Wet wipes manufacturer Technical Textile Services has bought competitors Whitminster International and Gloucestershire firm Klenzeen for an undisclosed sum.
The acquisition of two rival wet wipes companies has made a Greater Manchester-based business, who trade under the name Techtex, the UK’s largest independent manufacturer of high-quality cleansing wipes.
It also means the newly-enlarged business’ workforce has increased to 90, while turnover surpasses £20m. Techtex products include the Clinitex multi-purpose wipes, which are commonly found in NHS hospitals across the UK, as well as care homes, private hospitals, shops and factories.
Speaking to Manchester Evening News, Sales director David Beardsworth said the acquisition, the fourth made by Techtex in the past decade, is evidence of the firm’s strong growth. He said the buyout will enable the firm to expand its overseas sales while strengthening its relationship with current customers.
He added: “Current customers of all the companies now under Techtex should know that it is business as usual, and thanks to our combined resources, we are focused on an even keener approach to customer service, technical expertise and product quality.”
Techtex manufacture wet wipes under the Clinitex brand name. Its range of wipes extend from the dry patient wipes, to hard surface alcohol wipes, and ‘surface safe’ wet wipes which have their own special ethanol and biocidal formulation and are specifically designed for the food industry. Many of its products are used by the National Health Service.
The company operates from a modern, 70,000 sqft manufacturing and warehouse facility at the Rhodes Business Park in Middleton, Greater Manchester, which also houses the Clinitex brand.
Klenzeen limited manufactures dry wipes and impregnated wet wipes at a 32,000 sqft facility in Stroud. Some of their products are exported to mainland Europe. Whitminster International is of a similar size to Klenzeen and manufactures comparable products.
Over 3,000 tonnes of fabric pass through the Techtex warehouse every year. Aside from wet wipes, it also makes non-woven geotextiles, glass fibre filters and laminated boot materials.
Reporting by Harry Wise
