Bertram Capital To Acquire EDI
- Published: December 30, 2010
CHIPPEWA FALLS, WI | Extrusion Dies Industries, LLC (EDI), a leading international supplier of flat extrusion and coating dies, announced its acquisition by Bertram Capital, a private equity firm based in San Mateo, CA. The parties did not disclose the terms of the transaction, which is expected to close on or around December 31, 2010.
Bertram Capital will assume ownership of EDI from a group headed by four investors who engineered a management buyout of the company in 2003. In 2008, three of the investors—Timothy C. Callahan, Christopher W. Curtin, and Ronald J. Kuhnen—assumed board member positions and turned over daily operations to an established management team headed by the fourth owner, John A. Ulcej. He will remain at EDI in a leadership position after the change in ownership.
“The management team that has been key to EDI’s success in recent years will stay in place, as will our 240 employees in the US, Europe, and Asia,” Ulcej said. Core members of the team include four VPs: Dennis S. Paradise (sales and marketing), Gary D. Oliver (technology), Gregory J. Raleigh (manufacturing), and Daniel D. Kelm (finance).
The acquisition follows a seven-year period since the management buyout in which EDI expanded at home and overseas, developed successful innovations, acquired two businesses, and experienced growth in annual sales of more than 125%, according to an EDI press release. “EDI is now stronger than ever before in its 40-year history,” said Ulcej. “Bertram Capital, with its extensive resources and commitment to helping profitable companies broaden their capabilities, will enable EDI to expand and diversify even more aggressively.”
Kevin Yamashita, a partner at Bertram Capital, added, “We are extremely excited to have the opportunity to work with the EDI team and participate in its future growth. The company is uniquely positioned in the industry through its engineering expertise, quality products, and long-standing customer relationships that are core to its ongoing success.”
EDI specializes in building and reworking flat dies, which are shaping tools used by manufacturers to produce plastic film and sheet or to apply coatings onto various substrates.