International Wire Group Holdings, Inc. (IWG)—which per its website is the largest bare copper wire and copper wire products manufacturer in the U.S., with operations in Europe—announced that it has agreed to be acquired by affiliates of Atlas Holdings LLC (Atlas) for $10.70 a share.
A press release said that IWG’s board of directors unanimously approved the transaction, and recommended that stock holders approve the deal. Atlas owns and operates 18 manufacturing and distribution businesses, with more than 17,000 employees and 150 facilities worldwide. Those sectors include automotive products and services, building materials, capital equipment, chemicals, construction, energy, equipment fabrication, industrial distribution, metals and metal fabrication, packaging and paper products.
The transaction, the release said, is also subject to approvals. If the deal goes forward, it would be expected to close early in the second quarter of 2019..
IWG, based in Camden, New York, with its subsidiaries, manufacture and market wire products that include bare and tin-plated copper wire, engineered wire products and high performance conductors for other insulated wire manufacturers and OEMs. It also has facilities in France, Italy and Poland.
Per its webpage, IWG—formed in 1995 through the combination of Wirekraft Industries and Omega Wire, joined that year by Ristance Corporation and Electro Components De Mexico—saw considerable growth in the following years. It expanded in 1996 with the addition of Dekko Wire Technologies amd Camden Wire in 1997, Spargo Wire and Italtrecce in 1998, Forissier in 1999, PD High Performance Conductors in 2006, Hamilton Products in 2008, Global Wire (Wyre Wynd, Negev, Montgomery Wire) in 2008 and Ffhoenix Cuivre in 2011.
Chroma Color Corporation (CCC) announced that it has acquired Polymer Concentrates Inc. (PCI), a privately held company that develops and manufactures color concentrates for the international plastics industry.
A press release said that acquiring PCI, based in Clinton, Massachusetts, further bolsters the manufacturing footprint of Chroma Color. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. “Over the past five decades, Polymer Concentrates Inc. has forged deep relationships with a wide range of customers in the automotive, communication technology, wire-cable, housewares, netting, packaging, and other specialty industries,” it said.
“We were very excited when we saw the opportunity to add Polymer Concentrates Inc. to the Chroma family,” said Chroma Color Corporation CEO Tom Bolger. “The company has a solid reputation in the marketplace and its facility is very close to our plant in Leominster, Massachusetts.” He added that the two companies complementary product lines, but distinctly different customer bases. “That makes this acquisition very attractive allowing us to offer a broader suite of products to the customers of both the legacy Chroma and PCI.”
Chroma Color Corporation serves multiple markets, including wire and cable. It was formed in 2018 when four well-established color concentrate companies (Breen, Hudson, Carolina, and Chroma Colors) combined their resources to form the single business entity.
TPC Wire and Cable Corp. reports that it has completed its acquisition of Canada’s Milrail, Inc., a deal that it said strengthens its position in the high-performance wire and cable market and expands Milrail’s presence in the U.S. and Mexico.
A press release said that Milrail, based in Point-Claire, Quebec, was founded in 1990, and supplies the rail, transit and military markets with wire, cable and interconnect devices. Milrail President Allan LaPlante said that being part of TPC will allow even better service to be provided.
“We’ve seen a shift in our customer’s thinking, a desire to work with larger companies with an extended reach,” LaPlante said in a statement. “Combining Milrail’s exceptional customer service and technical support with TPC’s broader commercial capabilities, allows our two companies to carry this torch into the future and throughout North America in the wire, cable and connectivity market.”
TPC President and CEO Jeff Crane said that TPC is focused on establishing the Milrail products in the U.S. and Mexican markets. “We are excited and committed to expand Milrail’s product and service reach, delivering their great tradition of quality to even more customers throughout North America,” he said in a statement.
This marks the second acquisition that TPC has made in the last two years. In September 2017, the company purchased Massillon, Ohio-based Electa Cord, a maker of of custom-molded cable assemblies, power cords, and cord sets for original equipment manufacturers.
U.K.-based Integer Research (Integer), which supplies subscription-based reports and consultancy and puts on industry events, has been acquired by Argus Media, a commodity price reporting agency.
A press release said that Integer, which was founded in 2003 by Philip Radbourne, Oliver Hatfield and Tim Cheyne, will expand the range and depth of services that U.K.-based Argus Media offers. Integer covers the wire and cable industry as well as industrial chemicals and fertilizers. While based in the U.K., it has offices in Asia and Latin America.
Radbourne, and other representatives from his company, frequently speak at industry events, including Interwire. He has also been part of numerous stories in WJI over the years, including a special joint report with WJI staff that ran in the January 2007 issue on the world’s top 50 cable companies that ran 29 editorial pages, by far the largest-ever feature.
Observed Argus Media Chairman and Chief Executive Adrian Binks, “Integer has a unique product offering and this, combined with Argus’ global reach and scale, will offer users powerful market intelligence and insight.”
“This is a natural cultural and strategic fit for Integer and we are excited to build on Argus’ existing global expertise in commodity markets and leverage its technology and platform strengths to the benefit of our customers,” said Integer Managing Director Tim Cheyne.
Argus is an independent media organization with almost 950 staff. It is headquartered in London and has 21 offices in the world’s principal commodity trading and production centers. Argus produces price assessments and analysis of international energy and other commodity markets, and offers bespoke consulting services and industry-leading conferences.
CommScope announced plans to acquire ARRIS International, a global entertainment and communications solutions provider, for $7.4 billion in what would be its largest-ever acquisition.
