strapline

10th May 2013

Bowden Precision Engineering

After 31 years at the helm, our founder and owner, Ian Barnett announces his retirement from COBA Precision Engineering. While this marks the end of a very successful and happy era, it also heralds an exciting new phase for COBA Precision and for our customers.

We are pleased to announce that COBA Precision Engineering has today (10 May 2013) been acquired by COBA International Ltd, and joins their dynamic group of manufacturing and distribution companies. This will allow us to take the COBA Precision business to the next level as we harness the facilities and streamlined systems now available to us as part of COBA.

COBA Precision will continue to trade as a business in its own right at our current Market Harborough location. Ian’s son, Paul Barnett, will still be responsible for our day-to-day operations in the capacity of Operations Director, overseeing the same valued team whom he has known and worked with for many years. Paul will work alongside the COBA Plastics management team, who are based in close proximity at COBAs headquarters in Fleckney, Leicestershire.

Speaking on his retirement, Ian Barnett says: I am proud of what COBA Precision has achieved over the years and I would like to thank our customers and our loyal team for all their support. Without doubt, the company, our employees and our customers are in very safe and capable hands as part of the COBA group, and I believe the business can now go from strength-to-strength.

As a key supplier to COBA Plastics Ltd for many years, we have already established a sound working relationship and a knowledgeable understanding of each others business. The transition will be seamless without any interruption or inconvenience to our customers, so its very much business as usual for all concerned.

Being a COBA International company brings benefits across the group through enhanced design and manufacturing solutions. Significantly, we now have access to additional design and manufacturing resources; one of the notable benefits being the range of in-house EDM machining facilities that can now be offered in addition to expanded CNC machining capabilities.

Operations Director, Paul Barnett, This is a real milestone moment for COBA Precision. While of course it is emotional to see my father retire, we are also very excited about the opportunities that lay ahead as part of the successful COBA International group. COBA now has increased capacity and access to COBAs streamlined systems for all round efficiencies. This is is positive news for both our employees and customers alike.

We are delighted to welcome our colleagues at COBA Precision to COBA, says Managing Director, Jonathan Atkinson COBA Plastics Ltd. Our ambition is to see a planned and controlled growth for COBA Precision, building on the core strengths of this business which have been developed over the past 30 years by Paul and his father Ian. We also wish Ian a very long and happy retirement.

With these additional resources, and the support of COBAs efficient business systems and management team, COBA Precision Engineering is now poised to take on new projects that had previously been unattainable. We have a bright future ahead.

ABOUT COBA International:

COBA International Ltd is the parent company to COBA Plastics, a thermoplastic manufacturing group that produces parts for interior and exterior automotive applications with facilities in the UK, Slovakia and South Africa. There is also COBA Europe, a manufacturer and distributor of one of the largest ranges of industrial work place matting and commercial entrance matting. Over recent years, having acquired Moving Edge, COBA Europe also manufactures and markets an expanding range of safety knives under the Moving Edge brand. COBA Europe has sales offices and warehouse facilities in the UK, Germany, Slovakia and South Africa. In 2010, COBA International acquired the hosing and tubing manufacturer, Copely Developments based in Leicester. As a group COBA employs in excess of 450 people and has a reputation for innovation and quality worldwide.

www.cobainternational.com

www.cobaplastics.com

www.cobaeurope.com

Telephone: +44 (0)116 240 1515