Ship engine designer and manufacturer Fairbanks Morse Defense (FMD), which is also building out its defense and commercial marine services, last Thursday acquired Fluid Filtration Specialists (FFS), a small company that provides fluid filtration and testing services for naval and commercial markets.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed. FFS, which is based in Theodore, Ala., near Mobile Bay, has 17 employees.
The acquisition is part of FMD’s strategy to position itself as turnkey services provider for shipyard, defense and commercial marine customers. Last week, Wisconsin-based FMD acquired United Kingdom-based Welin Lambie, a designer and manufacturer of davits used in shipyards and on ships to launch and recover vessels.
“Fluid Filtration Specialists has a stellar reputation for doing quality work correctly and on time, which makes it a natural fit for our turnkey service offerings,” George Whittier, FMD’s CEO, said in a statement. “Our growing shipbuilding solutions are operating on the military’s most advanced naval vessels and adding services like those provided by FFS helps us serve as a single, proven partner who knows those ships from stem to stern. This allows us to respond faster with just the right parts, services, and maintenance solutions.”
FFS, which was founded in 2018, focuses on fluid separation and cleaning systems to address maintenance and reliability concerns of heavy equipment used in systems that typically operate in challenging conditions. The company said that becoming part of FMD opens it to a larger service network to expand its business among defense customers.
FMD is a portfolio company of Arcline Investment Management.
In addition to the FFS and Welin Lambie deals, in the past 13 months FMD has also acquired naval valve manufacturer Hunt Valve, motor and control solutions provider Ward Leonard, and diesel engine repair and rebuilding service provider BRECO International.