A press release said that once the deal is completed, “the newly combined company is expected to generate profitable growth in new markets and lead the way in wired and wireless communications.” As well as position the company to benefit from industry trends like network convergence, fibre, mobility, 5G, internet of things and the ever changing network and technology architectures.
“After a comprehensive evaluation of our business and the evolving industry we operate in, we are confident that combining with ARRIS is the best path forward for CommScope to grow and provide the greatest returns for shareholders,” said CommScope President and CEO Eddie Edwards. “CommScope and ARRIS will bring together a unique set of complementary assets and capabilities that enable end-to-end wired and wireless communications infrastructure solutions that neither company could otherwise achieve on its own. With ARRIS, we will access new and growing markets, and have greater technology, solutions and employee talent that will provide additional value and benefit to our customers and partners.”
The release said that the deal will enable the combined companies to be well positioned to capitalize on industry trends, unlock high-growth segments and increase their product-addressable market, increase product offerings and R&D capabilities, and strengthen their financial profile. “CommScope is an ideal partner for ARRIS,” said ARRIS CEO Bruce McClelland. “With CommScope, we expect to further advance ARRIS’ strategy to drive innovation across our iconic brands and pioneer the standards and pathways for tomorrow’s personalized, connected always-on consumer experience.”
In addition to the ARRIS acquisition, the Carlyle Group, a global asset manager, has re-established its ownership position in CommScope through a $1 billion minority equity investment as part of CommScope’s financing of the ARRIS deal. Of note, CommScope was spun off from General Instrument in 1997, the company to which Arris can trace back the heritage of the set-top box side of the business.
Radix Wire has been acquired by High Road Capital, a U.S. private equity fund that has completed 44 such investments in companies based in the U.S. and Canada.
A press release said that the company, which manufactures high-temperature and fire-resistant wire and cable, will now be called Radix Wire & Cable (RWC). Founded in 1944, the company’s brands include Sil-A-Blend®, DuraBlend®, DuraFlex® and the first 550°C UL-listed wire.
Per the RWC website, it uses cell manufacturing to focus complete production responsibility with specific production teams. Its wire and cable products are used for OEM, maintenance, repair and operations, and fire protection applications, with products proven to perform in temperatures ranging from 150°C to 1000°C.
The release did not cite the selling price, but it did note that High Road Capital typically backs companies with revenues between $10 million and $100 million. “Radix is well positioned for continued growth, and we look forward to supporting the company’s strong management team to execute on those growth strategies,” said Ben Schnakenberg, a partner with High Road Capital.
The release said that Radix President Steve Demko, who along with other members of the management team invested in the transaction, will continue to lead the company. It added that High Road’s investment will allow Radix to expand its product offering and add manufacturing capacity.
India’s Sterlite Tech announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Metallurgica Bresciana S.p.A (Metallurgica) for approximately 47 million euros.
Per multiple media reports, the deal, made via Italian subsidiary Sterlite Technologies SpA, was expected to close in July. Metallurgica designs and manufactures special precision optical fiber cables and specialized copper cables for various communication applications. The privately held company, which this marks its 50th anniversary, focused on specialized cabling solutions for various network applications across industry segments.
“We are delighted to sign a definitive agreement for the acquisition of Metallurgica Bresciana, which will expand Sterlite Tech’s optical fiber cabling business by augmenting our access to key European markets and adding highly complementary specialty cables to our products portfolio,” said Dr. Anand Agarwal, CEO of Sterlite Tech. “This acquisition aligns with our global supply chain strategy of having cabling facilities in close proximity to our key customers to serve their needs for next-generation networks.”
Per the Metallurgical website, the company was founded in 1968 as a producer of copper multi-tubes for instrumentation in the oil and gas sector. It expanded in 1970s to special cable assemblies and in the 1980s, it began producing low-voltage cables. In the 1990s it invested in technology to produce fiber optic cables, including the first and only linear electron beam accelerator in Italy. This advance allowed it to expand its cable range with miniaturized high temperature resistant cables for railway and industrial applications. In 2011, it opened a new production site in Ma’anshan, China for the production of cables for the local market.
RapcoHorizon, an RHC Holdings company, announced that it has finalized the acquisition of all assets of Lava Cable.
A press release said that the Lava Cable brand and its products will be supported by RHC. Mark Stoddard of Lava Cable will be joining the RHC team as the Lava Cable product specialist and will support all sales efforts of the product line. “We are thrilled to bring Lava Cable, an esteemed brand in our industry, under our umbrella of product offerings,” says Darius Seabaugh, vice president of marketing for RHC Audio. “The company’s products complement our existing offerings to the MI market and we are excited for the future of Lava as an RHC brand.”
Lava Cable products are designed to improve tone, functionality and durability, while providing unique solutions that enable musicians to enjoy playing and performing music. Since its inception in 2004, the company has been developing and producing innovative cable and accessory products for the music industry.
Lava Cable production and shipment will transition to RHC’s corporate manufacturing facilities, with minimal delays. This will allow RHC to provide the full suite of Lava products with an enhanced customer service experience and future expansion opportunities for the entire Lava Cable product line.
“Becoming part of the RapcoHorizon family takes Lava to the next level,” says Stoddard. “We are very excited about joining with RapcoHorizon, and the entire RHC company. This acquisition provides incredible opportunity for us moving forward. The expanded resources RapcoHorizon will provide will help solidify our position as an industry leader.”
RHC, located in Jackson, Missouri, manufactures of audio, video, home theater, data and telecoms interfacing products used worldwide by concert touring sound companies, video and sound contractors, recording studios, system integrators, audiophiles and musicians.
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