R-O-M Corp. has announced the acquisition of Bustin Industrial Products from MW Supply Inc. of Glen Rose, Texas. Bustin, based in East Stroudsburg, Pa., manufactures truck and trailer access products such as walk ramps, steps, ladders and platforms, as well as industrial safety access solutions that include crossovers, servicing platforms, ladders, handrails and work stands.
MW Supply will return to its roots as a manufacturer of cargo control solutions and will continue to distribute safety access solutions as a value added reseller for R-O-M and Bustin products. Terms of the acquisition were not announced.
“We’ve always had a great deal of respect for Bustin’s high-quality, safety-focused products in the truck and trailer marketplace,” says Jeff Hupke, president of Belton, Mo.-based R-O-M. “Customers will quickly notice the synergies between the companies and will benefit from more robust sales and engineering teams, an expanded product portfolio and the ability to get products to market more quickly. R-O-M’s customers will also benefit from the addition of Bustin’s industrial product line, engineered-to-order expertise and 80-plus years of market leadership. Customers will be able to access the resources of both companies with one phone call.”
Mike Williams, president of MW Supply, says that as he looked to grow Bustin going forward, he came to the conclusion that R-O-M was the perfect solution. “By combining the success of both teams, the responsibility of marketing the world’s foremost safety solutions is now shared by a larger team,” Williams says. “I am convinced it is the right fit for everyone.”
While the ownership of Bustin has changed, engineering, manufacturing, sales, finance and human resources responsibilities will remain at Bustin’s Pennsylvania facility; operations at R-O-M also will remain the same. Hupke and R-O-M’s management team will oversee both operations from the Kansas City location.
“Both companies will continue to operate as they have individually,” Hupke says. “By combining, we’re able to take advantage of the strengths of both companies while enhancing resources that will allow us to grow to meet customer needs into the future. We’re excited to move forward as a company more capable of answering our customer’s needs.”
The Bustin acquisition follows R-O-M’s announcement in August that it purchased the lighting solutions product line from Havis Inc., adding emergency scene lighting products to the company’s offerings for the fire service industry. “R-O-M is focused on both organic growth and strategic acquisitions,” Hupke says. “This allows us to better respond to growing customer needs and provides them easier access to the products and solutions that make their businesses more successful.”
