EU Business News- Q3 2026 More than 30 countries from around the world benefit from the precision profiles engineered by Remi Claeys, which serves a wide range of industrial sectors. From stepladders and scaffolding to crutches, irrigation systems, tents, and even air HVAC tubes, these thin-walled and thick-walled aluminium tubes (which range from 0.65mm to 2.5mm) have a variety of uses, offering extremely precise tolerances and uniform wall thickness. Since aluminium has the unique property of being infinitely recyclable without losing its original quality, Remi Claeys’ primary business drivers are sustainable innovation and the circular economy. For instance, its production is based on 97% scrap metal that is collected across Europe, including post-consumer waste like used beverage cans. Then there is the 36 million euros the company spent on its new, high-tech melting and casting facility in Lichtervelde, which is able to use post consumer scrap and has reduced its national gas consumption by around 40%. The benefits of this facility go much further, as its strategic location in Lichtervelde puts it within easy reach of the UK and all of Western Europe. It also offers critical logistics, infrastructure, and environmental advantages to drive the company forwards. As well as this, the Benelux region excels when it comes to collecting waste and applying circular recycling streams. This gives Remi Claeys easy access to the highquality secondary raw materials that are instrumental for its pioneering, sustainablefocused casting process. However, this is just the beginning of Remi Claeys’ innovative streak. As Peggy told us: “We believe in working smarter, not harder. By embedding lean methodologies across our production floors, we target zero errors and 100% stability to eliminate time and material waste.” Of course, no machine can run without people to operate Metal Manufacturing MD of the Year 2026 (Benelux): Peggy Sepanski The future of metal manufacturing is lightweight and sustainable, and that is why Remi Claeys Aluminium in Belgium provides high-frequency welded aluminium tubes that are exactly that, with a variety of applications across the home and in commercial environments. With Peggy Sepanski, the company’s managing director, being celebrated within the pages of this issue, we caught up with her for more on the role she plays at the helm of Europe’s market leader for welded aluminium tubes. it, and that is why the company puts an equal focus on its culture and developing all of its employees. From encouraging employees to take direct responsibility to sharing knowledge and actively pursuing cross-training, Remi Claeys’ internal initiatives are designed to nurture a healthier, adaptable, and collaborative workplace. Every member of staff should live and breathe the company’s core values: agility, operational excellence, ownership, collaboration, and innovation. More than values, these are pillars that guide every operational choice made by Peggy and her team, and they even underpin the capital investments they make. Peggy is no stranger to making these kinds of decisions, having spent many years in the construction industry managing large-scale projects and leading prominent construction firms. Her background in civil engineering means she excels across crucial areas like structural complexity, strict execution deadlines, and intensive resource planning. Peggy added: “In the construction sector, you learn very quickly that success depends on precise coordination between diverse stakeholders, tight budget control, and clear communication.” Stepping into the role of managing director of an esteemed company like Remi Claeys, which has been operating now for more than 75 years, felt like the natural next progression in Peggy’s career. She took the position in May 2022 with the clear objective of applying the rigorous operational discipline, execution speed, and structural focus of her background to transform this heritage brand into an agile, competitive, self-reliant market leader. Discussing this shift in more detail, Peggy explained: “Guiding a business through a major structural transition requires a strong focus on empowerment and clear communication. Moving Remi Claeys to a self-reliant SME meant that leadership had to focus on short lines of communication and clear objectives.” What made this all the more difficult was the fact that in 20222023 the industry was impacted by severe market headwinds due to the energy crisis/ prices, with global sales dipping, aluminium scrap becoming scare, and raw material upcharges surging. Rather than going into defence mode, Peggy saw these challenges as a way to accelerate the strategic transformation she had in the works for Remi Claeys, and this quickly came to define everything from its aforementioned plant upgrades to how it runs major building sites. Today, short lines of communication are commonplace throughout the business, and the company sets clear objectives that it knows its talented team can achieve. “We prove every day that resilience is about using adversity to build a prouder, stronger, and more profitable enterprise.” As this demonstrates, Peggy prides herself on being a results-driven leader, the kind who values pragmatism, action, and no-nonsense execution over corporate buzzwords and empty, faceless leadership. Having come up through the industry in engineering and heavy construction roles, Peggy knows any business is only as strong as its foundation. This is why she emphasises transparency and being an authentic leader, and she is open about wins and failures, giving people the unvarnished truth. And they respect her more for it. Under Peggy’s leadership, Remi Claeys’ internal culture is entering an exciting phase in its evolution. The move away from siloed departments into a dynamic environment
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