Georg Fischer (GF, Schaffhausen / Switzerland; www.georgfischer.com) has acquired Central Plastics (Shawnee, Oklahoma / USA; www.centralplastics.com), a North American market leader in utility piping systems with annual sales of over USD 80m, for an undisclosed sum. The purchase will double the overall turnover of GF Piping Systems in North and South America and is expected to be completed during the first quarter of 2008. The company said that it had not previously been present in the utilities markets in either continent because of differences in standards.

Central Plastics employs over 500 people worldwide and, in addition to its headquarters in Shawnee, has production sites and sales offices in Gainesville, Texas / USA, Tianjin / China, Buenos Aires / Argentina and Wellington / New Zealand. It manufactures and markets plastic and metal fittings and accessories for piping applications in gas and water utilities and the oil industry, primarily in the US, Canada and South America.