Germany-based Reifenhäuser GmbH & Co. KG, a major manufacturer of extrusion equipment, has announced that it is acquiring Enka Tecnica GmbH, a German spinneret manufacturer and its longstanding supplier.
The company states that it will keep Uwe Gaedike as the CEO of Enka Tecnica, which will operate as an independent business unit within the Reifenhäuser Group.
A spokesperson for Reifenhäuser told Plastics News Europe that a figure for the acquisition will not be disclosed.
Bernd Reifenhäuser, CEO of the Reifenhäuser Group, said in a statement: "Our customers are won over, above all, by our leading technology. With Enka Tecnica, the specialist in spinnerets, we can accelerate future development in the area of extrusion tools, and further establish our leading market position in the field of nonwovens.
“However, our goal is to achieve growth in all of Enka Tecnica's business areas: As a result, all of the existing business relations will be left unchanged, and all of the existing product segments will continue to be further developed. We guarantee Enka Tecnica the independence that the company needs in order to continue to work with customers on custom development projects in strict confidentiality."
Enka Tecnica produces at Heinsberg and Gröbzig in Germany, but Reifenhäuser states the latter will be relocated to Halle in the summer of 2015.
Bernd Reifenhäuser said: "We are confident that the plastic extrusion market will continue to grow, and we are committed to the location Germany. We will continue to invest here in the future. This is where we develop and produce our core components — one of the main reasons for this is because we value the extensive network of expertise in Germany. Enka Tecnica's technology perfectly complements this network. We look forward to working together with the entire team."
The Reifenhäuser Group, based in Troisdorf, Germany, employs 1,400 people, has seven business units and ten subsidiaries.