The UK subsidiary of Germany’s Weidenhammer Packaging Group (WPG, Hockenheim; www.weidenhammer.de) has bought the plastics injection moulding business of L&D Mouldings (Hebden Bridge / UK; www.ldmouldingsltd.co.uk) for an undisclosed sum. The family-owned, trade moulding business will now be transferred to the Bradford plant of Weidenhammer UK, where a third production site for Weidenhammer Plastic Packaging is in the makings – see Plasteurope.com of 16.05.2011. All 15 L&D employees have been offered jobs within Weidenhammer UK.

Established in 1992, L&D Mouldings produces mouldings in a range of materials for the UK food and beverage industries. It has been a supplier of moulded over-caps and closures to the Weidenhammer composite can business for the last 10 years. On its 1,650m² premises, L&D currently operates a range of injection moulding machines with clamping forces of anywhere between 40-370 t, some equipped with sprue pickers and robotic arms. The company had a 2010 turnover of GBP 1.5m (EUR 1.7m).

Commenting on the acquisition of L&D Mouldings, its most important customer, Weidenhammer UK managing director David Kendall said: “The progression to continue this relationship under the roof of the composite can factory was a logical step.” Ralf Weidenhammer, CEO of WPG, said the purchase was an important step in the formation of the Weidenhammer Plastic Packaging business in the UK, adding: “The expertise of all employees and all assets of L&D will form the solid base of our future plastic business in the UK, partly for our own needs and as well for the expansion of IML containers for customers.”