A neighbourly acquisition: Italian manufacturer of hoses and pipes FITT group (Sandrigo; www.fitt.com), has acquired French pipe manufacturer ATE Drainage (Château-Gontier; www.ate-drainage.com/en), seated in the Pays de la Loire region. No information was given on the purchase price. ATE specialises in the production of drainage pipes for the construction industry and infrastructure projects such as road or sports field construction. With this takeover, FITT intends to strengthen its presence on the French market. The Italians are already represented in the country with two production sites in the north and a logistics centre in the south.

FITT intends to integrate the newly acquired ATE into its Building division. The French drainage specialist operates two production sites in France with several extrusion lines and injection moulding machines. Around 50 employees generate an annual turnover of around EUR 22 mn, according to buyer FITT.

The Italian piping specialist employs 1,200 people and generates annual sales of more than EUR 300 mn. FITT has 12 production sites (nine in Italy, three in the rest of Europe), 14 logistics centres across the globe, and five subsidiaries. Its products are mainly made of PVC, polyethylene, polypropylene, and TPE.