It's just business: Manufacturing moves from Owens Corning, Antora Energy, Blue Yonder, and more

It's just business: Manufacturing moves from Owens Corning, Antora Energy, Blue Yonder, and more

March 21, 2024
In this industry roundup, learn how manufacturing companies are staying competitive through wise business decisions.

As manufacturers strive to optimize and improve profitability, they often use various business strategies to stay competitive. These actions include mergers, acquisitions, promotions, layoffs, funding, and much more. Below are just a few of the companies that are making moves and making headlines in the industrial sector.

Acquistion: De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Limited has purchased the assets and ongoing business of Field Aviation Company Inc's aircraft parts manufacturing operations located in Calgary, Alberta. The company hopes to use the acquisition to grow its manufacturing, engineering and avionics design capacity. In a recent quote, Brian Chafe, CEO, De Havilland Canada, said, "Field's Calgary operations will be integrated into our own manufacturing operations and will play a vital role in our desire to improve our in-house supply chain and ensure our customers have the parts they need, when they need them." Learn more 

Acquistion: Owens Corning has agreed to acquire Masonite International Corporation for $133.00 per share, with the transaction valued at about $3.9 billion. Owens Corning, which specializes in building and construction materials, hopes Masonite, a provider of interior and exterior doors and door systems, will expand the company’s offering of products and brands in the residential building materials sector. In a recent quote, Brian Chambers, Board Chair and Chief Executive Officer of Owens Corning, said, “The combination of our commercial, operational, and innovation capabilities allows us to accelerate our long-term enterprise growth strategy with a clear line of sight to meaningful synergies and increased cash flow generation. We look forward to welcoming the talented Masonite team to Owens Corning and working with them to deliver enhanced value to customers and shareholders.”
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Acquistion: Sandvik has announced the completion of its acquisition of GmbH. GmbH specializes in sensorised tools and automation software.
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Capital: Antora Energy has raised $150 million in a Series B funding round, which will allow the company to increase production of its thermal batteries. The round was led by Decarbonization Partners, with Emerson Collective, GS Futures, and The Nature Conservancy also participating. In a recent quote, Andrew Ponec, co-founder and CEO of Antora Energy, said, “When it comes to decarbonizing industry, we have no time to waste. We are thrilled to partner with Decarbonization Partners and all of our exceptional investors to supercharge Antora’s growth. This financing enables us to build and deploy our thermal batteries even faster, moving full speed ahead to decarbonize industry in the United States and around the world. Because our thermal batteries are factory-manufactured in the United States, this is not only an investment in Antora, it’s an investment in U.S. jobs, manufacturing, and leadership in the clean energy transition.”
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Acquistion: Blue Yonder will acquire flexis AG, a software company that specializes in production optimization and transportation planning and execution. Blue Yonder, which focuses on supply chain solutions, hopes the acquisition will help it plan and optimize customers’ complex production facilities and network structures. In a recent quote, Duncan Angove, CEO, Blue Yonder, said, “With dynamic planning and flexible order slotting and sequencing, flexis’ capabilities allow businesses to offer exemplary service to their customers, making the solution to modern manufacturing challenges as elegant as they come. flexis’ proven solutions are trusted by some of the world’s leading automotive and industrial OEM brands. Their expertise perfectly meets the ever-changing demands of today’s automotive industry which is marked by a boom in electric vehicle production, digital purchasing models, and enhanced configure-to-order customization options.”
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Acquistion: Kadant Inc. has completed its acquisition of KWS Manufacturing Company, Ltd. Kadant, a supplier of technologies and engineered systems, paid $84 million in cash for the manufacturer of conveying equipment for the bulk material handling industry. In a recent quote, Jeffrey L. Powell, president and chief executive officer of Kadant, said, “We are pleased to welcome our colleagues from KWS to the Kadant family. Our acquisition of KWS expands our respective product portfolios and enhances our internal capabilities. With our shared focus on bringing highly engineered customer solutions to process industries and our past successes working together, we believe KWS is an excellent fit with Kadant.” 
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About the Author

Alexis Gajewski | Senior Content Strategist

Alexis Gajewski has over 15 years of experience in the maintenance, reliability, operations, and manufacturing space. She joined Plant Services in 2008 and works to bring readers the news, insight, and information they need to make the right decisions for their plants. Alexis also authors “The Lighter Side of Manufacturing,” a blog that highlights the fun and innovative advances in the industrial sector. 

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