CK TECHNOLOGIES HAS BEEN ACQUIRED BY CREATIVE LIQUID COATINGS
Birmingham, Michigan – January 3, 2023 – Angle Advisors is pleased to announce that Creative Liquid Coatings Inc. (“CLC”) has acquired the assets of CK Technologies (“CKT” or the “Company”) from Cascade Engineering, Inc. (“Cascade”). Angle Advisors acted as the exclusive investment banking advisor to Cascade and CKT in completing this transaction.
CKT is one of few suppliers in North America for very-large, injection molded plastic panels and parts for commercial trucks and buses. Operating facilities in Ohio, North Carolina, and Texas, CKT provides vertically integrated services utilizing 16 injection molding presses, automated paint finishing lines, and advanced assembly capabilities. Rising inflation costs and labor shortages resulted in unrecovered costs that challenged CKT’s ability to continue operating under the status quo.
The buyer, CLC, is already a vertically integrated supplier of injection molded parts. CLC also serves the commercial vehicle and automotive industries and had previously provided outsource/overflow production as a supplier to CKT.
CKT is CLC’s second significant acquisition, since 2021, and secures new investment in CKT to sustain the business.
Stephen Geist, the President & CEO of CLC said “what was really attractive for us was the customer relationships and strategic infrastructure designed to support those customers. It is rare to find such a large concentration of large-tonnage injection molding capabilities in place.”
For Cascade, the sale of CKT represents a planned exit from the commercial vehicle components market. “We appreciate the guidance and expertise from Angle Advisors throughout this process,” said Christina Keller, CEO of Cascade Engineering Family of Companies, “Angle’s experience with companies in CKT’s delicate situation enabled us to get a deal done on an expedited basis with an optimal buyer for CKT and to look after our customers”.
Cascade Engineering is a family owned global manufacturing company based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Cascade is a leading manufacturer specializing in large tonnage plastic injection molding and provides services to a broad diversity of markets including automotive, environmental services, office furniture, and polymer compounding. As a Triple Bottom Line organization and nationally recognized innovator in sustainable business practices, Cascade exemplifies the key role business can play in building financial, social, and environmental capital. With more than 1,000 employees in the United States and Budapest, Hungary, Cascade is one of the largest Certified B Corps in the world. For more information, please visit www.cascadeng.com.
Angle Advisors, with offices in the United States, Europe, and Asia, specializes in mergers and acquisitions with a particular emphasis on the vehicular and industrial sectors. The firm’s professionals have completed 269 transactions since 2009 for multinational corporations, privately-held companies, private equity funds, and public sector clients. For additional information, please visit www.angleadvisors.com.