Battenfeld GmbH, already a major force in film and sheet extrusion machinery through Battenfeld Gloucester Engineering Co. Inc., has purchased American Maplan Corp., vaulting into the big leagues of U.S.-made extruders for PVC pipe, profiles and siding. Battenfeld announced the purchase on July 5. Negotiations took place in Germany between two German companies. Battenfeld of Meinerzhagen purchased American Maplan from F. Theysohn GmbH of Salzgitter.
Based in McPherson, Kan., American Maplan has sales of about $30 million and employs 135. Horst Eigruber, who remains American Maplan's president,said the company will continue to operate in McPherson.
Although details were not available, Battenfeld said it plans to invest in American Maplan to develop new machinery.
American Maplan also will work with Battenfeld Extru-sionstechnik GmbH of Bad Oeynhausen, Germany, to market Battenfeld's complete line of pipe and profile downstream equipment.
Wolfgang Studener, managing director of Battenfeld Extru-sionstechnik, said: ``We see advantages to this new affiliation, for example, in the joint marketing of downstream equipment including cooling tanks, calibration equipment and hauloffs, as well as in specialty polyolefin pipe lines.''
A group of European investors and Austrian engineers founded American Maplan in 1977 in McPherson.
