Spandex has consolidated its position in the Australasian market with the acquisition of two Australian suppliers: Plas Image and Qualsign. Both companies will continue to operate under their current names for the next year and a half while the transition takes place.

Plas Image, based in Sydney, is a distributor of rigid materials and digital media, while Qualsign, which hails from Perth, currently supplies aluminium sheets, cut vinyl and digital media. The takeover is an extension of Qualsign's already established relationship with the Spandex reseller channel.

"In today's business environment, we cannot stand still," states Alex McClelland, managing director and vice-president of Spandex Asia-Pacific. "Real quality opportunities for acquisition do not come along that often and we were fortunate to find two this year that offered expansion into new product areas and adjacent markets. The addition of highly experienced industry people is another positive as we begin the task of integration.

"While there are some inevitable parallels in our customer bases, for the main part, Plas Image and Qualsign bring new products that Spandex did not previously offer," he continues. "We are delighted with these acquisitions and welcome staff and customers alike into the Spandex family."