Seco Tools, a division of Sandvik Machining Solutions, agreed to acquire Kunshan Ousike Precision Tools (OSK), a Chinese supplier of solid carbide round tools. The deal is expected to close in the first half of 2019.

INVENT Umwelt- und Verfahrenstechnik took over the Erzhausen-based company Geppert Rührtechnik GmbH and founded INVENT Industrial Mixing Systems GmbH, expanding its portfolio into industrial mixing products. The deal was reported in 2016.

Gas boiler maker Remeha announced it is taking over Dutch heat pump specialist Techneco, which will continue as an independent subsidiary. The deal is aimed at making Remeha a market leader in heat pumps.

Liberty House Industries is in advanced talks to acquire two steel and aluminium assets in the UAE, aiming to expand its Middle East presence. No deal value disclosed.

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

Sika has completed the acquisition of King Packaged Materials Company, a Canadian manufacturer of dry shotcrete, mortars and concrete solutions, with annual sales of CHF 61 million and 180 employees.

Keystone Dental Inc. announced a merger agreement with Paltop Advanced Dental Solutions Ltd. The merger includes an additional $20 million investment from Accelmed Growth Partners, Phoenix Holdings, and Poalim Capital Markets.

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

Ostara Nutrient Recovery Technologies has acquired substantially all assets of Multiform Harvest Inc. The deal closed on Dec. 21, 2018, with payments through mid-2019.

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.

Briggs Equipment has executed a purchase agreement to acquire Hiremech, a forklift truck rental and sales company, to enhance its coverage in London and the South East of England.

Purso Group Oy, based in Nokia, Finland, has acquired the share capital of Dutch company Nedal Aluminium B.V. from Hunter Douglas. The acquisition doubles Purso's production capacity and opens new markets in Central Europe.

Samson Agro has acquired French company Pichon Industries, gaining two factories in France and Poland. The acquisition adds production capacity to Samson's existing facility in Viborg, Denmark, and addresses potential capacity constraints.

Delixi Electric Ltd., 50% owned by Schneider Electric, has acquired Zhejiang Delixi International Electric Industry Co., Ltd., a wiring device manufacturer, and Delixi Instrument & Meter Co., Ltd., a provider of tariff, power and gas meters. The acquisitions expand Delixi Electric's product offering in China.

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.

Jervois Mining Ltd. and eCobalt Solutions Inc. have reached an agreement to combine in an at-market transaction via a plan of arrangement. The merger follows the previously announced merger of M2 Cobalt and Jervois, creating a combined group with assets in Australia, East Africa and the United States.

Celanese Corporation has completed the acquisition of Next Polymers Ltd., one of India's largest engineering thermoplastics compounders, gaining a compounding facility in Silvassa, India with 10 production lines and 20,000 tonnes/yr capacity.

Epiroc has closed the purchase of Fordia, a Canadian manufacturer of exploration drilling tools, for an undisclosed price. Fordia will become part of Epiroc's Rock Drilling Tools division and continue to be based in Montreal, Canada.

Morbark, LLC completed the acquisition of Denis Cimaf Inc., a Quebec-based manufacturer of brushcutter-mulcher attachments for heavy equipment. The acquisition broadens Morbark's tree care and industrial equipment product lines.

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.

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.

The China buyout fund CITIC Capital Partners acquired a 33% stake in China Merchants Loscam, a pallet and returnable packaging pooling provider, from Sinotrans. Sinotrans retains a 45% stake. Financial terms were not disclosed.

AR Packaging Group, a Swedish packaging services provider, acquired Istragrafika, a Croatian manufacturer of cartons for tobacco, food and consumer goods, for an undisclosed sum. Istragrafika was integrated on 1 January 2019.

Rivoira and its partners purchased a 50% stake in Zeropack, a newly established Italian packaging firm set up by bioplastics company Bio-on, which will offer bioplastic packaging for fruit and vegetables.

Technical Services Corporation acquired Accelerated Development & Support Corporation on January 3, 2019. Terms were not disclosed.

Axel Johnson International's Transport Solutions business group has acquired IWRC Sp. z o.o., a Polish supplier of wire rope and lifting & lashing products, to strengthen its position in the Polish market.

InnovaSea Systems announced a definitive agreement to acquire Norway-based Nortek Akvakultur. Nortek Akvakultur will be combined with InnovaSea's Realtime Aquaculture unit to form the InnovaSea Instrumentation team.

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.

Total Safety, a Houston-based provider of integrated safety services, has acquired Pivotal Safety, a full-service safety company based in Bonnyville, Alberta. The acquisition enhances Total Safety's geographic footprint in Western Canada.

China Automotive Systems (CAAS) and Hyoseong Electric formed a joint venture, Hyoseong (Wuhan) Motion Mechatronics System Co., Ltd., to design, manufacture and sell electric motors for automotive electric power steering systems. CAAS owns 51%, Hyoseong 49%. Total investment is RMB 550 million, with a new facility planned near CAAS's Wuhan headquarters with annual capacity of 4.5 million units.

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.

Bradford Space Group acquired Deep Space Industries Inc. on January 2, 2019. Terms were not disclosed.

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.

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.

Mölnlycke acquired M&J Airlaid Products A/S, a Danish manufacturer of absorbent airlaid nonwoven materials, to improve security of supply and accelerate innovation in advanced wound care dressings.

BUA Cement merged its subsidiary Kalambaina Cement with publicly traded Cement Company of Nigeria (CCNN), after receiving approval from the Nigerian SEC and Federal High Court.

PolyOne Corporation acquired Fiber-Line, a global leader in customized engineered fibers and composite materials, for $120 million. Fiber-Line has five manufacturing locations in North America, Europe and Asia.

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.

Fortis Solutions Group, a portfolio company of Main Post Partners, acquired Infinite Packaging Group, a converter of label products previously backed by Svoboda Capital Partners. No financial terms were disclosed.

keim additec surface GmbH, a producer of water-based wax additives, was acquired by the CHT Group in 2019. The acquisition was completed in 2019, as mentioned in the interview.

ArcelorMittal and Nippon Steel's joint venture AM/NS India completed the $5.7 billion acquisition of Essar Steel India Limited, an integrated steel producer with a crude steel capacity of 9.6 million mt/year and pellet plants of 14 million mt/year.

Last year (2019), Lavango acquired CTiProcess ApS, a Danish competitor, and moved its entire operation to Klaipeda, Lithuania.

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.

Culligan International, owned by Advent, acquired Hidro Water and its subsidiary Fluxtek Europe, manufacturers of water treatment equipment in Aldaia, Valencia. The deal closed in January 2019.

LafargeHolcim acquired the precast and ready-mix concrete businesses of Alfons Greten Betonwerk in Northern Germany in January 2019, adding one precast and one ready-mix concrete plant in Lower Saxony with around 100 employees.