Injection molder and 3D printing firm Harbec Inc. has been acquired by Addman Engineering LLC, a Florida-based manufacturer specializing in highly engineered, tech-oriented markets.
Addman announced the purchase Nov. 2 and said bringing in Harbec, based in Ontario, N.Y., will expand its capabilities in plastics. Terms were not disclosed.
"Harbec's expertise with injection molding is a new capability to Addman that rounds out our company's polymer product offerings," said Addman CEO Joe Calmese. "We now have the tools that span the full product life cycle for plastics, and that's powerful.
"Furthermore, deepening our capabilities in precision machining and additive manufacturing allows us to target critical new markets, including our growing medical business," he said.
Harbec, with 160 employees, has a range of capabilities, including precision machining, metal and polymer 3D printing, and injection molding. It works in aerospace, defense, medical and high-end industrial markets and, according to its website, has 26 all-electric injection presses up to 585 tons of clamping force.
In the announcement, the companies said Addman wants to apply Harbec's green manufacturing programs in its larger organization.
Harbec, which was founded 45 years ago by Bob Bechtold, relies on wind, solar and geothermal technologies at its 110,000-square-foot facility and has been carbon- and water-neutral in its manufacturing for nearly a decade, the company said in a recent column it wrote for Plastics News.
The company has ISO 14001 and ISO 50001 certifications for environmental and energy policy. It received a 2016 Environmental Protection Agency Green Power Leadership Award, an Excellence in Sustainability Award from the Department of Commerce's Manufacturing Extension Partnership and a New York State Department of Energy Conservation Excellence Award.
"One of the main goals of Harbec is to see others adopt an environmentally conscious manufacturing approach," Bechtold said in the announcement. "Joining the Addman group helps us do exactly that across the country. We look forward to applying our sustainable manufacturing processes throughout Addman."
Addman, headquartered in Bonita Springs, Fla., was founded in 2020 by New York-based private equity firm American Industrial Partners and has made four acquisitions in the last 18 months.
AIP partner Kevin Wilken noted Harbec's green manufacturing focus in the news release.
"AIP formed Addman to modernize how Americans think about manufacturing," he said. "This acquisition expands our use of innovative technology and integrates impressive sustainable manufacturing methodologies into our portfolio."
In January, AIP bought a metals additive manufacturer, Castheon Inc., active in spacecraft manufacturing.
Earlier, it acquired Domaille Engineering, a maker of machined components for defense and aerospace industries in Rochester, Minn., and metals additive manufacturer 3rd Dimension Industrial Printing in Westfield, Ind.
The companies said Harbec General Manager Chris Piedici will remain in the job.