Recently, Continental AG announced that it will acquire Merlett Group, an Italian thermoplastics expert. Continental will take over all Merlett Group business activities, including all three manufacturing plants in Italy and Switzerland and a comprehensive sales network of nearly 500 employees in 12 European countries.
At present, neither party has disclosed specific transaction data, and the settlement of this transaction must be approved by relevant antitrust agencies.
"Smart hose solutions will help Continental's customers and industrial operators to increase their production efficiency and economic benefits. Thermoplastics are the key to achieving this benefit." Said Andreas Gerstenberger, Continental's industrial fluid solutions business director.
Compared to rubber, thermoplastic hoses are lighter and more flexible. At the same time, it can also meet the relevant requirements of industrial applications such as antistatic, oil resistance and low temperature resistance.
"The performance of thermoplastic elastomers is constantly improving and may lay the foundation for potential applications of future sensors. This acquisition will help the two businesses complement each other." Andreas Gerstenberger added.
Merlett Group was founded in 1952 by the Tamborini family and is one of Europe's leading manufacturers of flexible plastic hoses. It designs, manufactures and distributes plastic hoses for agriculture, industry, construction, transportation and food industries. The company currently has two fully-equipped production sites in Italy and one in Switzerland.