TPi July 2008

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newsbusiness & market
10 Tube Products International July 2008
Support for management buy-out
3i, a European mid-market private equity
company, has signed an agreement to
support the management buy-out of the
UK and Ireland Infrastructure businesses
from the Uponor Corporation.
Following successful completion
of the sale, the new business will be
named Radius Systems Ltd, and will
be a leading UK supplier of plastic pipe
systems for the underground gas, water
and telecommunications utilities.
Keven Parker, 3i buyouts partner,
commented, “ We were attracted by
the operational excellence, quality of
the product portfolio and innovation
backed by a high calibre management
team. Utilities are demanding of their
suppliers and we believe that the Radius
business will excel at meeting these
requirements.”
During 2007, the divested business
enjoyed net sales of around €170m
and employed 470 people, all of whom
transfer to the new enterprise.
Included within the sale are the
businesses of four manufacturing plants
located at Hilcote (Derbyshire, England),
Banbridge (Northern Ireland), Newton
Aycliffe (County Durham, England) and
Cork (Republic of Ireland).
Stuart Godfrey, CEO of Radius Systems,
said, “We believe the sale of the infra-
structure business provides a bright future
for our customers and our employees. We
now have a strong, UK-headquartered
business, able to concentrate all its
energy and resources on serving the
needs of our many customers in the
utilitiesmarkets. With 3i’s involvement and
experience, we will be able to capitalise
on the market prospects ahead and to
grow our international business too.”
The change will allow the manage-
ment team to maintain the company’s
position in the utilities sector and to
bring further investment to the UK and
Ireland operations to grow in response
to new opportunities. Alan Fletcher
joins the new board as non-executive
chairman.
Uponor – UK
The manufacturing facility at Hilcote, Derbyshire, is one of four plants included in the deal ▲ ▲
Mill completes ISO/TS 16949:2002
certification audit
Plymouth Tube Company is a global supplier of speciality carbon, alloy, nickel alloy, and stainless steel tubing for mechanical,
pressure, boiler, and hydraulic applications. Steel, nickel and titanium extruded and cold drawn shapes are produced by
Plymouth Engineered Shapes.
Plymouth Tube Company’s Eupora Mill has completed the ISO/TS 16949:2002 surveillance audits 3 and 4. The audits
consisted of two auditors for 1.5 days of auditing on all shifts. The Eupora Mill was established in 1985 to supply the
hydraulic tube market, and also serves the DOM tube market. Products offered include: Hydrabrite (Hydraulic J525), DOM
A 513 type 5, and processes such as short cut, end finishing and fabrication.
The aim of ISO/TS16949 is the development of a quality management system that provides for continual improvement,
emphasising defect prevention and the reduction of variation and waste in the supply chain. TS16949 applies to the
design/development, production and, when relevant, installation and servicing of automotive-related products, based on
ISO 9001:2000 which is specific to automotive production and relevant service part organisations.
With ten manufacturing plants across the US, Plymouth Tube Co is positioned for continued global growth supplying the
aerospace, transportation, energy, and industrial markets. Over the last five years, the company’s sales revenue has more
than doubled, due to market share growth and strategic acquisitions.
Plymouth Tube Company – USA