The Röchling Group has completed another step in its growth strategy. Subject to approval by the Cartel Office, the plastics specialist from Mannheim has acquired Baden-Württemberg-based medical and industrial technology provider FRANK plastic.
This move follows the recent acquisition of US-based medical technology specialist Precision Medical Products.
CEO of Röchling Group Hanns-Peter Knaebel (who is also in charge of the Medical division) said: “With this acquisition, we are continuing to pursue our growth strategy in the medical and industrial segment. FRANK plastic perfectly complements our product portfolio, our production technologies, and our customer structure.“
He went on to note that in terms of size, focus, technical expertise and cultural qualities, FRANK plastic fits very well into the network of Röchling companies. He added: “Its Waldachtal site will be the starting point for national and international success.“
BU director medical Europe for the Röchling Group Joachim Lehmann is confident that the partnership will be beneficial for FRANK plastic and the Röchling Group. He said: “With FRANK plastic, we have the option of cultivating additional client potential, especially in the growing medical technology market.“
FRANK plastic is a family company rich in tradition. It was founded in 1940 in Waldachtal near Freudenstadt in the Black Forest and was acquired in 2013 by Ferdinand Piëch Beteiligungs. In recent years, it has grown from being a provider for various industry segments to a being manufacturer that focuses on the medical segment and other select industrial segments. In the 2017 financial year, the FRANK Group had 260 employees and revenues of €32.4m.
FRANK provides medical technology for such segments as cardiology, infusions, angiography (CT/MRI), surgery and ophthalmology. The company’s industrial business supplies select segments with extrusion profiles, complex injection molding parts as well as valves, flow meters, and fittings. In the future it will work closely with Röchling Industrial.
The Medical division of the Röchling Group focuses on the areas of pharmaceuticals (primary packaging and drug delivery systems), diagnostics / patient monitoring, life sciences (dialysis and infusions) and minimally invasive surgery / interventional medicine.
Knaebel added: “FRANK’s current product portfolio is a perfect fit for this market segment and is a complement to the product portfolio of the Röchling Group.“
Thanks to development partnerships with a number of customers in years past, FRANK has reinforced its own development activities and introduced an innovation management concept. The company has also acquired significant skills in the area of regulatory affairs (certification, registration, and approval of medical products).
Knaebel said: “This regulatory expertise and current innovation management concept are essential additions to the skill set for the Röchling Group’s network of medical companies.”
FRANK plastic has been a family-managed company in the past decades and is very similar to the Röchling Group in terms of client focus.
Knaebel continued: “We firmly believe that the collaboration will work very well in cultural terms.”
CEO of FRANK plastic Christian Holzherr will continue to serve as the head of the company. He said: “FRANK plastic would not be where it is today without the great dedication of our employees. I know that we will continue to succeed on the journey with the Röchling Group.”
FRANK has impressive expertise and a broad spectrum of production technologies in the area of medical technology and industry. Injection mold manufacturing began back in 1960 and extrusion technology was added in 1970.
Back in 1980, FRANK put its first cleanroom into operations for medical production. Alongside some 70 injection molding machines, 40 of which are in an ISO 8 cleanroom, there are some 18 extrusion lines in operation. There are also a number of machining centers installed.
While the production technologies complement those of the Röchling Group, in some cases they provide key additional expertise. One example is cleanroom pipe extrusion.
As a new affiliate of Röchling Medical, FRANK plastic will be a very important part of the global corporate network for the Röchling Group.