TIK, the Kobarid manufacturer of disposable medical devices, has been acquired by Plastiflex, a multinational founded in California, US that is headquartered in Belgium.

Plastiflex acquired TIK from its most recent owner, entrepreneur Marjan Batagelj, best known as the majority owner of the operator of the world-famous Postojna Cave.

The multinational announced the acquisition in a press release on 12 March after it was initially reported by the news portal Necenzurirano. The value of the deal has not been disclosed.

Plastiflex describes itself as a world leader in the development and production of tubing systems and components for medical and industrial applications.

TIK is specialised in the production of coated urethral catheters but also produces a range of tubing systems for other applications in the field of respiratory care, gynaecology and gastroenterology.

Strategic partnership

Plastiflex says the combined entity will further extend their product portfolio in the fluid management market space and will be able to offer additional clean room production capacity in Europe, in line with the group's operational strategy of regional self-sufficiency.

The Plastiflex Group will now have 12 manufacturing facilities across the world with seven dedicated health care operations in North America (US and Mexico), EMEA (Germany, Slovenia and Turkey) and Asia (China and Malaysia).

"We are happy to reinforce our fluid management business by partnering with TIK that offers a state-of-the-art production facility and by adding urology as a new end-market within our fluid management health care vertical," Piet Gruwez, CEO of Plastiflex, was quoted as saying.

Petra Borovinšek, who stays on as TIK managing director, said they were "very happy about the further development of TIK within this strategic partnership".

Batagelj, who owned TIK through his family company Batagel&co., said joining the Plastiflex group would "make TIK stronger, commercially stable and part of the global currents in the sector of medical devices producers".

From needle maker to catheter specialist

TIK was founded in Kobarid, western Slovenia in 1951 as a manufacturer of sewing machine needles. A few years later, it started making hypodermic needles and by the late 1970s in had begun to expand production to several other disposable medical devices and tools.

It has been manufacturing different types of catheters in urology, respiratory therapy and gastroenterology as well as follicle aspiration needles in gynecology.

According to the press release issued by Plastiflex, TIK has 90 employees, clean rooms area spanning 1,500 m2 and a strong in-house R&D with complete production process done on site. It sells its products to more than 30 countries all over the world.

The company went through a difficult patch after the breakup of the former Yugoslavia, its traditional market. In late 1997 it was acquired by the Cerkno-based company Certa, which was in turn taken over by Batagelj's family business in 2017.

According to Necenzurirano, Plastiflex, a group now headquartered in Beringen, Belgium, has been owned since 2021 by the investment fund IK Partners, which is controlled by a French family.

Since its foundation in 1953, the Plastiflex Group has become one of the world's leading suppliers of components and customised tubing systems for customers in the medical and industrial technology sectors.

The group is globally active and employs more than 1,400 people across its twelve international production sites and other subsidiaries, according to the company's press release.