SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.—The Guyson Corp. of U.S.A. has acquired all assets of Automated Blasting Systems Inc. and will begin manufacturing wet blast machines.
Guyson will move Automated Blasting Systems work-in-process machines, spare parts inventories, laboratory testing equipment, design engineering assets or intellectual property, and customer files from ABS' South Windsor, Conn., base to Guyson's headquarters in Saratoga Springs. The company said it already has begun developing wet blast machines.
Guyson President Steve Byrnes said in a news release that the company is excited about the significant expansion of its equipment offerings and the added growth potential of wet blasting technology.
"When the opportunity arose, we studied it very quickly and very carefully and decided it was quite a logical step because it would expand our product offering," said John Carson, Guyson marketing and business development manager.
The companies would not disclose financial details, but Carson said the firm invested a "significant amount" in the purchase.
Rich Gillott, Automated Blasting Systems vice president and general manager, will join Guyson in the role of product manager for wet blast systems. Gillott will be the only employee integrated into Guyson. He said ABS employed about 25 employees in its heyday.
"There would be duplication between a lot of the people between Automated Blasting Systems and Guyson," Gillott said.
Carson said Guyson expects key vendors that dealt with Automated Blasting Systems to continue to supply Guyson.
The firm traditionally only manufactured dry blasting equipment—wheel-type blast machines and automatic air blast machinery. Carson said the company has spent many years pursuing mold cleaning in the tire industry and molded rubber goods. Because of increased demand for wet blast systems in mold cleaning and surface preparation, Guyson felt the need to expand its product offering with the purchase because it never had the opportunity to develop the technology in-house.
There also is a push in the industry for environmental compliance with internal air pollution, Gillott said. Because wet blasting doesn't produce any interior air pollution, he said there should be plenty of opportunity in the future for wet blasting processes.
Guyson will market the technology to many of the industries it already serves, such as aerospace, semi electronics, semiconductors and medical opponents, according to Carson.
He said the firm rearranged some of its 80,000-sq.-ft. facility—mainly the warehouse and storage area—to install Automated Blasting Systems' products. Earlier in the summer, the company added six assembly cells to the facility.
The firm has no expansions planned in conjunction with the purchase. Carson said the process of engineering and building wet blast machines runs parallel to the process the firm already follows with its core products.
The company has added employees. In addition to Gillott's transition into Guyson, the company hired about six employees in the assembly area with some additional hiring in the engineering department.
Automated Blasting Systems was founded in 1988 and supplies the wet blast machines to the aerospace, automotive, cutting tool, electronics, metal working and other industries.
The company was formed when the Vaqua product line was purchased from Spadone Machine Co., which made the slurry-blast equipment for more than 40 years.