Cookson Vesuvius Buys Premier Refractories

Cookson Group plc, the parent company to the refractory specialist Vesuvius, has acquired Premier Refractories International Inc., from its parent company, The Alpine Group Inc, for $410m. The merger expands Vesuvius' offering with complimentary value-added refractory products, services and systems, making the company the largest supplier of flow-control refractory products and systems for the steel industry and a major international provider of refractory products to the glass, aluminium and foundry industries.