WAYNE, Pa.—Tekni-Plex Inc. is expanding its capabilities in specialty extruded medical tubing by acquiring Dunn Industries Inc.
Financial details were not disclosed, but Tekni-Plex said the deal, announced April 4, will enhance its capabilities in tight tolerance, small diameter medical device manufacturing. Based in Manchester, N.H., Dunn brings expertise in a wide range of thermoplastic materials—including thermoplastic elastomers and thermoplastic polyurethanes.
Going forward, Dunn will be known as Dunn Industries, a Tekni-Plex business, with former president Duane Dunn remaining with the firm as its general manager. Manchester is the firm's only manufacturing facility and all employees will transfer in the deal, Tekni-Plex confirmed in an email.
"In recent years, the medical device industry has become more global, and device companies are seeking suppliers with a broader range of solutions and services from regional manufacturing operations," Dan Lazas, senior director, sales optimization for medical components at Tekni-Plex, said in an email. "With medical tubing operations in North America, China and Costa Rica, and global commercial support, the Tekni-Plex organization provides the ideal infrastructure that will allow Dunn to remain an industry leader."
Lazas said that Tekni-Plex's Natvar business offers a comprehensive line of tubing and profiles made from polyvinyl chloride and other polymers for medical equipment, instrumentation and devices while Dunn offers medical tubing and profile solutions from a broader range of thermoplastics, including nylons, polyurethanes, polyolefins and elastomers, among others.
Applications for Dunn's products range from simple, single lumen catheters used for drainage, to complex, multi-lumen applications for coronary angioplasty and drug delivery devices. The firm offers both standard and custom-engineered tubing solutions. Its product line is also a complementary addition to the microextrusion tubing manufactured by Tekni-Plex's Natvar business unit.
"Natvar offers a broad range of tubing and profile in various sizes, material and properties, including microextrusion of extremely small diameters," Lazas said. "Dunn adds additional expertise in small diameter medical tubing to the Tekni-Plex organization, with the ability to produce tubes as small as 0.008 inches (outer diameter) x 0.004 inches (inner diameter) and as large as 0.480 inches for a wide variety of applications."
In addition to tight tolerance tubing for minimally invasive devices, Lazas said Dunn is a supplier of high-precision manufacturing cores used in the production of complex catheter tubes, used for guide catheters and other interventional devices. Dunn's core technology allows these tubes to maintain extremely tight tolerances throughout the manufacturing process.
Lazas added that Tekni-Plex's existing global manufacturing footprint will allow Dunn's technology to reach new regions. The firm operates medical tubing facilities in North America, China and Costa Rica. The firm recently invested $15 million for a new manufacturing facility in Suzhou, near Shanghai. The site will manufacture products from three of the firm's units: Natvar, Colorite and Action Technology.
"Because of Tekni-Plex's existing global manufacturing footprint, including its new production capability in China, Dunn's technology will now reach new geographic regions," Duane Dunn said in a statement. "This will help medical device companies find faster solutions and bring their products to market via reduced timelines."
Dunn Industries represents the Wayne-based Tekni-Plex's seventh acquisition in the last four years.
"Tekni-Plex already has a significant stake in the medical device market via its Colorite medical compounds and Natvar medical tubing business," Tekni-Plex CEO Paul J. Young said in a statement. "We are now looking to grow the number of solutions we provide by expanding our product offering and manufacturing capabilities. With speed-to-market a critical concern in this market sector, as well as the desire for additional support from suppliers, this acquisition will help make Tekni-Plex an even stronger partner to medical device companies around the world."