North American composites supplier Composites One (Schaumburg, Ill.) has completed its purchase of the Process Materials business from Solvay S.A.’s (Brussels, Belgium) Composites Materials Global Business. The acquisition is a unique opportunity for the company to add international manufacturing and sales capabilities in specialized materials used in a variety of vacuum-assisted composite manufacturing processes.
Working with Composites One on the successful acquisition was Emko Capital, which specializes in investing in and managing privately held industrial and manufacturing businesses.
The acquired business has been rebranded as Aerovac and is a major manufacturer, developer and supplier of process materials, tooling and services used in prepreg processing, vacuum infusion, glass lamination, and other industrial applications.
The Aerovac brand was first established in the 1970s in Europe and has always represented innovation in process materials. It changed in 2000 to Richmond/Aerovac, a name referenced in current Aerospace specifications. “The name Aerovac pays homage to the brand’s heritage and customer focus which is now combined with the market presence of Composites One,” said Robert Murdock, Vice President & General Manager of Aerovac.
The Aerovac line is comprised of an extensive array of vacuum bagging materials, from bagging films, breather fabrics, release films and fabrics, to peel plies, sealant tapes, valves and hoses. Also available are tailored process materials kits and hard and soft tooling.
These products are the same quality process materials that Composites One has been providing to customers the past two years while serving as Solvay’s North American distributor. “Aerovac is a natural, strategic extension of Composites One’s business.” said Steve Dehmlow, CEO of Composites One. “It positions us for future growth, and further establishes Composites One as a major supplier to the Aerospace, Wind Energy and Marine markets.”
“We believe that the Process Materials business will greatly benefit from being part of Composites One,” said Carmelo Lo Faro, President of Solvay Composite Materials Global Business Unit. “Their intent is to grow and invest in the business, fostering innovation, reliability and customer service and build on the excellent work that our Team has done.”
With the acquisition, Composites One gains multiple manufacturing, kit design/fabrication and materials distribution locations including Santa Fe Springs, California; Sumner, Washington; Keighley UK; Mondovi, Italy and Toulouse, France. An additional site in Toulouse focuses on the design and manufacture of hard and soft tooling. Another attractive inclusion is a UK-based distribution business, Med-Lab, which trades in aircraft engine overhaul consumables and fuel testing instruments.