Four bidders are now competing in the second round of the disposal procedure for Italian injection moulding machinery manufacturer Sandretto (Collegno / Italy; www.sandretto.it). According to Italian press reports, one of them is again French machinery maker Billion (Bellignat / France; www.billion.eu). The first offer made by Korbinian Kiesel, owner and managing director of the French company and that of another contender – see Plasteurope.com of 08.10.2007 – are said to have been rejected by special administrator Piercarlo Castagnetti.

The list of other bidders is believed to include Italy’s Cattaneo Presse International, another rejected first-round contender, as well as Industrias Nardini of Brazil, the owner of Sandretto do Brasil (São Paulo), a former subsidiary of the Italian company. The special administrator is known to be keen to close a deal by the end of 2007, to avoid further turbulence at the ailing machinery manufacturer. A spokesman for Castagnetti told Plasteurope.com that Sandretto is likely to start the new year under new ownership.