Chicago-based middle-market private equity firm May River Capital announced the merger of its portfolio companies Advanced Material Processing (AMP) and Automated Handling Solutions (AHS).

AMP and AHS offer a wide range of material processing, handling equipment and aftermarket services for industries such as food and beverage, pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals and chemicals. The unified platform will be headquartered in Charlotte, NC, with additional facilities in Marion and Oskaloosa, IA; Visalia, CA; Manchester, U.K.; and Frankfurt, Germany.

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“We are excited to unite the strong management teams, complementary product offerings and commercial and engineering prowess of AMP and AHS,” May River Capital Partner Steve Griesemer said in a Jan. 15 news release. “Combining formally complementary assets such as AMP, AHS, and their respected trade brands, will allow us to better serve our customers and usher in our next phase of growth.”

AMP and AHS — consisting of the Marion, Kason, Cablevey and Spiroflow brands — have over 200 years of combined experience in material processing and handling. The companies’ range of mixers, blenders, dryers, conveyors, filling systems and control solutions is designed to automate and enhance the efficiency, reliability and hygiene of processing lines for high-value materials.