Tecumseh, Mich.-based Uniloy Inc., a blow molding machine builder and mold technology company, acquired all assets of Century Die Co. LLC in Fremont, Ohio, to expand its mold lineup.
Founded in 1946, Century Die manufactures blow mold tooling for the plastics packaging industry, particularly bottles and contains for household goods, health, beauty, cleaning and automotive products.
With the acquisition, Uniloy's mold capabilities will be increased and its mold lineup will be the most comprehensive in blow molding, according to Uniloy President and CEO Brian Marston.
Terms of the deal, which closed Feb. 15, weren't disclosed.
Uniloy plans to retain Century Die's 65 employees and its 25,000-square-foot plant in Ohio as part of the Uniloy team and brand.
Mold manufacturing also will continue in Tecumseh. Uniloy has been offering molds to the blow molding industry for more than 60 years for their reciprocating screw machines, as well as shuttle PET molds and mold repairs and refurbishments.
The Century Die acquisition adds expertise and capabilities in producing blow molds for wheel, shuttle, reciprocating screw, injection stretch, injection blow and industrial processing as well as tooling for bottle handling.
"Wheel mold manufacturing will be a new added capability for Uniloy," Marston said in an email. "The Century acquisition also expands our shuttle mold capabilities and overall capacity to deliver the industries best blow molds, on-time. As far as new markets, we expect further penetration into consumer goods, like laundry, dish soap, personal care, lubricants/oil and automotive — all in addition to our leadership position in food and beverage."
Century's experience and manufacturing expertise will bolster Uniloy's position across the blow molding spectrum, Marston said.
"We can now offer customers a turnkey solution across all of our machine platforms with molds made in-house at Uniloy," he added.
Century Die had recently received a couple of industry honors. The company was recognized in 2017 and 2019 by the American Mold Builders Association for its educational efforts and work to build up the next generation of mold makers.
The acquisition also brings services and offerings that contribute to Uniloy's "aftermarket first" strategy, Marston said.
"The combined company increases capacity and adds advanced mold manufacturing capability that will reduce cost and lead-time to better serve our customers," he explained. "The benefits for the blow molding industry is unmatched services in one company, such as maintenance, processing support, parts, repairs, new controllers/IoT, training and a testing lab," the latter of which is called Uniloy University.
The acquired company has a solid, closely knit team that will be a good fit for Uniloy, according to Century Die General Manager Tim Myers.
"After meeting with Brian and the leadership team at Uniloy, I can see we share many common beliefs and synergies that will ensure a smooth and prosperous transition for those in Fremont and Tecumseh," Myers said in a news release.
Founded in 1963, Uniloy changed ownership in July 2019 after 21 years as a unit of Milacron Holdings Corp. That's when two private equity firms — Osgood Capital LLC and Cyprium Investment Partners LLC — acquired the business for $51.9 million.
Milacron had made Uniloy machines in Batavia, Ohio, and used the Tecumseh site in Michigan for aftermarket rebuilds and molds. However, now every model of Uniloy machine is built in Tecumseh.
Uniloy also has operations in Queretaro, Mexico; Magenta, Italy, which is its European technical center; Ahmedabad, India; Grossbeeren, Germany; and Polička, Czech Republic; in addition to Michigan and Ohio.