IBP, the plumbing fittings company, says that it has entered 'a new era of development' now it is under new owner, CSI Group.
The CSI Group purchased the business and assets of IBP's UK companies and the shares in the overseas subsidiaries on 15 March 2011 and a new trading company, Conex Universal, has now been established in the UK.

Most of the senior management plus the existing sales teams remain in place under the stewardship of new CEO Mano Bakhtiari who returns to the company after a successful spell with IBP from 1985 to 2007, latterly as the group managing director.

'The IBP brands of Conex and Bänninger are extremely resilient and respected and this change in ownership gives IBP significant opportunities to move forward with the help and support of industrial owners who know, understand, and value the business,' said Mano Bakhtiari, the new CEO at IBP.

'Like every company in this sector, we face significant challenges right now with difficult trading conditions, and volatile raw material prices. But our new owners have given us a fresh start and new impetus to move ahead and I am confident that our customers will soon see the benefits in the form of extensive improvements in service levels and exciting new product innovation.'

The IBP sales team in the field, including the Conex sales team in the UK and at the company's West Midlands HQ, remain in place and there will be no changes to the company's trading arrangements, offering IBP customers the reassurance of continuity, with the prospect of new products and service innovations in the pipeline.

The company plans to develop and bring to market new products and product packages to make IBP the single point for a wide range of heating and plumbing goods, such as carbon steel press fittings launched at the recent ISH exhibition in Frankfurt. This will be achieved in part by extending and expanding partnerships and relationships with key customers and suppliers.

The international IBP Group with its Conex Bänninger brands operates companies specialising is the design, manufacture and distribution of fittings for all types of pipework applications across Europe and beyond. In the UK, the company can be contacted by email at salesuk@ibpgroup.com or via the web site http://www.ibpgroup.com