HANOVER, Germany—Continental Tyre Group, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Continental A.G., has acquired Bandvulc, an Ivybridge, England-based fleet management service provider and independent truck tire retreader.
In a statement on July 4, Continental said that the deal strengthened its position in the United Kingdom and Ireland markets.
Bandvulc—the dba for B.V. Environmental Ltd.—has more than 40 years of experience in hot retread and casing management, and has been allied with Continental for the past 25 years. The firm's factory at Ivybridge produces retreads in both the ContiRe and its own Bandvulc brands, and will continue to do so after the acquisition.
Annual capacity is listed at 200,000 retreads per year in more than 100 different patterns and sizes.
Going forward, further investments are planned at the factory to widen the range of ContiRe retreads produced in the U.K.
“This partnership is a logical step in the close working relationship Continental and Bandvulc have enjoyed for many years,” said David Smith, managing director of Continental Tyre Group. “Our complimentary customer portfolios and product lines mean that each area of the business is able to benefit from extensive growth opportunities with very few areas of overlap.”
According to Smith, the intention is to continue to run both businesses as they are today. The management team at Bandvulc will be staying on, including Patrick O'Connell, the current managing director.
Bandvulc was formed 1971 as Kingsbridge Tyre & Rubber Co., founded by John and Richard O'Connell. The company adopted the Bandvulc name in 1978 and two years ago restructured into two divisions—Bandvulc Plus+ covering the retreading and tire service and Bandvulc Mixing covering the custom rubber mixing side of the business.