Investor group purchases United Brass Works

Randleman, North Carolina-based United Brass Works (UBW) has been acquired by Bradford Equities Management of White Plains, New York. The acquisition, which was announced by Dallas-based M&A advisor Generational Equity in mid-January 2017, was finalized in the third quarter of 2016.

United Brass Works is a 107-year-old maker of bronze, ductile iron and carbon steel valves used in a variety of applications, including for the general industrial, fire protection and sprinkler, contract cast and machined and electrical transformer sectors.

In addition to its machining operations in North Carolina, UBW's Keystone Foundry division in Erie, Pennsylvania, operates two induction furnaces for sand casting.

UBW buyer Bradford Equities Management LLC is a private equity firm founded in 1974. It describes itself as focusing on acquiring “high-quality middle-market companies in the United States in partnership with management.” The firm says it invests across a broad range of industries and favors low-technology manufacturing businesses, as well as specialty distribution companies. The company and its affiliates have acquired more than 150 companies with sales in excess of $4 billion and whose total transaction values have exceeded $2 billion.

“This was one of the more complicated transactions that I have worked on in my career,” says Generational Equity Managing Director William Hunter. “With the help and patience of [Managing Director Richard Rudolph] at Bradford, we were able to overcome all of the issues that existed.”

Mike Berkelhammer, president of United Brass Works, comments, “We attended a Generational Equity seminar a few years back. In fact, a year or so later we attended for a second time, after which we began in earnest to create a plan, objectives and goals for a transaction. I’m happy to report with Generational Equity’s help we are now about five months postclosing and have successfully executed those plans in accordance with the original objectives.”