The Huizenga Group has bolstered its capabilities in the automation sector in a deal for Madison Heights-based supplier Bulldog Factory Service LLC.
Previously a part of Madison Heights-based Santanna Tool & Design Co., Bulldog Factory Service has additional operations in North Carolina and Mexico. The company provides automated and welding systems, conveyors, design and simulation services, and workforce reduction projects and kits.
The acquisition “highlights the vision of Huizenga Group to invest in Michigan-based companies and create enduring economic growth,” Huizenga Group President Steve Klotz said in a statement announcing the deal. “It also emphasizes Bulldog Factory Service’s mission to provide high-quality customer service by delivering reliable, cost-effective solutions that exceed consumer expectations.”
Terms of the transaction were undisclosed.
A Grand Rapids-based, privately held investment firm, Huizenga Group provides management services to a diverse group of companies in tool and die, pharmaceutical packaging, machined metal parts, electrical contracting and highly engineered automotive component manufacturing.
“They are the perfect partner for us as our company continues to grow,” Bulldog Factory co-owner Joseph Newton said in a statement. “Our strategic partnership will enable Bulldog to further capitalize on its already strong customer relationships. Working with the Huizenga Group gives us the flexibility to continue meeting existing customer needs while also creating new opportunities to expand.”
Bulldog was advised by Phil Gilbert of East Bay Advisors.
The deal for Bulldog marks the second deal involving an automation company in the last five months for Huizenga Group. In April, the company acquired Grand Haven-based Churchill Technologies LLC, a designer of special purpose assembly and test equipment, as MiBiz previously reported.
As well, Huizenga Group has a history of investing in the automation sector. The company purchased Holland-based JR Automation in 1995 and later sold it in 2015 to New York-based private equity firm Crestview Partners. (In turn, Crestview sold the company in January 2020 to Tokyo-based Hitachi Ltd. for $1.425 billion.)
