Kemlite Company (Joliet, Illionois / USA; www.kemlite.com), the world´s largest manufacturer of glass reinforced plastic panels, has bought the UK company Lampro (Alton, GB - Hampshire GU34 2QF; www.lampro.co.uk) for an undisclosed sum. As a result of the acquisition, the US subsidiary of Crane Co. has formed a new company, Kemlite Ltd, to provide a base for strategic European and global growth.

Lampro, previously known as Laminated Profiles, is the UK´s only manufacturer of flat GRP sheet. It employs some 30 staff and has an annual turnover of GBP 6m. Capacity at the Alton plant will now be increased and also benefit from Kemlite´s latest technology.

Kemlite, with five production plants in the US, has over 700 employees worldwide. The main markets for its GRP panels are transportation trailers and containers, building products and components for recreational vehicles. It bought the US manufacturing facility of Filon in 1993 and acquired building products competitor Sequentia in 1998.

Brian Pickett, the former managing director and chairman of Lampro, is now operating on a part-time basis to ensure a smooth transition of the business to Kemlite. His replacement as managing director is David Pickett, who reports directly to Kemlite president Rich Schueller. He will be joined at Alton by Steve Greene, European sales manager for Kemlite Company, who was previously based at the US company´s European and international office in Cheshire. That office is now closing.