GRAND RAPIDS, MI—Private equity firm Auxo Investment Partners announced it has acquired Midway Rotary Die Solutions, adding deeper capabilities to Auxo’s die manufacturing platform—Bernal Rotary Dies, Atlas Die and Atlas Chem-Milling. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Midway designs, manufactures and sharpens dies for customers in the automotive, packaging, medical, food processing, tag and label, specialty and photo-cutting industries. The company also offers multi-stage heat treatment processes, cryogenic treatment, carton prototyping and technical support to craft effective, customized and long-lasting crush-cut dies.
“Combining Midway with our existing portfolio of die producers allows us to offer our customers an increasingly broad, innovative suite of capabilities, helping them to deliver superior quality and efficiency in their own businesses,” said Ken Smott, who, with this acquisition, becomes CEO of Midway Rotary Die Solutions in addition to his existing leadership duties at Atlas Die and Bernal Rotary Dies.
“It was our dream when we bought Midway in 1985 with six employees to build it into a world class organization,” said Rich Seeley, CEO of Midway Rotary Die Solutions, who will retire following the transition. “We spent the last 33 years providing the highest quality products and service in our industry, and we couldn’t be more pleased to find, in Auxo, a partner who can help our colleagues continue to grow and develop opportunities to provide further innovation and value to our customers.”
With the addition of Midway, customers now have access to a full range of die sizes, from 12-in. to larger than 100-in., involving both rotary pressure and crush-cut styles in both solid rotary and flexible dies. Midway’s addition to the platform offers an even greater range of diecutting capabilities.
“We are excited to grow our platform with Midway’s strong legacy and highly skilled, dedicated workforce,” said Auxo Managing Partner Jack Kolodny. “We look forward to helping steward Midway through the next phase of its growth by making long-term investments and enhancing its growth-related infrastructure.”
Added Auxo Managing Partner Jeff Helminski: “Midway’s addition to our cutting-die platform is the latest step in Auxo’s journey to thoughtfully and strategically align market participants. We create extraordinary value by providing a complete product offering across the entire spectrum of cutting and converting needs for customers who value technology, reliability and production efficiency. And we will continue to grow this platform organically and acquisitively with partners who share our passion for innovation and solving complex production challenges.”