Coated fabrics business expands in North America

Trelleborg boosts offering with acquisition of coated fabrics specialists
Trelleborg’s engineered fabrics operation in the US, announces its acquisition of the assets and businesses of coated fabrics specialists, Uretek Archer LLC Group, comprising Uretek LLC and Archer Rubber Company LLC. This significant transaction will strengthen Trelleborg’s existing offering in rubber-coated fabrics, while broadening its range of urethane-coated fabrics.

Thomas Caldwell, Director of Sales and Marketing within Trelleborg’s engineered fabrics operation, says: “The demands placed on our coated fabrics vary depending on the application, but each solution has to meet challenging and stringent performance requirements. We place a lot of importance on constantly innovating and developing our product offering, to ensure that our materials can cater to even the harshest environments.

“It is this philosophy that drives our commitment to investment in specialist technology and expertise, which will enhance and grow our offering and meet our customers’ developing needs. Uretek Archer LLC Group has a strong level of technical knowledge, a keen focus on R&D and product development, as well as solid customer partnerships. We believe that together, we can strengthen relationships with raw material suppliers to build a stronger supply chain.”

Uretek specializes in lightweight laminated polyurethane and is a market leader in North America within this segment. Products are mainly used for inflatable applications in industries such as aerospace, medical and recreational. 

Archer specializes in rubber-coated fabrics in North America. It is a market leader in butyl-coated-fabrics and some lightweight neoprene applications, for use in slides, rafts and life vests. 

Caldwell continues: “The merged enterprise will allow us the opportunity to accelerate and build on significant innovations and broaden our material science, applications and products. In addition, the strong capital provided by Trelleborg will serve all product lines by supplying financial support for quality improvements, as well as preparing the next steps in technology development.”

Stuart Press, President at Uretek Archer LLC Group, comments: “We are delighted to announce the integration of Uretek and Archer coated fabrics technology with Trelleborg’s. We are certain that our new joint expertise and industry connections will provide customers with an enhanced portfolio of urethane and rubber products to choose from, as well as exciting new, innovative technology. We look forward to merging the Trelleborg and Uretek Archer LLC Group businesses.”

For additional information regarding the acquisition or to find out more about the product portfolio, please visit our website Engineered-fabrics.