In a deal the financial details of which were not disclosed, US extrusion machinery producer Davis-Standard (Pawcatuck, Connecticut; www.davis-standard.com) has acquired its competitor Gloucester Engineering (Gloucester, Massachusetts / USA; www.gloucesterengineering.com). The purchase strengthens the former’s blown film offering and provides the two companies’ customers with broader design and process engineering capabilities as well as a larger global aftermarket service. Seller was private equity group Blue Wolf Capital Fund II (www.bluewolfcapital.com), which had acquired Gloucester Engineering in late 2010, before the company exited Chapter 11 (see Plasteurope.com of 03.01.2011).

“This is going to be a game changer in the global blown film market,” Gloucester Engineering Sales vice president Carl Johnson said. Since leaving Chapter 11, the Massachusetts-based company has managed to double revenues in both 2011 and 2012. The integration of the company into Davis Standard will be led by the latter’s executive vice president Ernie Plasse. The combination of the two companies means customers will now have “access to the industry’s premier blown film technology and aftermarket service under one roof,” Davis-Standard said.

Extrusion technology specialist David-Standard has been part of private equity investor Onex (Toronto / Canada; www.onex.com) since 2012 (see Plasteurope.com of 10.01.2012). The Pawcatuck-based company operates plants at group headquarters and in Fulton, New York as well as one each in China and Germany. With Gloucester Engineering now also part of its portfolio, Onex controls an impressive amount of important plastics machinery producers – the Canadian group also owns German plastics machinery producer KraussMaffei Group (KM, Munich; www.kraussmaffei.com) – see Plasteurope.com of 07.01.2013.