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Reifenhäuser Group of Troisdorf, Germany (U.S. office Reifenhauser Inc., Maize, Kan.) has acquired flat-die specialist EDS GbmH of Reichshof-Wenrath, North Rhine-Westphalia. Reifenhauser is a global supplier of extrusion systems for blown and cast film, sheet, and non-wovens.

EDS will operate within the Reifenhäuser Group as a separate independent ����ý unit. Johannes P. Müller, the previous owner, will continue to run EDS GmbH, together with Uwe Gaedike, director operations at Reifenhäuser, who is also responsible for developing the components ����ý of the Reifenhäuser Group.

"EDS and Reifenhäuser complement one another excellently when it comes to design and production expertise. As an effective team, we will use and expand on our strengths together," says Bernd Reifenhäuser,Chair of the Management Board. "Both companies have a reputation for close and responsible collaboration with our customers. This means that
customers can avail of the expertise and support that they require." Adds Johannes P. Müller, Managing Director of EDS: "We are proud to now be a part of the Reifenhäuser Group. We will combine our strengths and pool our technology and production resources. This, along with a worldwide sales structure for our customers, will considerably increase our ability to
perform.”

Says Gaedike, “This take-over perfectly complements our existing expertise in die production. When it comes to die production, EDS stands for tailor-made products. Together with the Reifenhäuser production know-how we will develop a strong ����ý for the sale of first-class dies.”