March was a relatively quiet month for M&A in distribution. No company or sector dominated activity, but a handful of companies on MDM's 2015 Market Leaders lists announced some key acquisitions.
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In the industrial sector, F.W. Webb Co., Bedford, MA – No. 20 on the Top 40 Industrial Distributors list and No. 8 on the Top 10 HVACR & Plumbing Distributors list – launched a water works division after acquiring Water Works Supply Corp., Malden, MA, and Londonderry, NH.
F.W. Webb Water Works Division, as it will be called, expands the company's product line to address below-ground installation, construction, maintenance and repair of water mains, sewer lines, water processing facilities, waste treatment plants and pumping stations.
Canadian distributor Wajax Corp. – parent of Wajax Industrial Components, No. 26 on the Top 40 Industrial Distributors list – agreed to acquire Wilson Machine Co. Ltd., Montreal, Quebec. Wilson manufactures and repairs precision rotating machinery and gearboxes. It has annual sales of C$6 million (US$4.5 million), and its major customers in eastern Canada align with Wajax’s existing customer base.
Lawson Products Inc., Chicago, IL – No. 34 on the Top 40 Industrial Distributors list – acquired Perfect Products Co., a Clinton Township, MI-based distributor of fasteners, bolts, nuts, clips and screws for domestic and imported vehicles.
In the electrical sector, WESCO International Inc., Pittsburgh, PA – No. 2 on the Top 25 Electrical Distributors list – agreed to acquire Atlanta Electrical Distributors, Atlanta, GA, an electrical distributor focused on the construction and MRO markets.
And in the gases & welding equipment sector, Praxair – one of the companies on the Top Gases & Welding Equipment Distributors list – acquired NOxBOX Ltd., a UK-based company that specializes in the manufacture of inhaled gas delivery and monitoring instruments for the medical market, from UK-based Bedfont Scientific Limited, an existing Praxair supplier.
Here are other key deals that occurred in March 2016:
US LBM Acquires American Lumber
A&B Valve and Piping Systems Acquires Wells Supply
Distribution International Acquires 3i Supply
Nexeo Solutions Agrees to be Acquired for $1.6B
Univar Acquires Bodine Services of the Midwest
Hi-Tech Fasteners of Canada Acquires Fasteners Division of Wesco Aircraft Canada
