Our History

Adolf Sioen establishes a weaving mill in Rumbeke, launching Sioen-Sabbe during western Belgium's golden age of cloth weaving.

Leadership transitions to Daniel Sioen, ensuring the Sioen-Sabbe quality and craftsmanship continued into the next generation.

Jean-Jacques Sioen, at age 25, starts his venture in technical textiles in Beveren-Roeselare with a coating line, first making artificial leathers, then moving on to truck tarpaulins, setting the stage for future successes.

Jacqueline Sioen, Jean-Jacques' wife, opens an apparel workshop in Roeselare, producing protective rainwear from Sioen coated textiles for fishermen, farmers, and more.

In 1971, the Protective Clothing division expands internationally for a first time, opening up a an manufacturing plant in Tunisia. This expansion of Sioen’s production capacity was needed to answer the market’s request for greater volumes. Many more business expansions will follow with a company site in France becoming Sioen’s second international site in 1974.

The company moves to Ardooie, uniting all operations under one roof. With 100 employees in apparel, 30 in coating, and 20 in sales and administration, Sioen paves the way for streamlined production and growth.

With the opening of a new company site in Ireland in 1980, Sioen kicks off a second wave of growth. In 1984, the company that will become Sioen Chemicals (Colouring Solutions) is created. Moreover, we start offering processed fabrics with the creation of Coatex in 1988.  

Sioen’s international expansion and success does not go unnoticed. It earns Jean-Jacques Sioen the export prize from Prince Albert (to become King Albert II), marking a milestone in our global journey.

A devastating fire at the Ardooie plant brings operations to a halt, with everyone temporarily out of work and production completely lost.

Just two years after the devastating fire, resilience shines through as Sioen inaugurates a new, state-of-the-art plant in Ardooie, boasting EUR 45 million in sales and a dedicated workforce of 600.

Marking a significant milestone, Sioen debuts on the Brussels stock exchange with an IPO. By this time, the company showcases a robust turnover of EUR 85 million and employs 1,500 people, underscoring its rapid expansion and success.

As the century closes, Sioen’s workforce grows to 3,400 with an annual turnover nearing EUR 200 million. Strategic growth operations abounded in the past decade, reinforcing all 3 corporate divisions. We added durable PU-coated fabrics, woven & laid scrims, and extra weaving and confectioning capacity to our portfolio.

From 2000 to 2003, Sioen will successfully perform no less than 5 acquisitions and will start up one new business unit. This way, we dive into new markets such as: personal floatation devices, fire fighter suits, chainsaw protection, technical felts, silicone pastes and ballistic protection.

After 15 years of learning the ropes, Michèle Sioen takes over the role of CEO of Sioen Industries. After having led Sioen for 45 years, Mr. Sioen assumes the role of Chairman of the Board of Directors to make room for the next generation. By this time, all his three daughters (Michèle, Pascale & Danielle) are involved in the company.

In the coming two years, we boost our growth by adding water-based pastes and decorative inks to our portfolio through 3 acquisitions. Our pigment paste activities are also expanded.

With the start up of Sioen Fabrics Calendering in 2007, Sioen starts manufacturing PVC and TPO films for various applications. Further, we open an extra weaving plant in Belgium to increase production capacity of our coated textiles in 2009.

Sadly, in 2009, Jean-Jacques Sioen, the visionary founder and Chairman, passes away unexpectedly, leaving behind a legacy of innovation and leadership.

Over the first half of the 2010-s, we both expand our clothing production capacity by opening manufacturing plants in Europe and in Asia, and we add workwear (VanOchten) to our range.

No less than 6 strategic acquisitions expand our operations from 2016 to 2019. Sioen adds technical sailcloth, flexible reinforcement textiles, drysuits and UV-curable inks to our range. Further, we reinforce our product offerings in non-wovens and in ballistic protection gear.

Mrs. Jacqueline Sioen is honoured with the Woman of the Year and Lifetime Achievement Award by Director-E, a leading magazine in the Apparel business.

Our CEO Michèle Sioen is named ‘Manager of the Year’ by the acclaimed Belgian business magazine Trends. This in recognition for steering the company towards sustainable growth since 2005.

A milestone year with Sioen’s group turnover exceeding the 500 million EUR mark with 4911 pasSIOENate colleagues employed around the world. Our relentless pursuit of growth, export prowess and investment efforts win us the prestigious ‘Export Lion’ Award in Flanders (BE).

Sadly, in 2020, Jacqueline Sioen, passes away leaving behind a lasting legacy with her Protective Clothing division, which can continue to prosper thanks to her strong foundational work.

The Sioen family buys back the publicly offered shares, allowing Sioen to leave the stock market after a period of 25 years. This move is a part of the family’s strategy to go for the long-term and gives the Board more room to deploy its strategic Vision 2030.

With the acquisition of Tessilbrenta, Sioen adds a technical reference in the design and development of non-wovens for diverse applications, further reinforcing its market position.

We launch our new workwear brand ‘SYNQ Workwear’ further expanding the group of professionals that can enjoy our Protective Clothing. The brand name ‘Sioline’ is relaunched for our direct coating division signaling our intention to continue to grow this business. Lastly, Sioen creates ‘BRIO’, an innovative range of sustainable coated fabrics.

The rapid and continuous growth of our Protective Clothing division calls for an expansion of our warehouse capabilities in Belgium to support our further growth ambitions.

At Sioen, we continue to shape the future with our textile solutions. Our driven colleagues and constant innovation propel the company forward to new heights and into new markets.