The Bradford-based Ormandy Group has bought Aquatherm Sales UK - the exclusive supplier of Aquatherm plastic piping systems.
Formed in 2001, Aquatherm offers CAD prefabricated system design and off-site fabrication facilities from its Sussex headquarters.

With the addition of 20 workers from Aquatherm, Ormandy, which specialises in off site fabrication and water heating, now employs 200 people.

The Ormandy Group's managing director Paul Cooper said: 'We share a philosophy about how building services packages should be put together.'

He added: 'We have also worked together on a series of major off-site fabrication systems and this is becoming an ever more significant part of our businesses. Aquatherm pipework has been a key component of many of our most successful plant room and distribution packages.'

Paul Cooper said merging the companies would help them both to develop by bringing their design and product development teams closer together. He said Aquatherm's existing technical sales team will remain in place.

The Aquatherm staff join a group comprising-

-the Ormandy packaged solutions, water heating and offsite fabrication businesses;
-the Rycroft range of industrial and commercial water heaters;
-Hartley & Sugden boilers;
-industrial stainless steel product manufacturer Newade;
-copper and marine high duty fittings specialist Dreh.

Ormandy also includes what was formerly the Heatrae Industrial business, which was renamed Ormandy Electric Heaters.

Among the products manufactured by Aquatherm GmbH in Germany and supplied by Aquatherm UK are the Fusiotherm and Climatherm pipe systems.