German auto industry supplier era Beschichtungen GmbH & Co KG (PO Box 1320, D-31588 Stolzenau) has acquired a majority stake in South Africa's Beier Plastics (PO Box 121, Pinetown 3600, South Africa) from Beier Industries. The company will be renamed Beier Coatings. Like era, Beier is an important manufacturer of films and vinyls for the auto industry; it claims to be South Africa's market leader. As an operative holding for its foreign assets, era recently founded era International Automotive GmbH at Stolzenau.

A developer and supplier of decorative PVC foam films, vinyls for automotive interiors – its biggest market segment – as well as jalousies, tent and truck tarpaulins, the German parent firm wraps up 74% of its sales with the auto industry. Jalousies and tents account for 16%, truck tarpaulins 10%. Including joint ventures, the worldwide group's dependence on the automobile is 94%. Era's long-term strategy is to further expand its positon as a market leader for films, both in technology and cost structure. It is the winner of numerous awards, including the 1996 prize as General Motors' world's best supplier of vinyls. The era parent, with a workforce of 165, had 1996 sales of DEM 80m, the group DEM 350m.

READER SERVICE: Current era company portrait brochure: "The Company and the Trademark": PIE-No. 41843 – Company portrait folder on Beier Industries and Beier Plastics (English): PIE-No. 41844.