Albea Kunststofftechnik GmbH (D-77960 Seelbach), the film manufacturing subsidiary of Balda AG (D-32541 Bad Oeynhausen; www.balda.de), has concluded a joint venture with TecStar Mfg. Company (Germantown, Wisconsin, USA; www.mgstech.com/tecstar), a member of the MGS Manufacturing Group. Both companies have a 50% stake in the joint venture, which has been named Albea Technologies. In the coming year, sales are expected to total EUR 3.5m.

Albea Technologies strategically combines the core competences of both companies. The joint venture will profit from the technology and production expertise of Albea on the one hand, and from the strong market penetration of TecStar in the US on the other. The purpose of the cooperation is to develop, manufacture and market Albea´s in-mould services outside Europe. In the initial stage, Albea Technologies will concentrate on the automotive and medical technology markets. With its portfolio, the joint venture has a unique range of products in the US. The intention is that the films will be manufactured at the German site in Seelbach, while the insert moulding of the films and the marketing will be based in the USA.

Within the Balda group, Albea is the competence centre for the development and production of films for in-mould decoration (IMD). Its other activities include processes such as injection moulding, surface treatment and the manufacture of system components. With its existing capacities, Albea can immediately cope with the extra production of films for the joint venture without any additional start-up costs.