Eriks North America buys assets of rubber goods distributor Branham Corp.

PITTSBURGH—Eriks North America made good on its promise to again be a player in the mergers and acquisitions mix among distributors of rubber goods in North America.

After not making a purchase since 2015, the Pittsburgh-based distributor group closed on its second deal of the year, buying the assets of Branham Corp., a fabricator and distributor of industrial hoses, gaskets, conveyor belts and related services. In early January, Eriks acquired DeeTag Ltd., a distributor and fabricator of hydraulic and industrial hose assemblies, with two sites in Southern Ontario and one in North Carolina.

Branham was founded in 1973 in Louisville, Ky., as Branham-Mingis by the late William Branham and Stephen Mingis. It now employs more than 100 at five fabrication/distribution plants and eight sales locations covering the Midwest and Gulf Coast regions of the U.S.

The business serves a wide variety of industries, including aggregate; automotive; chemical transportation; construction; food; mining; paper, pulp and packaging; petrochemical and chemical processing; pharmaceutical; power generation; refining; and steel processing, according to its website.

"Our long-term goal has always been to deliver above-market organic growth," Eriks North America CEO Jeff Crane said in a statement. "Today's announcement is just the most recent example of the reigniting of our inorganic growth engine as well. We remain committed to the successful execution of this dual-growth strategy for years to come."

Terms of the deal, finalized Nov. 16, were not disclosed.

Branham co-Presidents Doug Branham and Steve Mingis said Eriks North America is a great fit for their company and its employees, and will set the stage for future growth.

"Leveraging the scale of ENA affords us the opportunity to take our industry leading products and services to places we could not hope to on our own," Branham said. "The future of our associates has always been top-of-mind for us and we know that the benefits offered by, and the culture that exists at ENA, will create a great place for our associates to continue their important work."

Mingis added: "At some point, every company must consider what it takes to get their organization to the next level. Doug and I knew immediately that our alignment with ENA was the perfect match for our employees and the future growth of our business."

Crain said the two co-presidents and their staff have built a strong organization that specializes in solving technical problems for their customers.

"Branham brings geographic expansion and unique product and service capabilities that align seamlessly with our commitment to delivering top-tier solutions and services to our growing list of North American customers," Crane said. "We are excited to welcome all the Branham associates to our great company and we look forward to working closely with them as we put our unique brands, capabilities and geographic reach to work together."

Eriks North America has sites throughout North America and is a portfolio company of LKCM Headwater Investments.

Prior to the Branham purchase, ENA had 65-70 locations with more than 900 employees, Crane told Rubber News earlier this year.