After several acquisitions and the development of joint ventures in Africa and Asia, Philippe de Moerloose’s activities were gathered together in 2008 under the Belgian holding company SDA. The years from 2010 onwards attest to all the work done in the past.
At the end of 2011, the merger between Demimpex (Ford, Audi, Nissan, VW) and the French-Moroccan company Optorg (Mercedes, Hyundai, Kia, Dacia) gave rise to the Tractafric Motors Corporation (TMC), ranked number two in sub-Saharan Africa, 40% owned by SDA and 60% by Optorg.
2011 was a fairly rich year due to the acquisition of MultiTech, an importer of Volvo Construction Equipment brands for Ghana, Benin, Liberia and Burkina Faso.
In the years that followed, SDA positioned itself as a specialist in the distribution of car brands and various equipment, as well as in pan-African integrated networks. This success was due to the quality of its after-sales service and its ability to stock vehicles and spare parts in order to offer much shorter lead times to customers. Logistics platforms were also created in Antwerp and Dubai, as part of a service strategy.
2015 marked a key step in the evolution of Philippe de Moerloose’s group. The success of the Volvo operations in Africa allowed SDA to be very well positioned and to purchase the exclusive Volvo Construction Equipment distributor for Benelux, the Kuiken group.
In 2017, SDA Holding amalgamated the subsidiaries DEM Group (exclusive representatives of John Deere Construction & Forestry, John Deere Agriculture and Hitachi machinery in some 20 countries), SMT Group (exclusive importer of the Volvo Trucks, Volvo Construction Equipment and Volvo Penta brands, among others, in some 15 territories). This same year, SDA resold its stake in Tractafric Motors Corporation, thus marking an important strategic shift by focusing exclusively on the import, distribution and servicing of heavy machinery. The year also ended with the largest acquisition made by the group since its inception: the takeover of all Volvo Construction Equipment distribution activities in the UK, which were taken over directly from Volvo CE.
Through its acquisitions and strategic partnerships, SDA Holding has become a benchmark in the field of heavy machinery distribution in continental Europe and the United Kingdom. These two areas account for approximately 70% of SDA’s turnover, while the group maintains a significant presence on the African continent. Building on this strategy of international diversification, the group – which employs some 2,000 people worldwide – doubled its turnover between 2017 and 2019 to reach €921 million, with a recurring EBITDA of €76 million.