Kaman Announces Acquisition of Zeller

Sept. 5, 2012
Expands Capabilities in Electrical, Automation, Engineered Systems, Including Motion Control, Machine Vision, Electrical Controls, Power Distribution

Kaman Industrial Technologies is beginning to expand its presence in electrical, automation and engineered systems with its recent acquisition of Zeller.

Industrial parts distributor Kaman announced that the company would acquire all assets and certain liabilities of Zeller, a distributor of electrical and mechanical components for industrial power, automation and control. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

Zeller is a primary distribution partner of Schneider Electric with operations located in Rochester, N.Y., Syracuse, N.Y. and Buffalo, N.Y., Foxborough, Mass. and Winston-Salem, N.C.. Zeller also represents manufacturers such as Kollmorgen, Phoenix Contact, Rittal and Sick.

"Zeller's reputation in the marketplace and its customer relationships are strong," said Kaman President Steve Smilder. "The deep engineering expertise of the acquired Zeller business coupled with Kaman's broad national reach and complementary product lines create an outstanding solution for customers."

Smilder said his company is already impressed with the quality of Zeller's management systems and operational capabilities, and looks forward to meeting additional members of its team.

"The Zeller acquisition provides us with strong positions in water/wastewater and machine builder end markets with an even balance of OEM and MRO customers," Smilder said. "The Zeller business is a great addition to our motion and automation control product platform and will help us continue to deliver quality products and solutions to our customers."

Since the transaction, nearly 240 former Zeller employees have joined the Kaman team. Kaman anticipates its 2012 sales to reach approximately $80 million.

"We are pleased to see the Zeller business become part of the Kaman team," said Zeller President Gary Haseley. "The reaction to this transaction among our employees, suppliers and customers has been extremely positive. The business is already exploring growth opportunities with customers and suppliers."