Acutek International Acquired by Scapa Tapes

Acutek International (Inglewood, CA), a specialty converter of disposable devices, has been acquired by Scapa Tapes (Windsor, CT). Following a year of negotiations, the companies made the announcement in a joint press conference at the Medical Design and Manufacturing West 2000 show in Anaheim, CA.

Acutek specializes in the design and production of custom pressure-sensitive adhesive components. The company has converting operations in Inglewood and in Cornamona, Ireland, with sales offices located in Inglewood and Brussels. Following the acquisition, operations will continue uninterrupted at the company's manufacturing facilities.

Scapa Tapes is a leading manufacturer of pressure-sensitive adhesive films and tapes. The company provides medical OEMs with both critical component materials and converted products. Critical component materials include coated and laminated films, foams, and fabrics. Medical applications for the company's products include wound care, device fixation, and transdermal drug delivery. The acquisition of Acutek will expand Scapa's converting capabilities to include precision rotary die-cutting with island placement, flexographic printing, and custom multilayer laminating. Markets served by these technologies include pulse oximetry, wound care, drug infusion therapy, diagnostic testing, and consumer medical devices.

Speaking at the press conference, Stuart Ganslaw, president and general manager of Scapa Tapes, said that the acquisition is a further step in establishing the company as a fully integrated global supplier of medical components. "We will now be able to do it all, from the compounding of the adhesive to the delivery of the converted product to the healthcare community," he said. The union of the adhesive compounder with a converter was described by the two companies as a milestone in the medical tape industry.

The new company will join the Scapa Medical Group and retain the name Acutek International. The company will focus its efforts on seven strategic sectors of industry, including medical tapes, a market that Scapa values at $2.6 billion. This is the eleventh acquisition made by Scapa Tapes in the past 13 years.

For more information, call Scapa Tapes at 860/688-8000.—Benjamin Lichtman

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