California private equity firm Bertram Capital announced Monday that it has acquired Motion & Control Enterprises from Chicago counterpart Frontenac.
Frontenac acquired MCE in 2018, a year after the rebranding of longtime industrial motion and control products distributor RitterTech. Over the following eight years, the western Pennsylvania company made 27 acquisitions; it now provides fluid power, automation, flow control, rotating equipment and filtration products to customers across the U.S. from dozens of locations, and landed at no. 32 on ID’s newest Big 50 List.
Bertram officials said that the firm would support the continued expansion of MCE’s product lineup, service capabilities and geographic reach. The Bay Area-based firm also owns AFC Industries, Applied Adhesives and Safety Products Global, and previously owned Flow Control Group and NEFCO.
MCE CEO Charley Hall will continue to lead the business alongside the company’s current executive staff, who will also retain “meaningful investment” in MCE. Additional terms of the deal were not disclosed.
“MCE has successfully built a differentiated national platform with the products, application engineering and service capabilities customers rely on to keep critical equipment running,” Bertram Capital Managing Partner Kevin Yamashita said in a statement. “We have known Charley for many years and are excited to be partnering with him and the MCE team to scale the business, both organically and through acquisitions.”
“Over the past eight years, we have built MCE into a trusted technical partner for our customers and suppliers, adding capabilities through strategic acquisitions along the way,” said Hale. “Bertram stood out through its understanding of our business and its experience supporting acquisition-driven platforms.”
Frontenac Managing Partner Ron Kuehl said in a statement that MCE executed “focused value creation plan” over the past eight years and is “well-positioned for continued growth and success.”
“We are extremely proud of the success and accomplishments during our partnership,” Kuehl said.
