground pools, mainly for private individuals, highlights its expertise in… plastics. “Our trade is being a plastics processor,” proudly states Nicolas Desjoyaux, the sales director.
The manufacturer nonetheless has several strings to its bow: it intends to take full direct control of pool manufacturing, by 2027 at the latest. “We aim for manufacturing integration to ensure quality, which must be flawless, to no longer depend on suppliers, and to innovate,” insists Jean-Louis Desjoyaux, CEO of the family-owned company (220 employees excluding commercial dealerships, €98 million in revenue in 2025). By adding motors, in-house manufactured components will rise from 90% to 97%.
To achieve this, a €50 million investment plan has been underway since 2022 and runs through 2027. The plant manufactures 6,000 to 7,000 “lost-formwork” polypropylene pools per year, and will soon produce all components, including plastic parts such as pipe fittings or hydraulic flanges, structural and sealing parts.
A plan to bring electric motor manufacturing in-house
Of the funds already spent, €7 million went to creating new logistics warehouses, €3 million was devoted to renewing production molds, and €6 million to modernizing industrial equipment, including new injection presses. Most notably, €11 million will be devoted to setting up a motor workshop, set to launch in 2027.
Until now, the electric motors, purchased from a German company, were manufactured in Bulgaria and Romania. “Usually, upstream integration increases our margins. For the motors, we won’t gain or lose money, but we’ll improve in quality,” explains Nicolas Desjoyaux. The company is taking the opportunity to change its motor system, with energy consumption reduced by 30% compared to the existing one.
From recycled polypropylene compounding to roofing membranes
You have to walk around the site to see the other facets of this strategy. 85% of the company’s polypropylene use is recycled, and 15% is virgin material. 6,000 tonnes of polypropylene and 5,000 tonnes of polyethylene are used each year.
Bales of plastic waste: Piscines Desjoyaux has just set up a recycling plant. 12,000 tonnes of material will be purchased each year from sorting centers.
In April 2026, a plastic recycling workshop was launched, representing an €11 million investment. Previously, Piscines Desjoyaux purchased polypropylene pellets. Now, the company can produce its own compound by buying pre-sorted bales of plastic waste from selective collection. Calcium carbonate is added to the plastic during the extrusion phase to formulate these pellets. 10,000 tonnes of recycled PP pellets will be produced each year, half of which for internal use. The other portion — a new line of business — will be sold externally.
Piscines Desjoyaux also states it is the only pool maker in the world to manufacture its own liner sheets, coverings made from polyvinyl chloride (PVC) membranes welded together at the plant to the exact dimensions of the pool. The 3,500 m² workshop, requiring an €11 million investment, is designed to produce so-called “ultra-custom” parts. Liner colors and patterns can be created in-house. Opened in November 2025, the workshop has a production capacity of 5 million square meters of PVC per year, of which 1 million is for internal needs. The remaining capacity will allow for the launch of a new business line. “I am working with the Centre Scientifique et Technique du Bâtiment to get our membrane certified for roof waterproofing,” explains Jean-Louis Desjoyaux.
Further into the plant, where pool enclosures and the concrete for coping stones (the finishing pieces that border the top edge of a pool) are also made, plastic pallets can be seen. “They weigh 6 kg, compared to 20 kg for a wooden Epal pallet,” says Fanny Desjoyaux, the marketing director, rather proud of the launch last March of Smart Palettes, a business selling these products. In total, sales of plastic pellets, pallets, and waterproofing should account for 20% of revenue within five years. “It’s about keeping our machines running more, which are already paid off by the pool business, thanks to our expertise as plastics processors,” adds Nicolas Desjoyaux.
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By Franck STASSI, 29 june 2026