Our History
The Dumarey Group is proud of its 40 years of development. Scroll down to see how it all began and discover our company histories that embody the same core values established at our founding.
The Dumarey history
1983
The beginning: Guido Dumarey's entrepreneurial journey takes off with the acquisition of New Impriver in Ghent (Belgium). A company that specialised in producing metal name-tags and the anodisation of aluminium for the automotive industry, various household applications, and the IT sector.
1985
Entering the consumer electronics market: Guido Dumarey founded Acyclon in Ghent and worked closely with Phillips electronics to produce telecommunication devices such as pagers.
He later re-developed and brought to life a two-way communication pager called ‘Scottie’.
1986
The birth of the PUNCH name: Guido Dumarey developed the PUNCH brand. The first PUNCH company, PUNCH Products in Evergem (Belgium), built its own production site for machined punch metals. Activities included ‘punching’ grid-metal to create holes in speakers smaller than the thickness of the material (mainly galvanised steel). ‘PUNCH’ later became the name for the entire Guido Dumarey group.
1990
Sony and Panasonic joined PUNCH as key partners: The success of the business of components and assemblies for electronics (including monitors and cathode-ray tubes) allowed PUNCH to invest in additional factories. The first investment was in the United Kingdom (PUNCH Precision in Brigdend), followed by expansions in Eastern Europe, most notably in Slovakia, Hungary and Poland. The PUNCH customer base grew to include Grundig, Hitachi, Sharp and Sanyo.
1991
A stronger partnership: The PUNCH/Philips fortified following the establishment of PUNCH Électronique in Dreux (France). The company produced PCB assemblies for Philips.
1999
PUNCH launches industrial activities: At the turn of the century, PUNCH was looking for new areas of growth. Staying close to its manufacturing roots, the company added injection-moulding capacity by purchasing Stevens (an injection-moulding specialist) and soon began with the construction of a new plant in Evergem. The new plant streamlined the PUNCH Products and Stevens operations into a single unit. The company continued to develop its plastics operations, acquiring Bruges-based Trelleborg, which later became PUNCH Plastics.
The first PUNCH public offering and fuelling the company's expansion: In March 1999, the company had its public offering and earned a listing on the Brussels Stock Exchange's main board as PUNCH International.
2000
Continued growth with tech: In January 2000, PUNCH International acquired Strobbe Graphics, which supplied computer-to-plate pre-press systems for Agfa-Gevaert. PUNCH moved Strobbe into new and larger production facilities in Ypres, Belgium, in December 2000.
2001
A foothold in China: 2001 marked the first production site for our electronic products in China, Jiin Hui.
2002
Extended PUNCH range of operations: In April of 2002, we extended our range of operations again with the acquisition of Xeikon. The Belgium-based Xeikon had been a leading global maker of digital colour production systems that had slumped into bankruptcy amid the general tech industry crash at the beginning of the 2000s. The PUNCH acquisition of Xeikon included the company's Belgian and U.S. operations and its Japanese sales and service subsidiaries. PUNCH immediately set out to revive Xeikon, relaunching its sales and service operations at a new headquarters in Lier.
2002-03
Restructuring activities: PUNCH’s move into end products encouraged an exit from a number of its existing business. In 2002, PUNCH sold 51% stake of PUNCH Mécanique to the Valorics Group, and in 2003 sold off PUNCHtronics to the same company. In the same year, both the PUNCH Precision plant Brigdend and the PUNCH Plastic plant in Bruges were closed.
2004
New business: PUNCH entered in a new business area by acquiring a milk robot system company called Prolion, quoted at the Amsterdam stock exchange, which it grew and later sold to Westfalia in 2008.
2005
2nd IPO in London: The printing activities from Strobbe and Xeikon were merged to PUNCH Graphix, which was then successfully launched with PUNCH’s 2nd IPO at the stock exchange (AIM of London).
2006
3rd IPO in Brussels: PUNCH consolidated its telematics companies into one specialized telematics group, named PUNCH Telematix, quoted on the Brussels stock exchange, and then sold to Trimble in 2010.
2006
Expansion in China: PUNCH International acquired ZF Getriebe Sint-Truiden, a developer and producer of CVT transmissions. PUNCH International renamed the company Punch Powertrain (www.punchpowertrain.com) and in 2008, LRM enters the capital. Under Guido Dumarey’s leadership, Punch Powertrain started to update the product portfolio and developed a completely renewed customer base, particularly in China.
2007
Trading in Amsterdam: Quotation of PUNCH Technix via Prolion (Amsterdam): PUNCH Technix activities were successfully contributed in-kind into Prolion.
2009
Assembly in China: Punch Powertrain opens its assembly production site in Nanjing, China.
2009
Divestment: Guido Dumarey is divesting a part of his stake in PUNCH International, and re-focusses on the development of automotive activities, out of privately held holdings. Within the context of this restructuring, Guido Dumarey acquired the automotive activities of PUNCH International, more specifically PUNCH Metals NV (www.punchmetals.com) and BBS.
2010
Consolidation: From 2010, Guido Dumarey consolidated metal components manufacturers of Belgium and France into his new 100%-owned automotive related holding PUNCH Metals International. Some activities, such as PUNCH Metals Montataire, were restructured over the course of 2013. All remaining parts in Punch Powertrain were sold off in 2010.
