Explaining the rationale behind the move Glyn Williams, chairman of the Berwin Group, said in a statement, "Due to the continuing high demands of our PVC and rubber customers and the ever increasing requirement for more efficient and modern plant we have decided to focus all our resources on the rubber and silicone compounding side of our business. After 42 years in the PVC market this was not an easy step to take. However, we are confident that in choosing Dugdale Plc as a partner our PVC customers will be in safe hands and all their demands and expectations going forward will be met." 

Dave Outen, managing director of Dugdale, called the acquisition "a good fit." The flexible PVC compounds manufactured by Berwin at its Dukinfield, Cheshire plant range in hardness from 35 to 99 Shore A. The portfolio of products includes PVC alloys such as PVC/NBR and PVC/PU, with these supplied to processors who service the automotive, oil, medical, building/construction and engineering industries.

Dugdale is targeting a double-figure increase in volume output over the next 12 months. Central to the strategy is a new battenfeld-cincinnati 2-107-22V twin-screw compounding line that it commissioned in July 2010. The new line will be used to produce new flexible PVC compounds, including the additional grades from Berwin, and raises the number of compounding lines at Dugdale to eight.