Adal Group has acquired a specialist metal cladding panel supplier - Guilform - with backing from Lloyds TSB Commercial Finance, which providing GBP 5 million of asset based lending facilities.

Adal Group ('Adal') has acquired specialist metal cladding panel supplier Guilform, substantially increasing its presence in the market place. The deal further cements the Group's position as the largest specialist aluminium extruder in the UK. Adal Group is a manufacturing and technology company with UK factories in Essex and Hertfordshire, but it is publicly listed in the USA and has an office in New York.

Established in 2003, the company was formed to bring together a range of outstanding added-value aluminium manufacturers and products to meet all aluminium needs from one source.

It has significantly expanded over recent years due to a number of acquisitions, including Seco Aluminium and WHJ Fagg.

Its acquisition this year of St Albans-based Guilform will help Adal develop a profitable range of architectural products and increase its presence in the USA.

As with the previous acquisitions, Adal received backing from Lloyds TSB Commercial Finance, who funded the acquisition by providing GBP 5 million of asset based lending facilities.

Nicholas A Shrager, chairman and CEO of the Adal Group, says, 'Guilform is a leading supplier of aluminium based architectural products, and we are delighted that they are now part of the Adal family.

In addition to our acquisitions of Seco and WHJ Fagg, we hope to use this strength to expand into the USA.

We feel that the time is right for Adal to attack the US market, having become a US public company in 2004.' On Adal's relationship with Lloyds TSB Commercial Finance, Shrager enthused, 'We like to think of Lloyds TSB Commercial Finance as being partners in our business.

When trusting someone with an important aspect of your business such as funding, it is imperative that you have a strong, dependable relationship, and we absolutely have that with Lloyds TSB Commercial Finance.

We have worked with them for a long time and established a good rapport, and, as we grow, I am sure our partnership will continue to flourish.' Commenting on the acquisition, Mike Whitby, senior client manager at Lloyds TSB Commercial Finance said, 'We have worked with the Adal Group for a number of years now, and have financed all of their acquisitions.

We have an excellent relationship with the Adal team.

It is a well-structured and ambitious group and we have been able to assist them by offering facilities tailored to their debtor, stock and machinery assets.

With our offices in Germany and New York we are well placed to help them to achieve their international growth plans.' * About Lloyds TSB - Lloyds TSB Commercial Finance is a UK specialist in the provision of asset based finance.

The company tailors financial solutions to individual businesses and helps clients maximise the cash available against all their assets.