The acquisition, which began in April, saw the complete relocation of Pomeroy’s operations from Coleford, Gloucestershire to Druckfarben’s Corby, Northamptonshire site. It cost Druckfarben around £300,000 in restructuring, investment and relocation costs.
Pomeroy, which was established in 1982, supplies printing blankets, pressroom consumables and chemicals to the commercial printing and packaging sectors, both in the UK and export markets.
The firm filed for voluntary liquidation in April after a period of tough trading following the loss of many of its customers that were hit by the recession.
“We were a supplier of ink to Pomeroy and I’ve known founder Derek Pomeroy for a long time. He was finding some difficulties in the marketplace during the economic downturn. His customer base in the South West had shrunk so we saw the opportunity of bringing Pomeroy into our facility in Corby,” said Druckfarben managing director Grant Penfield.
“We relocated some of the firm’s technical and key people to Corby, including Derek's son Andy Pomeroy, who is responsible for blanket converting, to maintain continuity of certain products.
“Bringing in the Pomeroy products, technology and experience in blanket converting and chemistry gives us a strong position to offer those products to our customer base. And with the Pomeroy customers that were remaining, it gives us a chance to grow the business with the Druckfarben strengths.”
Druckfarben will now sell printing and coating blankets produced in standard and bespoke sizes. It has secured an agreement with IMC to be a primary UK partner for the supply of its Perfect Dot blankets, which Pomeroy established in the UK.
The firm will also stock TyreF speciality packaging and commercial print coating blankets, press chemistry, consumables, Chemie Technik lubricants, solvents and accessories.
Crawley business Ink & Print has become the main distributor of Vegra founts and other Vegra products, which Pomeroy had previously carried, although Druckfarben confirmed that it can still source these products for its customers.
Druckfarben has 40 staff and also has sites in Poole, Leeds and Northampton. In 2009 the firm bought Shackell Edwards after the ink manufacturer fell into administration.
“The Pomeroy acquisition has been a success so far. We’re expanding and are continually looking to target new business to grow our business and our brands on a national basis,” said Penfield.
Pomeroy founder Derek Pomeroy added: “The result of the acquisition with Druckfarben is a great combination of strong brands and many years of hands on experience in the field of ink and pressroom essentials.
“The recognised quality of Pomeroy’s blanket conversion facility and packaging will further enhance Druckfarben’s reputation in the marketplace.”
