ALTANA has acquired the operating assets of the Paul N. Gardner Company Inc. of Pompano Beach FL, USA. Within the ALTANA Group, the business will be integrated into the Instruments Business Line of the BYK Division (BYK-Gardner), and will continue to operate as Paul N. Gardner.
 
The Paul N. Gardner Company, as well as BYK-Gardner, have a common origin in the Henry A. Gardner Laboratory, founded in 1935 in Bethesda MD. Both companies are worldwide leaders in the production and sale of physical testing instrumentation and supplies for the paints, coatings, and related markets. These devices effectively assess the quality of color and gloss as well as the physical properties of coated surfaces.
 
“I can’t think of a better business combination for our customers than ALTANA,” said Paul N. Gardner Jr., president and CEO of Paul N. Gardner Company Inc. (Gardco). “I’m confident that this is the best avenue for our customers as well as our employees to take Gardco and BYK to the next level of growth.”
 
“We are extremely fortunate and happy to be able to utilize the combined strengths of BYK Instruments and Paul N. Gardner Co. Inc. to continue to provide new and innovative solutions and increased value to our combined customer base,” said BYK Instruments CEO Frank Wagner.
 
Terms of the sale were not disclosed.