MSC Industrial Acquires Most of Metalworking & MRO Distributor Wm. F. Hurst Co.

MSC Industrial Supply — No. 9 on Industrial Distribution's 2020 Big 50 List — announced Tuesday that it has acquired a majority interest of Wm. F. Hurst Co., a fellow metalworking and MRO supplies distributor based in Wichita, KS.

Financial terms weren't disclosed for the deal, which gains MSC new locations in Wichita, Kansas City, MO and Dallas, TX. Wm. F. Hurst — which will continue to operate under its current name as an MSC company — also provides expertise and customer relationships in the aerospace market. Meanwhile, Wm. F. Hurst access to MSC's 1.9 million-plus products, inventory management and other supply chain solutions that it can now offer customers across MSC's nationwide footprint.

"One of our most important growth drivers is building on our leadership position in metalworking. This acquisition will contribute to the growth of our metalworking base and serve as a center of excellence for expanding our technical capabilities in the aerospace sector," said Erik Gershwind, MSC president and CEO. "The Wm. F. Hurst team focuses on solution selling to solve technical challenges for aerospace customers, which aligns well with our approach to helping customers solve their mission-critical challenges on the plant floor. We believe our companies are a strong match in terms of expertise, capabilities, customer focus and culture, and we are delighted to bring the Wm. F. Hurst team aboard as an important part of our growth plan."

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MSC's most recent previous acquisitions were its $86 million purchase of fastener distributor All Integrated Solutions in May 2018 and its August 2017 acquisition of metalworking distributor DECO Tool Supply, which MSC reportedly paid $42 million for.

Wm. F. Hurst owner, president and CEO John Mullen will remain in his leadership role and hold a minority interest in the company.

"We are pleased to be joining forces with MSC, a respected leader in metalworking and MRO products and solutions for 80 years. We see a strong growth opportunity to build our business by combining our technical expertise to deliver customized solutions to Wm. F. Hurst and MSC customers," Mullen said. "We look forward to extending MSC's vast MRO and metalworking products and solutions portfolio to provide even more solutions to our customers."