New Berlin-based Anderson Seal LLC has been sold to Fort Wayne, Indiana-based Trelleborg Sealing Solutions, a division of Swedish company Trelleborg AB. The first day of operation as a combined firm was Sept. 8.
Anderson Seal is a family business founded in 1990 that distributes rubber seals and provides value-added services. It has an office and warehouse in New Berlin, and $17 million in annual sales. The company has about 25 employees. It is part of the umbrella company The Anderson Group, which is owned by Anderson Seal president Jennifer Hansen (see main story).
Trelleborg approached Hansen several months ago about the possibility of a sale, and she worked closely with the company to complete the transaction, she said.
The Anderson Group’s other division, Anderson Packaging LLC, ships motorcycles in pieces to plants in Brazil and India for assembly from two facilities – one in New Berlin and one in Butler. It has about 50 employees. Hansen retains ownership of Anderson Packaging and will continue to lead Anderson Seal day-to-day in the position of director, she said.
“(Trelleborg’s leaders) have requested that I continue to run the operation as in the past,” Hansen said.
Hansen’s father, Phil Anderson, founded Anderson Seal and sold it to her in 2003.
“I have been running this company for over 22 years and I’ve always said if it’s the right time and the right partner, then I would be interested in looking into the potential possibility (of selling),” she said. “They are one of the largest manufacturers of the product that I supply in the world. They are a publicly traded, very large company and they have a lot of resources that I could have access to that I wouldn’t have otherwise.”
Trelleborg Sealing develops, manufactures and supplies precision seals for critical applications in the global aerospace, industrial and automotive industries. It has 20 production facilities and more than 40 marketing companies worldwide. Its parent company has annual sales of $3.6 billion.
The company described its acquisition of Anderson Seal as a “bolt-on” deal that will enhance its delivery and service of seals, gaskets and custom-molded products for original equipment manufacturers in the automotive, hydraulic and medical/life sciences sectors.
