Trelleborg adds some Metso assets to marine fender unit

By Liz White, ERJ staff

Trelleborg, Sweden-Trelleborg Engineered Systems is to buy machinery and other assets from Metso Minerals' Wear Protection & Conveying business, to add to its marine fenders business. The Swedish group claims the deal will strengthen its position as, “a leading supplier of fender products and systems to harbour facilities throughout the world.”

The Metso assets will be integrated within Trelleborg's global marine fender operations, most of the equipment going into the Singapore unit that Trelleborg acquired in 2001 with its purchase of the Fentek operation, according to a Trelleborg spokesperson.

Once this integration is complete, Trelleborg said, it expects the purchase to add, “slightly more than SKr 50 million (Euro 5.5 million) to the group's annual sales. Trelleborg expects the addition to add to its earnings during 2005.

With its existing Fentek and Seaward brands, Trelleborg sees itself as one of the world's leading manufacturers of marine fenders. It achieved this position following the 2003 purchase of US grouping Seaward International Inc. of Clearbrook, Virginia, with Euro 31.5 million annual sales, and the Fentek purchase, consisting of a Euro 8-million turnover group of companies in Germany and Australia, as well as the Singapore unit.

Trelleborg said its leadership in this sector will be, “further consolidated by access to the Trellex Fenders brand.” Metso Minerals, meanwhile, which owns the Trellex Fender brand, is one of Trelleborg's major competitors in this field, along with Bridgestone Corp. and Sumitomo Rubber Industries.