U.S. Silica purchased a former ceramic proppant facility in Millen, GA, to be converted into manufacturing high-end industrial and specialty products. Full production expected in second half of 2019.

Cree signed a multi-year agreement to supply $250 million of 150mm silicon carbide wafers to STMicroelectronics for automotive and industrial applications.

Catalent commenced a significant expansion of its biologics manufacturing operations in Bloomington, Indiana, with plans to create up to 200 new jobs by 2024 and invest over $100 million, including $14 million for packaging expansion.

Nucor Corporation announced plans to build a state-of-the-art plate mill.

Eckhart, Inc. has acquired PRI Robotics & Automation, a specialty robotic systems integrator in Plymouth, Minnesota, to expand its Industry 4.0 solutions.

Copperhead Agricultural Products will acquire RK Products of Moline, Illinois, adding gauge wheel arm and closing wheel frame pivot kits to its offerings.

Achen-Gardner Construction has merged with Emery Sapp & Sons, a civil construction firm. Achen-Gardner will retain its name and operate as a 100% employee-owned ESOP.

LB Advisors LLC has acquired Amfuel (American Fuel Cell and Coated Fabrics) in Magnolia, Arkansas, for $1.62 million in a bankruptcy-approved transaction that closed on November 30, 2018. The private equity firm plans to keep operations in Magnolia, add to the 250-person workforce, and grow the business.

Shaper Tools announced its acquisition by Tooltechnic Systems (TTS), the parent company of Festool, SawStop, and others. Shaper Tools will remain headquartered in San Francisco and continue developing its handheld CNC machine, Origin.

The US Naval Surface Warfare Center, Philadelphia Division awarded Coffin Turbo Pump of Englewood, New Jersey an indefinite-delivery contract worth $15,523,669 for up to 33 steam turbine-driven main feed pumps for LHD-1 class main propulsion boilers, with completion expected by January 2024.

Atlas Holdings acquired Saxco International, a North American value-added distributor of rigid packaging such as glass, metal and plastic containers, capsules and closures for wine, spirits, craft beer and food markets. Terms were not disclosed.

CLEARAS Water Recovery was awarded a contract by The Village of Roberts, Wisconsin to supply a 0.15 MGD Advanced Biological Nutrient Recovery (ABNR) system for its wastewater treatment facility.

SJE moved its Florida office to a new 17,500-square-foot building in St. Petersburg, Florida, which is over 80% larger than the previous location. The move provides more production space for growth.

FUJIFILM Cellular Dynamics, Inc. announced an investment of about $21 million to open a new cGMP-compliant production facility in Madison, Wisconsin, with the goal to begin operations by March 2020. The facility will support internal cell therapeutics and serve as a CDMO for iPS cell products.

Braidy Industries says its rolling aluminum mill in Greenup, Kentucky is on track to begin operations in 2021. The company has spent $15.7 million so far and plans to invest up to $500 million, with the mill producing nearly 300,000 tons of milled aluminum annually and employing about 700 people.

Automatan, LLC and Systec Conveyor Corp. merged their business operations under the new name Inspire Automation, effective Jan. 7, 2019. The merger combines their material handling equipment solutions for the corrugated industry.

Cook Medical has acquired the former RJR building in Whitaker Park, Winston-Salem, and plans to convert it into a medical device manufacturing facility. The company will move its 650 existing employees there and add 50 new jobs over 10 years.

BOMAG Americas, Inc. and Komatsu America Corp. announced a distribution arrangement for Komatsu's six company-owned dealerships to sell and support BOMAG compaction, milling, paving and reclaiming/stabilizing equipment, starting in January 2019.

Kalmar, part of Cargotec, signed a deal to supply Norfolk Southern with four Kalmar SmartPower rubber-tyred gantry cranes equipped with process automation solutions, to be installed at terminals in Chicago, Illinois and Memphis, Tennessee, with delivery by end of Q4 2019.

Oliver Printing & Packaging, a Pfingsten portfolio company, acquired DISC Graphics, a manufacturer of folding carton packaging, micro-fluted corrugated boxes and pressure sensitive labels headquartered in Hauppauge, New York. It is the platform's second add-on acquisition.

Hartfiel Automation acquired Fiero Fluid Power, a distributor of pneumatic, automation, motion control, robotics and instrumentation products with stocking locations in Denver, Colorado and Salt Lake City, Utah. The combined business will operate as Fiero Automation.

Reed's Inc. closed the sale of its Los Angeles beverage manufacturing operations, equipment and private label business to California Custom Beverage, an entity owned by its founder Chris Reed, for $1.25 million. Reed's will receive private label royalties for three years and has a three-year co-packing agreement for its glass bottled beverages.

BAE Systems announced that the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority has ordered 194 electric-hybrid buses using the BAE Systems Series-ER extended range propulsion system.

