. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . inDustry neWs
Premier Aluminum Consolidates Plants, Upgrades Remaining Assets Premier Aluminum, Racine, Wis.,
has shut down casting production at its Allenton, Wis., facility and upgraded its Racine plant to compensate for the loss. Premier, which was purchased by
private equity firm Ligon Industries, Birmingham, Ala., in August 2006, had maintained the two plants since 1990. According to the company’s new presi- dent Jason Dannenberg, the Allenton plant will remain open as a tool room and storage facility, but all manufactur-
ing operations will be shifted to Racine. “We are trying to be competitive
in the global market and make sure we’re as efficient as possible by having all operations under one roof,” Dan- nenberg said. Premier added 50,000 sq. ft. to
the Racine plant about one year ago, doubling the size of the manufac- turing space to 100,000 sq. ft. The company has moved the permanent mold casting equipment previously
in the Allenton plant into the Racine expansion and added automatic fin- ishing equipment to the plant over the past 12 months. Dannenberg said that the company’s
production totals were down 20% from 2008 to 2009 but that the company is seeing a slight rebound in volume in the first quarter of 2010. “We started the expansion before
the crash and were too far along to quit, so we followed through,” Dan- nenberg said. “To stay competitive, we needed to consolidate.” Premier produces parts for the
food service, construction, gasoline dispensing, turf care and transporta- tion markets, but its main product line is pressure tight electrical cast- ings for the circuit breaker and util- ity market. Having recently won its largest ever purchase order from an overseas electrical utility customer (potentially a $1 million deal), the company is now focusing on becom- ing an international player. “We were actively looking to be
more competitive worldwide,” Dan- nenberg said. “We want to do busi- ness in [currencies] other than just the U.S. dollar.”
METAL
Watlow Batavia Bought by Equity Investor
(continued from page 9)
provide leadership and strategic management services to the metal- caster going forward. “We feel that [this] is a terrific com-
pany with great people and capabili- ties,” said Mike Flint, senior managing director of the equity group. “Our focus will be on providing exceptional service to our customers and remain- ing their supplier of choice.” According to its website, LV2
typically invests in small to lower middle market companies ($3-30 mil- lion in sales). The firm has several niche manufacturing companies in its portfolio. Its new acquisition fo- cuses on aluminum cast-in heating products for the food service, semi- conductor, medical and aerospace industries, as well as other custom industrial applications.
METAL 12 Metal Casting Design & PurChasing May/June 2010
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