Acquisition of British seal manufacturer Metflex
The Freudenberg Group is broadening its expertise in the sealing technology business. The Freudenberg Business Group, Freudenberg Sealing Technologies, is acquiring Metflex Precision Mouldings Limited. Based in Blackburn in the United Kingdom, the company is a leading developer and manufacturer of diaphragms and customer-specific sealing solutions for diverse industrial applications. In the 2016 financial year, Metflex generated the equivalent of 15 million Euros with some 90 employees.
“With this acquisition, we are strengthening our established businesses in general industry with additional innovative technical solutions,” said Freudenberg Group CEO Dr. Mohsen Sohi.
Among other products, Metflex manufactures diaphragms for critical applications and systems, for example in gasometry, as well as for gas control. Metflex also focuses on the oil and gas segments and on renewable energy in North America and the United Kingdom.
In recent years, the company has developed a special technical process for a new class of materials. The process, known as “Dispersed Fibre Technology,” is used to manufacture innovative diaphragm seals.
Until now, individual fabric parts were worked into the seal in a multistage production process. Thanks to the fabric reinforcement of the diaphragm materials, the seals can withstand higher pressures and attain a longer service life.
Instead of fabric, only individual fibers are used at the start of the production process with the new technology. This significantly simplifies the production process. Meanwhile, more than 30 million diaphragm seals have been produced with this method and then sold worldwide.
The production of very thin rubber-coated fabric is another key technology. Gas meters operate with very low pressure. The thinner the diaphragms are, for example, the more sensitive and precise the gas measurement’s operation.
“With this acquisition, we continue to develop our market-leading position in membranes,” said Claus Möhlenkamp, CEO of Freudenberg Sealing Technologies. “We are also creating synergies in regional markets such as China, India and Eastern Europe, as well as in selected market segments.”