German extrusion machinery maker Reifenhäuser Group has acquired Germany-based spinneret manufacturer and longstanding supplier Enka Tecnica. Uwe Gaedike will continue as CEO of the company, which will operate as an independent business unit within the Reifenhäuser Group. With this acquisition, Reifenhäuser says it is expanding the know-how across the value chain and taking the next strategic step for further growth.

For long term success in the market, Reifenhäuser adds that it consistently pursues technology leadership through in-house development and the acquisition of companies with know-how in market-relevant technologies. Bernd Reifenhäuser, CEO of the Reifenhäuser Group, says: "Our customers are won over, above all, by our leading technology. With Enka Tecnica, the specialist in spinnerets, we can accelerate future development in the area of extrusion tools, and further establish our leading market position in the field of nonwovens. However, our goal is to achieve growth in all of Enka Tecnica's business areas: As a result, all of the existing business relations will be left unchanged, and all of the existing product segments will continue to be further developed. We guarantee Enka Tecnica the independence that the company needs in order to continue to work with customers on custom development projects in strict confidentiality."

In addition to the market segment spinnerets for nonwovens, which is of particular relevance for Reifenhäuser, Enka Tecnica also serves the segments wet and dry spinning, melt spinning, and micro components. Uwe Gaedike, Enka Tecnica's CEO, says, "Effective immediately, we are operating as part of a stable, financially secure group that thinks and acts based on the long term. For us, this is very positive. There will be no changes in respect to existing business relations and partnerships – our customers will now be able to benefit from our expanded development capacities: When collaborating with us on development projects, our customers now have the option of also bringing in experts from the Reifenhäuser network. The decision to do so is, of course, always in the hands of our business partners."

Enka Tecnica produces at both locations, Heinsberg (North Rhine-Westphalia) and Gröbzig (Saxony-Anhalt). The latter will be relocated to Halle (Saxony-Anhalt) in summer 2015, in favour of more advanced operating technology and higher productivity. In addition to Troisdorf, Worms und Lampertheim, Reifenhäuser will have these two additional production sites in Germany.

Bernd Reifenhäuser says: "We are confident that the plastic extrusion market will continue to grow, and we are committed to the location Germany. We will continue to invest here in the future. This is where we develop and produce our core components – one of the main reasons for this is because we value the extensive network of expertise in Germany. Enka Tecnica's technology perfectly complements this network. We look forward to working together with the entire team."

Enka Tecnica, based in Heinsberg and Gröbzig, is the world's leading manufacturer of spinnerets for nonwovens, wet and dry spinning, melt spinning, and micro components. The company has more than 100 years of experience and relies on measuring equipment, cutting-edge 3D technologies, and in-house developed computer-controlled manufacturing equipment. It has 130 employees.