A PLASTIC sheeting manufacturer has been taken over in a substantial deal.

Printform Plastics, a privately owned firm, has been acquired by Q Holdings, a thermoplastic sheet and packaging group, for an undisclosed sum.

The firm, based in Gorse Street, was set up in 1983 as a stockist but four years later began extruding thermoplastic film and sheet. It now supplies the packaging and printing industries and employs 32 at its site.

Following the acquisition, Printform will be partnered with Fabex Plastics of Kent - another Q Holdings firm.

The partnership will give the group nationwide coverage and a combined sheet extrusion capability of 8,000 tonnes. Graham Drake, chairman of the thermoplastics division of Q Holdings said: "Printform is an established, well-respected company. Our customer overlap is small, we share many of the same suppliers and our company philosophy of providing reliable service and good value is identical."

Ken Hardacre, managing director of Printform, said he was very happy with the new partnership.

Mr Hardacre and his wife, Val, will remain directors of Printform until they retire at the end of next year.

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