Lawton integration of foundry purchased from Nidec Minster shows continued success
Minster, OH- The C.A. Lawton Co. is excited to report that integration of the former Midwest Manufacturing & Logistics within its broader foundry operations is proceeding ahead of schedule. The Ohio foundry was acquired from Nidec Minster Corporation in July to expand the capacity and capabilities of the iron casting segment of the specialty metals platform launched by private equity firm Oakland Standard Co.
Alex Lawton, CEO of the specialty metals platform, which includes The C.A. Lawton Co. as well as steel foundries Temperform and Damascus Steel, complemented Nidec Minster Corporation on the transition of the foundry segment of the Nidec business to The C.A. Lawton Co. “Our friends at Nidec have been terrific in demonstrating a true partnering spirit with us. They are an impressive company and we look forward to a long future supporting them in the many markets they continue to serve. There are two relationships developing, one between foundries and another between a foundry seller (Nidec Minster) and a buyer (CA Lawton) who do significant business together.”
Since the closing of the transaction in June, teams from each of the facilities have been exchanging ideas and business practices to dovetail the separate locations into one cohesive process. Continuous improvement events started almost immediately following the closing of the deal which joined the two iron producing foundries. “Each team learns new things every day,” commented Barry Adamski, President of The C.A. Lawton Co. “Our group has really taken this opportunity to strengthen each site with shared knowledge and experience. Daily we see examples of how geographic location is the only thing that separates these facilities. Business processes, systems and communication continue to merge with impressive results. Our team members see how much stronger we can be together than we were apart.”
The specialty metals platform will continue to leverage The C.A. Lawton Co. as a resource for growth going well beyond being just a source for iron castings. The continued goal is to safely provide high quality castings, on time, utilizing exceptional engineering and Lean Manufacturing principles.
About The C.A. Lawton Co.
The C.A. Lawton Co. was founded in De Pere, WI in 1879 and has been serving customers for five generations. The Minster, OH facility was founded in 1896. Lawton is an industry leading manufacturer of gray-and ductileiron castings serving the HVAC, mining, water, OEM equipment and paper industries, among others. Lawton’s facilities produce castings ranging in size from 20 to 40,000 pounds and provide an end-to-end casting solution, from design and engineering through finishing and machining.
About Nidec Minster Corporation
Nidec Minster Corporation a subsidiary of Nidec-Shimpo Corporation, which is part of the worldwide Nidec Corporation, headquartered in Kyoto, Japan, is a world-class supplier of equipment and services for the material forming industry providing single source total solutions for manufacturing equipment and services. The company began as a blacksmith shop in 1896 and has since grown to be the world’s premier manufacturer of precise, productive and dependable equipment. Today, Nidec Minster presses and material handling equipment are in production in more than 87 countries around the world.
About Oakland Standard
Oakland Standard is a Michigan-based private equity firm investing in lower middle market industrial businesses. The firm specializes in lower middle market recapitalizations, industry consolidations, corporate carveouts and non-core operations and family-owned businesses.