Weissbach, FDR—Surface specialist Benecke-Kaliko intends to further expand its industrial business, especially in North America with the proposed acquisition of The Hornschuch Group. Benecke-Kaliko is a subsidiary of international technology company Continental AG. Hornschuch is to be integrated into Benecke-Kaliko. The corporation says it is able to finance the acquisition entirely from its own liquid assets and available lines of credit. Continental, the parent of Benecke-Kaliko says both companies will operate independently until antitrust authorities approve the acquisition in the second quarter of 2017. “Together with our employees, and with the help of our financial investor, we have experienced dynamic growth in recent years,” says Dr. Hans-Hinrich Kruse, CEO of the Hornschuch Group.  “The merger with Benecke-Kaliko now offers an outstanding opportunity in terms of our future continued development in our markets worldwide.” The acquisition of Hornschuch should expand the interior business under Bruno Lehmann, Vice President in charge of the interior business unit for Hornschuch. In 2010, Hornschuch purchased O’Sullivan, a US based supplier of vinyl to the furniture industry. Lehmann had a major hand in that purchase. The purchase price for Hornschuch was not disclosed but Hornshuch sales for fiscal 2015 were over $500 million with more than 1,800 employees working at four production sites in Germany and the U.S.A. The Hornschuch Group is a manufacturer of design, functional and compact films, foam laminates, and artificial leather for the furniture and construction industries and for the automotive sector. “Hornschuch generates more than half of its sales with industrial applications. We are thereby consistently and sustainably strengthening our global business outside the automotive industry,” explained Hans-Jürgen Duensing, member of the Continental Executive Board and CEO of ContiTech AG. Benecke-Kaliko AG, part of the ContiTech division of the Continental Corporation, develops and manufactures surface materials for passenger and commercial vehicles, the off-highway sector, and other important industries at seven locations in Germany, China, Mexico, Poland, and Spain, and operates 16 international sales offices in North and South America, Asia, and Europe. The company achieved sales of approximately $700 million in 2015.