High performance pre-preg manufacturer Advanced Composites Group (ACG, Heanor, Derbyshire / UK; www.advanced-composites.co.uk) has agreed to sell its South African-based subsidiary Advanced Composites Group SA (ACGSA) to AAT Composites (Strand / Republic of South Africa; www.aatcomposites.com). The purchase price is ZAR 5.4m (about EUR 0.6m), subject to adjustment for working capital balances at completion.

ACG acquired Cape Town-based ACGSA in June 2006. Its principal business has been the supply of major tooling suites and thousands of composite carbon fibre-based parts to McLaren Automotive. That programme has now been completed and ACG says the strategic rationale for retaining the business has diminished. AAT is a high technology design and manufacturing company specialising in composite parts for the aerospace and aviation industries. The ACGSA business it is buying has full CAD/CAM facilities with a complete five-axis machining capability, supported by state-of-the-art autoclaves and full component trimming and spraying facilities.

ACG is part of Umeco Composites Structural Materials (UCSM), a division of Umeco (Leamington Spa / UK; www.umeco.com), and is a leading manufacturer of advanced composite carbon and glass fibre reinforced, resin pre-impregnated materials formulated for component, structural and tooling applications. Key application markets include motor sport, aerospace, marine, automotive, construction, wind energy, defence, medical, as well as sports and leisure. ACG employs approximately 400 workers at its UK manufacturing facilities in Heanor and Manchester, at its component manufacturing facility in Cape Town and its technology centre, also in Heanor.