2012
Creating and saving jobs: The end of 2012 saw PUNCH Metals International (now PUNCH Motive International) acquire General Motors Strasbourg (France), which was renamed into PUNCH Powerglide Strasbourg. PUNCH Powerglide produces automatic transmissions for BMW, ZF and Chinese, Russian and Indian OEMs. PUNCH invested 250 million Euros in the production capacity and in the development of new transmissions and built a group which exceeded in 2017 the 500 million Euros revenue mark.
The move saved the jobs of 1.000 direct employees and 3.000 indirect employees.
2013
Forging ahead: In December of 2013, PUNCH Corporation acquired the forging factory of Benteler Automotive in St. Ursanne in Switzerland and renamed it into Thecla Pun.ch Umform. In 2015, the company's activities stopped and in 2017 PUNCH Corporation established the company PUNCH Precision Detva, in Slovakia, in order to start forging activities for third parties in Slovakia.
2014
In 2014, PUNCH acquired a production site of Steelcase in Wishes; renamed into PUNCH Wisches. PUNCH again succeeded in a successful re-industrialisation project, and saved the employment of 200 employees
2015
Management buy-out: In January 2015, PUNCH Metals International sold PUNCH Metals Hamont to its management.
2015
The establishment of two daughter companies in China: In June 2015, PUNCH Powerglide Strasbourg established its 100% daughter companies PUNCH Powerglide Investment Company Ltd in Hong Kong, and PUNCH Powerglide Tianjin Technology Co Ltd in China in order to further develop and structure its Chinese and Asian operations.
2015
PUNCH Beverage Solutions: In October 2015, PUNCH Beverage Solutions, the Belgian company which develops innovative beverage vendex systems, signed a license agreement with the Coca-Cola Company for the development and production of Glacier systems.
2017
PUNCH Motive: In December 2017, Guido Dumarey acquired the holding PUNCH Motive from Iep Invest.
2018
PUNCH Flybrid: In 2018, Guido Dumarey acquired the flywheel activities and patents of Flybrid in the UK and renamed it into PUNCH Flybrid. Flybrid is a specialist in kinetic energy recovery systems, with important applications in the automotive and off-road industry.
2019
The Industrial site in Ghent where it all started in 1983 is redeveloped to a residential site with 50 apartments in March 2019. GML Estate, the residential property development company within the group, sold all units within the same year.
2019
PUNCH opens in June 2019 PUNCH Campus, a new state-of-the art 100,000 sqm greenfield industrial park in Detva and welcomes its first tenants: ZF Slovakia (production of shock absorbers) PUNCH Precision (production of aluminium forged chassis components).
(Peter Abel, Guido Dumarey, Jan Sufliarsky, Peter Doll)
2019
PUNCH Powerglide moves its logistic activities from Wisches to the site in Strasbourg in October 2019 where a new logistics area of 30.000 sqm has been constructed. The building in Wisches is sold.
2020
PUNCH acquires General Motors Propulsion Engineering Center in Turin, Italy, now named PUNCH Torino. More than 700 highly qualified engineers and technicians work in the Polytechnic Citadel on a new generation of fuel-efficient diesel engines and controls and new advanced propulsion systems. Together with PUNCH Powerglide, they aim to supply complete Powerpacks, possibly even with an integrated KERS from PUNCH Flybrid.
2021
PUNCH announces the establishment of a new company. PUNCH Hydrocells, based in Turin, targets the development, supply and integration of hydrogen-based propulsion and energy storage systems. The allocation of over two million euros to start the project allows the group to expand its business in one of the most promising sectors of the energy transition.
2021
Marelli announces the creation of a new Joint Venture with PUNCH Motive International for the development and assembly of integrated e-axles for electric vehicles. The partnership advances PUNCH’s long-term e-mobility strategy from fossil to electric and ultimately clean hydrogen powertrain systems.
2022
MadeInAdd : Strategic partnership between PUNCH Torino, CDP Venture Captial Sgr and MIMETE.
The joint venture's target are manufacturing companies, offering additive manufacturing services for the European market.
2022
As a World’s First a genset powered by a hydrogen engine by PUNCH Hydrocells combined with a Flywheel Power System by PUNCH Flybrid available for sell in Tecnogen’s latest product presented at the BAUMA.
2022
PUNCH Powerglide signs production contract with NIDEC PSA E-Motors, generating an investment by PUNCH of almost 40 million euros.
The start of production is expected for 2024.
2023
Renault Group and PUNCH Torino sign a strategic partnership on low emission diesel engines.
PUNCH and Renault join forces to develop the Euro7 and Euro VI version of Renault’s 4-cylinder diesel engine, which PUNCH Torino can sell and adapt for other OEMs worldwide.
2023
The EIB lends 40 million euros to the group for the development of hydrogen propulsion technologies.
"The EIB’s support will be a key factor in implementing our vision of sustainable mobility for all."
Guido Dumarey, founder and CEO of PUNCH Group
2023
Vitesco Technologies Italy S.R.L. will become part of the Dumarey Group