Norfolk Iron & Metal Co. acquired O'Neal Flat Rolled Metals (OFR), a North American metals service center focused on non-ferrous and carbon flat-rolled products. OFR will revert to its former name, Metalwest. The acquisition adds eight locations and expands product lines.

Homewood Holdings LLC, a portfolio company of Building Industry Partners, acquired the assets of Eagle Creek Siding LLC and Mud Bay Manufacturing LLC from their owners. Eagle Creek is a siding installer and Mud Bay a manufacturer of wood building products, both based in Olympia, Washington.

Wigwam Mills, a US sock manufacturer, plans to increase its workforce by more than 25% and invest in its Sheboygan plant, expecting strong sales growth in 2019.

Pueblo Mechanical & Controls, an HVAC services platform owned by Huron Capital, acquired Commercial Air, an Arizona-based HVAC design, installation and maintenance company. The acquisition expands Pueblo's presence in the Southwestern US.

Shingle & Gibb Automation acquired KOM Automation of Amherst, NY, an industrial distributor of factory automation components, to expand its geographical reach in Upstate New York and Northwestern Pennsylvania.

Fluid Flow, a Charlotte, North Carolina fluid management supplier, agreed to acquire Bibb Control Systems, a Georgia-based distributor of process control components founded in 1930.

Alfa Laval won an order worth about SEK 110 million to supply Niagara air cooler systems to a gas processing plant in the U.S., booked in late December 2018 with deliveries in 2019.

The Protavic Group acquired URASEAL Corp. in the United States in 2019 to strengthen its position in the electronic chemicals market.

Century Companies, Inc. acquired Fossum Materials (formerly Fossum Ready Mix), a regional supplier of gravel and ready-mix concrete based in Glasgow, Montana. The acquisition was completed in early 2019, with former owner Steve Fossum staying on to assist with the transition.

LimaCorporate announced a collaboration with Hospital for Special Surgery to establish the first hospital-based additive manufacturing facility for personalized 3D-printed implants in New York City.

Effective January 1, 2019, Ben Huffman became president and CEO of Ellwood Group, replacing David Evans Barensfeld who retired after 35 years. Huffman previously served as COO.

Stonehenge Partners has acquired PPM Technologies, LLC, a designer and manufacturer of food processing equipment headquartered in Newberg, Oregon.

Marvell Technology Inc. has signed a definitive merger agreement to acquire Lumentum for an enterprise value of $115 billion. The deal is expected to close in the first half of 2028.

Georgia-Pacific completed a $100 million, 300,000-square-foot lumber production facility in Talladega, Alabama. The plant employs over 130 people, produces 230 million board feet of lumber annually, and plans to expand to 300 million board feet per year.

IZI Medical Products, a portfolio company of Shore Capital Partners, acquired select soft tissue biopsy and breast localization needle assets from Cook Medical. The acquired products include Quick-Core Biopsy Needle, MReye Breast Localization Coil, and Kopans and X-Reidy Lesion Localization Needles.

Sandvik, through its Dormer Pramet division, has acquired Wetmore Tool & Engineering, a US manufacturer of round tools for the aerospace industry. The deal was signed and closed on January 9, 2019.

OMRON Corp. agreed to acquire 100% of OnLogic for $675 million to combine its automation with OnLogic's industrial computing expertise for edge AI applications.

Kaman Corporation agreed to sell its industrial distribution business to Little John & Co. for $700 million, to focus on its aerospace operations. The deal was reported in a 2019 review of pump and valve sector M&A.

Private equity firm May River Capital, with Longview Asset Management and Knox Capital Holdings, merged Stancor LP with BJM Pumps LLC in Q1 2019.

Franklin Electric added Milan Supply Co, a Michigan-based groundwater distributor, to its Headwater business in a US$5.9 million deal in Q1 2019.

United Rentals announced on February 15, 2019 its acquisition of the rental division of Thompson Pump. MWI Pumps' CEO commented on the deal, which involves specialty pump rental locations and their employees.

Pentair agreed to acquire water treatment company Aquion for $160 million in cash, adding its affiliated residential dealer network. Completion is expected in Q1 2019, subject to regulatory approvals.

Private equity firm Graham Partners invested in Nuconic Packaging of Vernon, California, a thermoformed PET food packaging supplier, to build a nationwide packaging platform with Tray-Pak and EasyPak. No financial terms were given.

Norafin Industries completed construction of its production facility in Mills River, North Carolina, USA in 2018, with 36 employees on 7,000 m² floor area.

Right Lane Industries acquired the specialty textiles and extruded plastics division of Schlegel Systems Inc. on December 31, 2018, renaming it Schlegel Specialty Products LLC.

The Department of Energy has awarded HPM Corp. a new seven-year Hanford Occupational Medical Services Contract valued at up to $152 million to provide services to up to 9,000 workers at the Hanford nuclear reservation.

Bead Electronics added a GF Vertical Milling Center at its Milford, Connecticut facility to expand fine pitch hard milling capabilities and reduce tool making time by half.