Caster Concepts diversifies, buys Mitchell Golf

ALBION, Mich.—Caster Concepts Inc. has purchased Mitchell Golf Equipment Co. to further diversify the firm's product portfolio and markets it serves.

Mitchell Golf's production operation has been relocated from its site in Dayton, Ohio, to Caster Concepts' machine and tool facility in Albion, according to Caster Concepts President William H. Dobbins.

Three of Mitchell Golf's five employees have transferred to the Albion facility. Included will be Ed Mitchell, founder and CEO of the business. He will hold a key position in sales, customer service and new product development, Caster Concepts said.

An additional three employees are expected to be hired to help oversee Mitchell Golf's production and sales, the firm added.

It's the fourth acquisition Caster Concepts has made in the last five years. Financial details were not disclosed.

A manufacturer of heavy duty industrial casters and wheels, Caster Concepts is a privately held, 30-year-old company with core competencies in engineering, precision machining, fabrication and hot cast polyurethane.

It serves the industrial, automotive, food service, aerospace, material handling and other markets.

About 80 percent of the wheels the Albion headquartered company ships feature polyurethane tires, Dobbins said.

Mitchell Golf is a premiere brand in the niche business of measuring and repair of golf clubs, he said. "The manufacturing of golf equipment requires the same kind of precision machining, which fits nicely with our core competencies."

In fact, Dobbins said, with Mitchell Golf on board, Caster Concepts plans to expand several of its key manufacturing components, including engineering, design, fabrication and polyurethane production.

In addition, he noted, the company's products and markets will become more diversified, and Caster Concepts will be able to optimize the utilization of key resources, including people and machinery.

Dobbins said his firm purchases businesses that fit within Caster Concepts' manufacturing scope and provide growth opportunities for the company.

As part of its growth strategy, the firm will continue to consider possible acquisitions that fit with the company's core operation, he said.