CGM

Who owns CGM?

CGM is currently owned by Ciclad through Si Vis Pacem (2025 vintage), since 2026.

Hand-verified · updated 2026-06-30

About CGM

CGM, or Comptoir General des Metaux, is a French multi-specialist distributor of metallurgical products and engineering plastics supplying the aerospace, space and defence industries. The company sources and stocks technical metals and high-performance polymers for manufacturers whose parts must meet demanding certification and traceability standards, positioning it as a supply-chain intermediary within France's defence industrial and technological base. It operates from three sites in France with a workforce of around 60 people. According to disclosures around its 2026 recapitalisation, CGM generated more than EUR 35 million in revenue in 2025.

Ownership journey

CGM was founded in France in 1957 by Simon Bidnic and remains a family-controlled business, now led by his children Emmanuelle Zerah and Francois Bidnic. In May 2026 the company completed an owner buy-out backed by Ciclad, investing through its Si Vis Pacem fund, a vehicle dedicated to small and mid-sized companies within the French defence industrial and technological base. The transaction was the first investment made by the Si Vis Pacem fund, which is targeting EUR 150 million and had secured more than half of that objective at the time. Ciclad remains an active shareholder; no exit or secondary transaction has been recorded.

Under PE ownership

The 2026 owner buy-out was structured to give the founding family liquidity while retaining leadership continuity and to fund the next stage of the company's development. Ciclad and management framed a three-part plan built on consolidating CGM's position in France, expanding internationally, and pursuing external growth to broaden the group's product and service range. Because the investment closed in mid-2026, its operational effects are only beginning to take shape and no post-deal revenue or headcount milestones have yet been disclosed. Ciclad has publicly presented CGM as a well-run French SME embedded in the national defence supply chain, the profile the Si Vis Pacem fund was created to support.