As temperatures have soared across much of the U.S., the pace of M&A deals among industrial distributors and manufacturers has dropped slightly.

After a rollercoaster first half to start 2023, mergers and acquisitions seem to have leveled off to begin the second half. Following the 27 deals that MDM reported in June, we highlighted just 23 in July, the smallest total of any month after March (22). When looking back as the last few years of deals, 23 is right in line with what MDM would consider a normal or health month. It’s perhaps unrealistic to expect companies to repeat the pace from earlier months like January (50 deals) and April (40), which may appear as outliners once the year winds down.

Some of the usual suspects were busy in July. Imperial Dade announced two deals in the same week, while JELD-WEN announced it had completed the sale of its Australasia business to Platinum Equity for $446 million. Beacon, Core & Main, Sonepar, Graybar, White Cup and others also announced deals during the month.

Read about all the deals from July by clicking the links below, and Premium members can download and read the 2Q 2023 M&A Report here.

July M&A:

These are the M&A announcements — primarily involving distributors, but also manufacturers that sell through the channel — that MDM covered during July 2023 (click the headline for more details):

• AD Completes Merger with The Baron Group — Affiliated Distributors (AD) closed its merger with The Baron Group, a buying group serving independent groundwater systems distributors.
• Beacon Acquires Crossroads Roofing Supply in Oklahoma — Building products distributor Beacon announced that it has completed its acquisition of Oklahoma City-based Crossroads Roofing Supply, Inc.
• CNC Supplier Bracalente Acquires Millennium Manufacturing — Quakertown, Pennsylvania-based specialty component manufacturer Bracalente Manufacturing Group announced the purchase of Millennium Manufacturing to help bolster the company’s specialized CNC milling, turning and multi-spindle manufacturing capabilities as it expands its footprint to serve the aerospace, electric vehicle, electromechanical automation and tactical markets.
• Commercial Metals Company Acquires EDSCO Fasteners — Texas-based Commercial Metals Company — a manufacturer, recycler and fabricator of steel and metal products — announced the purchase of EDSCO Fasteners LLC, a manufacturer of foundation anchor bolt cages and anchor bolts for electric transmission, substation, communications and transportation projects.
• Core & Main to Add D’Angelo Co. in Southern California — St. Louis-based waterworks and industrial supplies distributor Core & Main entered into a definitive agreement to acquire J.W. D’Angelo Co. Inc., a full-service provider of fire protection and waterworks products with three locations in Southern California.
• E-Components Maker Abracon Buys NEL Frequency Controls — Austin, Texas-based Abracon — a supplier of frequency control, timing, power, magnetics and antenna solutions —  announced that it has acquired Burlington, Wisconsin-based manufacturer NEL Frequency Controls in a move to expand its precision timing product offering.
• Electrical Connections Supplier nVent to Acquire TEXA — Global electrical connection products manufacturer nVent Electric announced that it has acquired TEXA Industries, a provider of advanced cooling technologies including industrial air conditioners and chillers.
• Electric Supply Acquires Frontier Lighting Near Tampa — Tampa, Florida-based Electric Supply Inc. announced it was continuing its expansion by acquiring Frontier Lighting, a small electrical distributor with three locations, according to Electrical Trends.
• Enerpac Tool Group Sells Cortland Industrial Unit to Tufropes — Milwaukee-based industrial tools maker Enerpac Tool Group announced July 11 that it has completed the sale of its Cortland Industrial business to Tufropes, a global manufacturer of high-performance synthetic fiber ropes and netting solutions that is based in India and has a head office in Toronto, Canada.
• Evantic Acquires Plastic Distributors and Fabricators — Houston-based Evantic — a portfolio company of Edgewater Capital Partners — announced that it has acquired Plastic Distributors and Fabricators LLC, a manufacturer and fabricator of high-precision, difficult to machine plastic components.
• Graybar Acquires Shepherd Electric Supply, Growing in Mid-Atlantic — St. Louis-based electrical, communications and data networking products distributor Graybar on July 17 announced it has completed the acquisition of Shepherd Electric Supply.
• Imperial Dade Acquires Atlantis Packaging — JanSan and foodservice supply distributor Imperial Dade on July 7 announced the acquisition of Atlantis Packaging.
• Imperial Dade Expands into Dallas, Hawaii — JanSan and foodservice supply distributor Imperial Dade on July 5 announced two new acquisitions, marking the company’s seventh and eight acquisition of the year and its first entrance into Dallas, Texas, and the state of Hawaii.
• JELD-WEN Nets $446M from Australasia Sale — Building product manufacturer JELD-WEN Holding on July 2 announced it completed the previously announced sale of its Australasia business to Platinum Equity, a global investment firm.
• KKR to Buy Protective Chemicals Maker Chase Corp. for $1.3B — Protective materials manufacturer Chase Corporation announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by an affiliate of investment funds managed by global investment firm KKR for $1.3 billion.
• L&W Supply Acquires Oswego Building Supplies — Chicago-based gypsum wallboard and building materials distributor L&W Supply Corporation announced that it has completed the acquisition of the assets of Oswego Building Supplies, a distributor of residential and commercial gypsum, metal studs and related accessories headquartered in Oswego, Illinois.
• Lockmasters Acquires Fellow Distributor Allied Locksmith — Dominus Capital, L.P. portfolio company Lockmasters, Inc. acquired Allied Locksmith Supply, a distributor of approximately 9,000 automotive and commercial locksmith products and residential key blanks & accessories.
• Meritus Gas Expands Further, Partners with Applied Gas — Meritus Gas Partners announced it has entered into a partnership with Applied Gas, Inc., an independent manufacturer and distributor of specialty gases headquartered in Danbury, Texas.
• Ohio-Based Abrasive Technology Acquires Precision Swiss — Lewis Center, Ohio-based super-abrasive grinding wheel and tool manufacturer Abrasive Technology announced earlier this month that it has acquired the Swiss machining and milling company Precision Swiss.
• Sonepar Completes Billows Acquisition — Sonepar announced that its U.S. subsidiary, Cooper Electric, had completed its acquisition of Billows Electric Supply.
• Standex Acquires Magnetics Maker Minntronix — Salem, New Hampshire-based Standex International Corporation announced that it has acquired privately-held, South Dakota-based Minntronix for approximately $30 million in cash.
• Wajax Acquires Polyphase Engineered Controls in Alberta — Wajax Corp. on July 4 announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Tundra Process Solutions Ltd., has acquired custom electrical and instrumentation equipment producer Polyphase Engineered Controls Ltd.
• White Cap Grows Concrete Capabilities with Form Tech Deal — White Cap Supply Holdings, LLC — a distributor of specialty construction supplies and safety products for professional contractors — on July 5 announced it has acquired Form Tech Concrete Forms, Inc., a provider of concrete forming and shoring rental equipment and related consumable products serving contractors through seven locations across the Southeast, Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions.

Did we miss anything? Please send M&A announcements to editor@mdm.com. We also welcome suggestions for “Behind the Deal,” our occasional series that takes a deep dive into market-shifting moves in wholesale distribution that go beyond the details shared in press releases.