Sarna Polymer Holding Inc. plans to integrate its United Kingdom injection molding operation, Sarnatech BNL Ltd., into its U.S. auto parts subsidiary, Sarnamotive Division America.
Sarnatech BNL employs 120 at its plant in Knaresborough, England, which molds ball bearings for business machine, electrical and automotive applications. The unit, with annual sales of about $12 million, has sales organizations in Japan and the United States. The plant has 30 injection presses, primarily from Engel.
Integrating the plant is the latest step in Sarna Polymer's plan to focus on the automotive and construction sectors. Companies in a third division, Sarnatech, are being integrated with remaining units, closed down or sold.
BNL has a strong position in the business machine area, but it expects to grow substantially in the automotive sector, which represents 5 percent of its sales, according to sales director Steven Lusty.
``This marriage makes a lot of sense,'' Lusty said in a telephone interview from Knaresborough.
Sarnamotive Division America, based in Marysville, Mich., was formed with the acquisition of Blue Water Inc. and includes eight U.S. molding plants.
In the past year Sarna has sold or integrated most of the Sarnatech division. Its packaging and presentation case molding unit, Sarnatech Wild GmbH of Lichtenau, Germany, was sold in a management buyout while two Sarna Xiro adhesive product businesses in Switzerland and Germany also were sold.
In addition, Sarna has integrated the precision components division of Sarnatech Schenk GmbH of Esslingen, Germany, with Sarnamotive Division Europe.
Sarnen has not announced the fate of the remaining two Swiss plastics processing plants of Sarnatech Schweiz AG, a specialist in thermoset and micro-injection molding, in Grenchen and Valorbe.