Editorial: Weaker Markets Spur Acquisitions in the European Technical Textile Industry

European technical textile manufacturers and their suppliers have been reporting lower sales and profits for 2009. The downturn spans a wide range of sectors, and most players are relieved that the losses are not as bad as they might have been.

One outcome of the weaker conditions has been a series of announcements of significant consolidations in the second half of 2009 as companies have looked to their longer-term futures.

Examples of such consolidations include the purchases of:

• Gamma’s Coating & Composites business unit by Jagenberg;
• Tamfelt by Metso;
• Perfojet by Andritz;
• Oerlikon Enka Tecnica by its management.

This trend was first observed in the European automotive fabrics industry as a result of the decline in car sales which began in early 2008. More recent consolidations within this sector include the purchases of:

• Eybl International by the Prevent Group;
• Fezko by Michel Thierry Group;
• Stankiewicz by International Automotive Components (IAC).

Contents

EUROPEAN TECHNICAL TEXTILE MANUFACTURERS CONSOLIDATE IN TIMES OF MARKET WEAKNESS

ACQUISITIONS IN THE NON-AUTOMOTIVE TECHNICAL TEXTILE INDUSTRY

Acquisition of Gamma’s Coating & Composites business unit by Jagenberg
Acquisition of Tamfelt by Metso
Metso
Tamfelt
Acquisition of Perfojet by Andritz
Acquisition of Oerlikon Enka Tecnica by its management

ACQUISITIONS IN THE AUTOMOTIVE TECHNICAL TEXTILE INDUSTRY

Automotive woes
Acquisition of Fezko by Michel Thierry
Acquisition of Eybl by Prevent Group
Acquisition of Stankiewicz by International Automotive Components (IAC) Skip to top