A rubber parts manufacturer whose clients include London Underground, Pepsico, Siemens and Tata has been bought by members of its management team.
J-Flex was established in 1984 by John and Jill Kirk to make rubber-based products for sectors such as aerospace, rail and pharmaceutical. Since then the business, based in Retford, north Nottinghamshire, has built a client list covering more than 50 global markets.
The buyout has been led by managing director Sam Kirk – who is the Kirks’ son – and finance director Chris Barnes. It has seen the creation of a new parent company called Clockpress Holdings, which the new owners plan to use as an investment vehicle to acquire other owner-led SMEs and grow the business further. They also hope to create new jobs.
