AFA Holdings Co. of New York has acquired the Continental Sprayers division of Contico International, and now claims to be the largest producer of trigger sprayers in the world.
Continental Sprayers of St. Peters, Mo., claims to be the largest U.S. producer of trigger sprayers. Continental injection molds the sprayers for branded household cleaners and lawn and garden products, and pump dispensers for liquid soap and lotions. Its plants are in St. Louis, El Paso, Texas, and Juarez, Mexico.
``We decided to divest Continental Sprayers because it was not a core business for us,'' Lester Miller, chairman of Contico International, said in a news release.
Contico focuses on the cleaning supplies industry, manufacturing such products as mops, buckets, cleaning carts and plastic boxes for tools. Terms of the Feb. 4 deal were not disclosed.
``We will continue to maintain Continental Sprayers' independence and corporate identity as well as its product lines and name,'' AFA Holdings Chief Executive Officer Ariel Gratch said in a telephone interview.
AFA's subsidiaries include AFA Polytek BV in Helmond, Netherlands, which does custom molding and makes trigger sprayers, and AFA Products Inc. in Forest City, N.C. The founder of AFA Products claims to have invented the trigger sprayer. AFA Products employs 300 and injection molds sprayers from polypropylene.
Gratch would not disclose the number of injection presses at the plant or the firm's sales.
The company supplies national and regional manufacturers and distributors in the industrial lawn and garden, automotive and health and beauty aids markets.
The consolidation enables AFA to enhance research and development capabilities, manufacturing efficiencies and customer service, Gratch said in a news release.