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Fast growing South West manufacturer Advanced Insulation has strengthened its subsea ambitions by acquiring a specialist French engineering firm.

The Gloucester-headquartered enterprise, already a leading provider of subsea products, has bought Bardot, which engineers and designs subsea umbilicals, risers, and flowlines (SURF) gear, used for connecting equipment undersea, using polymers, syntactic or steel technologies.

As part of the acquisition, a new company called AIS Bardot has been created which will operate independently but collaborate with Advanced Insulation to bring a wider range of products to both company’s customers.

To facilitate this, Greg Hue, currently global sales manager, will become country manager for France. In his new role, he will continue to lead sales for Advanced Insulation’s marine division, Plymouth-based Manuplas, whilst integrating AIS Bardot product range and solutions into the portfolio.

Mr Hue said: “Our combined strengths will help customers, achieve cost efficiencies and have access to a broader range of products and solutions”.

This acquisition comes just weeks after Advanced Insulation announced the expansion into a new unit in Gloucester to meet increasing demand for their subsea product range.

The company invested more than £8million in a new factory having signed a 10-year lease for a 65,000sq ft facility close to its º£½ÇÊÓƵ head office. It also signed a two-year lease for additional storage space close to its existing Manuplas production facility in Estover, Plymouth.

Andrew Bennion, group managing director, said: ““This acquisition perfectly aligns with our growth strategy and meets criteria that we have already set out including: technology that complements our existing business, strong customer base and the ability to leverage our effective operating model.