September 6, 2010
Acquisition Watch
By Jackie Farwell
A flurry of acquisitions last month has brought three Maine companies in industries ranging from software to pet food under out-of-state ownership. Two of them now report to parent companies in Britain.
- WahlcoMetroflex Inc., an engineering and manufacturing company in Lewiston, was acquired by British firm Senior plc for $13.3 million. The company, which reported sales of $22.7 million last year, will remain under existing management in Lewiston and expects the acquisition to help it better meet rising demand for its pollution control products, according to a press release. The firm also makes flow control dampers, expansion joints and duct systems. Founded in 1972, WahlcoMetroflex was purchased in 1999 by Tennessee-based Thermatrix, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy the following year. Six local managers purchased the company and began operating it independently in 2001. Senior plc own operations in 11 countries that supply petrochemical, power generation and chemical processing facilities.
- Quantrix, a Portland-based company that makes business intelligence and modeling software, was acquired by IDBS, a British data management firm pursuing growth in the biotech and pharmaceutical industries. Founded in 2002, Quantrix and its nine employees will remain in Maine as a subsidiary of IDBS, a former Quantrix customer and investor with offices in the U.S., Europe, Australia, Japan and China. A purchase price was not disclosed.
- EnviroLogix Inc., a Portland company that tests food products and pet food ingredients, has been acquired by a Connecticut firm. Ensign-Bickford Industries Inc., located in Simsbury, announced that its subsidiary, EB Analytics, acquired EnviroLogix for an undisclosed sum, according to a press release. Founded in 1996, EnviroLogix manufactures and sells test kits that detect proteins, pathogens and chemical contaminants in plants in the agricultural and veterinary industries. The company also provides test products for genetically modified organisms used in food production.
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