As reported previously, Rütgerswerke AG (Mainzer Landstr. 217, D-60326 Frankfurt) has taken over Hüls Troisdorf AG (HT, PO Box 1165, D-53821 Troisdorf) which belonged to the Veba group. At the end of March, Rütgers announced that it had taken over the business in window profiles and floor coverings for interior construction, roofing sealing materials, electrical laminates and films from HT from January 1, 1994. Pipe manufacturer Kunststoffwerk Höhn GmbH (D-56462 Höhn) will stay with Hüls AG (D-45764 Marl) for the present. Rütgers sees "a strengthening and extension of its plastics activities by utilisation existing synergy potential in the areas of construction products and electrical laminates". This is especially true for roofing felts where, in addition to HT, Rütgers subsidiary Vedag GmbH (PO Box 600540, D-60335 Frankfurt) is also a specialist. There is also a common interest and products for coatings for printed circuits in which Rütger's subsidiary Isola Werke AG (PO Box 100955, D-52309 Düren) is European market leader.

Further integration potential is seen by Rütgers in the area of automotive supply, an area where Rütger's plastics processing has concentrated during the past few years (HQ: RÜFAS Rütgers Fahrzeug-Systemtechnik AG, Westuferstrasse 7, D-45356 Essen). Up to now, HT has only been an indirect supplier for the automotive industry with PVB film "Trosifol" for multilayer safety glass – comments to the effect that various HT activities will be continued as independent divisions of Rütgers sound vague and poorly thought out. The Troisdorf site will be maintained.

The fusion of Rütgers and HT creates one of the largest plastics converters in Europe. HT had a DM 900m turnover with 3,500 employees in 1993. In plastics manufacturing and processing Rütgers achieved a DM 1.76bn turnover, DM 900m of which was achieved in plastics processing (in answer to a question from PIE). Thus plastic processing make up a total turnover of DM 1.8bn. As the plastics processing activities of both companies made losses in 1992/3, the first priority of this clumsy union wedding must be that of consolidation.