Columbia Machine Inc., the Vancouver-based concrete products equipment manufacturer with customers in more than 100 countries, has purchased manufacturing partner Vibramolde of Brazil.
With the signed agreement, Columbia Machine do Brasil Ltda, the Brazilian subsidiary of Columbia Machine Inc., is purchasing Vibramolde’s assets, Columbia Machine said in a news release.
The company also said it has invested in a larger manufacturing and service facility. This facility more than doubles current capacity, expands warehouse space for spare parts, molds and off-the-shelf machines, enhancing Columbia’s ability to serve new and existing customers, the company said.
“Columbia has been active in Brazil for over 40 years,” CEO Rick Goode said in a statement. “This acquisition leverages our successful partnership with Vibramolde to increase our capacity to supply producers with high quality aftermarket parts, mold solutions and production machines.”
Goode also said the deal would allow Columbia “to better serve the Brazilian market with shorter lead-times and faster local support. This larger facility will also give us the space required to have demonstration machines onsite.”
Terms of the deal were not announced. The companies have been exclusive manufacturing partners since last April.
Founded in 2009, Vibramolde has grown to become a market leader in Brazil for designing, manufacturing and servicing world class mold solutions, the news release says.
“After years of hard work, we are excited about the potential this acquisition brings in terms of our ability to meet the growing demand for Columbia technology and molds for all types of machines,” Vibramolde founder and president Fabio de Andrade said in a statement. “Joining the Columbia team, in our new factory will ensure our continued growth and our position as a market leader. Vibramolde has a long history of manufacturing industry leading molds for all machines in the Brazilian market. In addition, our new facility will be a stocking house for genuine Columbia parts to service customers in Brazil.”
Established in 1937, Columbia Machine is a fourth-generation, privately held, worldwide leader in the design, manufacturing and support of factory automation equipment solutions for a variety of industries, with customers in over 100 countries around the world.
Columbia Machine employs nearly 1,000 people worldwide, 467 of whom work in Vancouver. It has manufacturing facilities on four continents. Its Vancouver headquarters are at 107 Grand Blvd., about a mile east of Fort Vancouver National Historic Site.
Primary business units include: batching and mixing solutions, concrete products equipment solutions, production equipment molds, bag filling and handling technology, mechanical palletizing machines, robotic palletizing solutions, conveyor system solutions, pallet load transfer solutions and manufacturing services.
