Pyral - an independent company since 1946 and expanded into magnetic tape production, and in later years continued to diversify into perforated magnetic film and compact audio cassettes. Acquired Rhône-Poulenc in 1973, but Pyral tapes remained less popular than the major brands, and their distribution was largely limited to Europe and, to a lesser extent, Canada. Rhône-Poulenc was nationalized in 1981, with the closure of its German and British subsidiaries. By 1985, had moved to Avranches, France, focusing on industrial and film applications. In 1990, Pyral was acquired by the Bayer group, which already owned the BASF tape brand. Bayer then acquired Agfa tapes in 1992, merging them with BASF and Pyral to form BASF Magnetics France. 22 In 1997, the company was renamed EMTEC Magnetics after BASF Magnetics was sold to the South Korean group KOHAP. Following the Asian financial crisis, EMTEC Holdings was acquired by the British investment group Legal & General Ventures Ltd. (LGV). In 2001, EMTEC Magnetics France became Pyral SAS. In 2004, Pyral was acquired by the Swiss group Panachem SA and operated as an independent company. In 2012, Pyral acquired Recording Media Group International (RMGI) and, in an attempt to revive magnetic tape production, moved production equipment from the Netherlands to Avranches, but were forced to declare bankruptcy in 2013 due to production delays. In 2015, Pyral was acquired by the French company Mulann Industries. Mulan Industries has revived the production of audio cassettes under the RecordingTheMasters (RTM) brand. In 2021, Mulann Industries was acquired by RTM Industries, a French company owned by the British investment group Bridford Group.