Watson-Marlow acquires tubing manufacturer Aflex

Watson-Marlow Fluid Technology Group has acquired Aflex Hose and its subsidiary Aflex Hose USA through its parent company Spirax-Sarco Engineering for £61.4 million (€72.8m).

Aflex, based in Halifax, England, and with a sales/assembly operation in Pennsylvania, US, specialises in the design and manufacture of PTFE lined flexible hose for the pharmaceutical, food, and chemical process industries.

Aflex is highly synergistic with, and a natural extension to, the WMFTG fluid path product portfolio and further strengthens WMFTG's already strong global presence in the biotechnology, pharmaceutical, industrial/chemical, and food and beverage sectors, the company said in a statement.

“The strategic acquisition of Aflex further broadens our fluid path product range and strengthens Watson-Marlow's position across all our major market sectors. For example in the biopharmaceutical sector we now have a complete and comprehensive product range to enable customers to source advanced products from a single trusted partner,” said Jay Whalen, president of the WMFTG.

“This is another exciting milestone for Watson-Marlow and we are looking forward to accelerating our growth with our broadened product portfolio coupled to our process expertise,” he added.

Aflex utilises patented, market-leading technology to produce PTFE-lined flexible hose for demanding applications, providing a high level of chemical resistance, flexibility, and sterility.

The company joins a fluid path product range comprising Watson-Marlow pumps, Watson-Marlow tubing, Flexicon filling systems, BioPure single-use tubing connector systems, Asepco aseptic valves, FlowSmart seals and gaskets, Alitea OEM pumps, MasoSine process pumps, and Bredel hose pumps.

Aflex founder, Rod Anderson, will continue in a technical advisor capacity and all senior management will remain.