ST. LOUIS — March 20, 2012 — Forsyth Capital Investors, LLC, an investment firm targeting investments in the manufacturing and insurance services sectors, announced its third platform investment in the past twelve months through the acquisition of Baldwin Technology Company, Inc. (“Baldwin”). Baldwin is a leading global supplier of process automation equipment for the print media industry and fits squarely with Forsyth Capital’s investment model as a manufacturer of highly engineered equipment with a rich history and large installed base. The acquisition was announced on December 23, 2011 and closed on March 20th.
“Baldwin’s leading brand, global infrastructure and strong management team make it an ideal opportunity for Forsyth Capital in our core sector of equipment manufacturing,” explained Kyle Chapman, managing director and co-founder of Forsyth Capital. “We are thrilled to partner with Baldwin and believe this transaction will allow Baldwin to focus on long-term growth and value creation. Taking Baldwin out of the publicly-held realm and de-levering its balance sheet will relieve Baldwin from the short-term pressures and unnecessary costs of being public and the restrictive lending environment in which it has been operating for the past few years.”
Forsyth Capital’s model is designed to more effectively drive value to its portfolio companies by combining the positive aspects of private equity investing with the strategic operational expertise offered by Barry-Wehmiller Group, Inc., a diversified global supplier of manufacturing technology and services, which helped to launch Forsyth Capital in 2009. As with all of its portfolio companies, Forsyth Capital will play an active role in the operations of Baldwin. As part of this transaction, Kyle Chapman will serve as the new Chief Executive Officer, and Baldwin’s headquarters and corporate team will relocate to St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.A.
“Baldwin’s business model is very similar to Barry-Wehmiller’s and we have numerous proven value creation initiatives we are implementing to return Baldwin to growth,” added Ryan Gable, managing director and co-founder of Forsyth Capital. “In addition to organic growth initiatives, we believe Baldwin’s industry would benefit from consolidation, and we plan on aggressively pursuing strategic acquisitions to round out Baldwin’s product portfolio and geographic reach.”
In the past twelve months, Forsyth Capital made its first platform investment with the acquisition of Engle Martin & Associates, Inc., a national provider of commercial property and casualty loss adjusting and claims management services, and its second investment with the acquisition of Machine Solutions, Inc., a provider of process automation and testing equipment to the medical device industry. “We are fortunate to be partnered with three great companies and leadership teams in our two core sectors: Baldwin and Machine Solutions in capital equipment manufacturing and Engle Martin in insurance services,” Gable said.