Private-equity fund Wynnchurch Capital L.P. acquired the assets of Texas-based Western Forge & Flange Co. for an undisclosed price, adding it to the portfolio of forging and machining operations it has assembled in recent months. Western Forge, Cleveland, TX, produces forgings and flanges used in petrochemical and nuclear power operations, and for defense and industrial infrastructure projects.
The new acquisition will be combined with Pennsylvania Machine Works, the integrated closed-die forger of high-pressure fittings and branch connections, acquired by Wynnchurch in February.
“We are excited about the opportunities available through partnering with Penn Machine to better serve our current customers and to accelerate our growth plan,” stated Walt Pierce, CEO of Western Forge.
Pennsylvania Machine Works manufacturers high-pressure forged fittings and branch connections in carbon and stainless steels, nickel alloys, chromium-molybdenum alloys, titanium, aluminum alloys, and copper-nickel. It includes a machining operation in Aston, PA; a closed-die forging plant called U.S. Drop Forge in Swedesboro, NJ; and Penn Texas, a Houston machine shop.
Last year Wynnchurch paid $37 million in cash for two Allegheny Technologies Inc. closed-die steel forging operations in Portland, IN and Lebanon, KY. Now known as Premier Forge Group, these operations produce small forged parts in carbon, specialty alloy, and stainless steels for industrial markets, including oil-and-gas, transportation, and construction and mining industries.
In January of this year Premier Forge acquired California Amforge, a closed-die forger and ring roller.