Waukesha-based United Scale and Engineering Corp., a distributor and servicer of industrial equipment, has been acquired by Transcat Inc., a Rochester, N.Y.-based distributor of handheld test and measurement instruments.
Transcat is publicly traded under the symbol TRNS on the Nasdaq exchange. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
United Scale has grown itself through three different acquisitions previously, said Judy Trenec, president of the company.
“We contined with that thought, that we wanted to grow our business, but the (companies) we looked at in the last two to three years didn’t pan out,” she said. “We decided to go into another direction and see if a larger firm might be interested in us.”
United Scale’s approximate 2,000 customers in Wisconsin, Illinois and Upper Michigan made it an attractive acquisition, said Charles Hadeed, president, CEO and COO of Transcat. Its market position in sales and service of industrial scales and other equipment also made it a logical bolt-on to the company.
“United Scale is a well respected name and a well known provider of sales and service. This acquisition expands our product line into scales and the service of scales,” he said. “A major component of our growth strategy is to acquire smaller calibration services companies within this highly fragmented industry, which further broadens our calibration capabilities, geographically complements our current 12 calibration laboratories’ locations and capitalizes on the strength of our infrastructure and reputation for quality, service and integrity.”
United Scale and Engineering has about 30 employees. Judy Trenec, president of the company, will join Transcat and will continue to manage the United Scale operation.
“We will be basically running the business the way it always has been,” Hadeed said. “We believe that United’s similar customer-focused philosophy of earning trust and respect through value will enable a smooth and rapid integration into Transcat."
Transcat was an attractive buyer for United Scale because of its size and health, Trenec said. Transcat’s profits increased by more than 27 percent in 2009.
“We shared a lot of clients and they could see opportunities to grow,” she said. “The larger we are here, the more opportunities we have for promotions for our employees. I think we will have a good fit together.”
Waukesha-based Mertz Associates and Tim Reardon, an attorney with Reinhart, Boerner, Van Deuren S.C. represented United Scale in the transaction.
