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[February 2002]
Pechiney Takes Over German Tabular Alumina Company
Pechiney (Paris, France) has announced that it has acquired the German company Alufin GmbH Tabularoxid. The company specialises in the production of tabular alumina, which is mainly used in high performance refractories.It was founded in 1992 by Dieter Schlayer and employs over 40 people in its Teutschenthal plant near Leipzig. In 2000, it achieved sales of approximately 10 million euros. Its annual production capacity is currently 18,000 metric tons, with the potential to double in the short term.
"This acquisition is in line with our strategy of development in specialty alumina markets, for which we are a front-rank European player through the product range of our Gardanne plant in southern France," said Bruno Poux-Guillaume, Vice President, Bauxite-Alumina. "In the fast-growing sector of monolithic refractories, the pooling of Alufin and Pechiney's know-how will enable us to offer expertise and innovation capability that meet our customers' needs even more fully."
The specialty aluminas marketed by Pechiney under the Altech brand are intended for a wide range of industries, the main sectors being refractories, ceramics, floor tiles, enamels and polishing. Gardanne's Altech business achieved sales of 100 million euros in 2000. Its specialty alumina sales volumes have grown by 14% per annum over the past three years.
ENDS