Symplastics Ltd., a locally owned company for 34 years, has been purchased by a German firm, Rochling Engineered Plastics.

The deal to sell was finalized last month and Symplastics founder Bob Deans said the move was a good one for the company.

"Rochling has resources to build on, it's a very good move and something we've been building toward for a while now." Mr. Deans said.

Saying he entered into discussions with Rochling several years ago, he initially wanted to find a mechanism to expand the company through a partnership.

"My sense is it's good for the company because it opens up more opportunities then what we could accomplish on our own," he said.

Mr. Deans doesn't expect the day-to-day operations to be affected by the sale and he doesn't know of any plans by Rochling to change the name of the company.

"My son Tom will continue to run the business as the manager," he said. "It will be business as usual for employees."

The plant on Tideman Drive currently has about 140 employees, the firm having grown from an original six employees when Mr. Dean opened for business in 1973.

Symplastics provides a high quality processed thermoplastics. It began by producing products for the stationery and loose-leaf industry, which continues today. Over the years it has developed other product lines and in the 1980s it added a line to produce mud flaps and step mats for trucks.

According to its website, it has grown since then and is the "principal supplier of mud flaps to the North America's tractor manufacturing industry."

Symplastics moved into the engineered plastics market and developed "the world's first ram extruder" to make plastic sheeting,

It opened a warehouse in Missouri several years ago and both locations were included in the sale.

According to the Rochling Engineered Plastics website, together "with their world-wide subsidiaries, it is an international leader in manufacturing and machining of engineered plastics for the capital goods industry."

The company's sales are close to $440 million internationally.

In a press release, Rochling said Lewis H. Carter, general manager of Rochling's U.S. operations, based in Gastonia, North Carolina, will function as president of the new affiliation. "Together with Symplastics, Rochling Engineered Plastics will forge a strong leadership position in the North American plastics market," Mr. Carter said.

The press release described Tom Deans as continuing as "the company's Chief Operating Officer."

Bob Deans said, "We have sold a very well managed company and anticipate Symplastics will continue to contribute to the community as it has for the past 34 years."