15 April 1999: UK-based Johnson Radley Limited announced the sale of its Cerberite hot glass handling business to Groupe Carbone Lorraine who claim to be a world-leading specialist in the manufactur…
15 April 1999: UK-based Johnson Radley Limited announced the sale of its Cerberite hot glass handling business to Groupe Carbone Lorraine who claim to be a world-leading specialist in the manufacture and application of advanced carbon materials. The business is now a division of Carbone Lorraine subsidiary Le Carbone (Great Britain) Limited, with UK sales and manufacturing departments based at Le Carbone“s plant in Stockton-on-Tees, England. According to Le Carbone, Cerberite product manager, Tony Legood, who has been involved in sales and development of the material for more than twelve years, retains the same role under the new ownership. Trevor Parkinson continues his design and manufacturing responsibilities. Commenting on the acquisition, Le Carbone (Great Britain) divisional director Steve Brady said, “As the company that manufactures the carbon/carbon composites from which Cerberite inserts are machined, we have worked closely with Johnson Radley on developing the material from its very beginnings”. According to Mr. Brady, the acquisition has exciting implications for both parties. He believes it will strengthen Le Carbone“s portfolio of high temperature industrial applications using new composite materials and give Cerberite access to the extensive research and development resources of Le Carbone. Furthermore, in Mr. Brady“s opinion, the acquisition is also good news for glass container manufacturers, who will have immediate access to advice on their hot glass handling problems through the group“s worldwide network of local sales offices. He finished by saying “Cerberite is already a world-leader in the fight against hot end damage, but we believe that its full potential is yet to be realized. Our intention is to improve established applications, develop new uses and broaden the customer base worldwide”.