SAN ANTONIO, Texas—Megadyne S.p.A. has strengthened its position in the conveyor belt industry by adding a sizable Turkey-based manufacturer to its fold.
A global leader in the development, manufacture and distribution of rubber and polyurethane power transmission belts, Megadyne acquired Rultrans Transmisyon A.S. for an undisclosed amount.
Rultrans, with about $20 million in revenues, makes a wide range of polyurethane and PVC conveyor belts and operates a large factory in Izmir, Turkey, according to Thomas Tesoro, vice president of sales and marketing for Jason Industrial Inc., a Megadyne Group company based in Fairfield, N.J.
Calling it a milestone acquisition, Megadyne said the deal gives the firm a considerable competitive advantage with-in the industry and strengthens its position as a market leader of power transmission belts and conveyor solutions.
Expanding product range
Megadyne purchased Rultrans to grow and expand its range of belts while adding another factory, Tesoro said at the NIBA—The Belting Association conference, held Sept. 12-15 in San Antonio. He was joined at the meeting by Roy Pyle, vice president of business development for Jason Industrial, and two executives from Rultrans, Cam Cikurel and Jaume Freixenet. They said Rultrans, like Jason Industrial, will retain its name and continue to operate as a separate business unit by the Cikurel family, which has managed the company for 30 years.
The firm will continue to operate its plant in Turkey with its work force of about 120, Pyle said. Moiz Cikurel will remain the president and CEO of the company and has been named to Megadyne's board of directors, Tesoro said.
Rultrans' belt offerings create a new range of products for Megadyne and Jason Industrial and should further accelerate growth of the Megadyne group of companies across the globe, the officials said. Adding Rultrans to the fold also bolsters Megadyne's polyurethane line of products, they said.
The acquisition gives Rultrans much greater access to the North American market with its lightweight line of belting used by a diverse range of businesses, Cam Cikurel said. "This is a strong opportunity for us."
Jason Industrial didn't supply lightweight belting in North America previously, Tesoro said. "Now we will be the point of contact to purchase Rultrans' belts in the Americas." While Jason Industrial will market Rultrans products in the Western Hemisphere, he said, Megadyne will handle distribution elsewhere.
One of the keys to the acquisition will be adding the knowledge and abilities the Cikurel family brings to the table, Megadyne CEO Giorgio Tadolini said.
"This is a very important step in the implementation of our mission of strengthening our position as market leaders by offering, among other things, more and more complete solutions to our customers' requirements," he said.
Key markets
Included in the immediate benefits of the addition, he said, are a complete range of products that match Megadyne's current offerings and the availability of an important distribution hub for Turkey and the Middle East.
Megadyne, which was formed in 1957 as a rubber flat belt manufacturer with one factory, has expanded over the years and now operates more than 20 plants worldwide.
In 2003, it bought Carlisle Cos. Inc.'s European industrial belt business to expand its manufacturing arm and in 2007 merged with Jason Industrial to gain a large foothold in North America.
Today it's a major global manufacturer of polyurethane transmission belts for the industrial market. Its products are used in all industrial drive applications—power transmission, synchroni-zation, conveying, linear positioning and domestic applications. The firm's plants are located in the U.S., Italy, France, Germany Spain and China.
Jason Industrial, formed in 1958, makes and markets industrial rubber products and related hardware in North America.