Röchling (Mannheim / Germany; www.roechling.de) has increased its footprint in the UK. The company in mid-December announced that it had bought CNC machining and high-performance plastics producers Fibracon Twin (High Peak / UK; www.fibracon.com) and Insoll Components (Hitchin / UK; www.insoll.com). Financial details of the deal were not disclosed. Röchling now operates three machining companies in the UK, including Gloucester-based Röchling Engineering Plastics, founded in 1985.

The German company said the additions will strengthen its position in the aerospace, medical engineering and oil & gas markets, while at the same time adding PTFE to its portfolio. The two companies have combined sales of EUR 8m, and will in future be managed by Rüdiger Keinberger, director of Röchling’s Machined Components business, as well as Mike Knowles, managing director of Röchling Engineering Plastics UK.

Located in Derbyshire, Fibracon’s 70 employees are spread across two plants, and specialise in the production of PTFE components, compression-moulded PTFE stock shapes and CNC machined components made of high-performance plastics such as PEEK. Key end markets include the chemical processing industry, the oil & gas sector, medical device manufacture as well as aerospace engineering.

Insoll Components has 25 employees based in Hertfordshire. The company specialises in machining small components made of PTFE, PEEK and POM, among others. Key applications include medical, aerospace and electronic products.