Union Partners Buys Heidtman Tech Center
By
Metal Center News Staff on
Jan 17, 2018
Union Partners, Oak Brook, Ill., has acquired Heidtman Steel's Automotive Steel Technical Center located in Gibraltar, Mich.
The 9,500-square-foot facility was built in 2005 to house Heidtman's automotive technical and commercial teams under one roof. It is adjacent to Lee Steel, one of Union Partners’ portfolio companies.
Union Partners says the site will serve as a focal point of the organization's testing and research efforts, including its work with mills and OEMs to bring new advanced-high-strength and ultra-high-strength steels to the marketplace. The acquisition also provides the opportunity for future expansion to more than 150,000 square feet at the company's existing Gibraltar facility, according to the company.
"One of the biggest motivations for us in starting Union Partners was to identify and support – both financially and operationally – opportunities in the metals industry where innovation is alive and well," Union Partners founders Chris Hutter and Paul Douglass say in a joint statement.
"This testing facility deepens our commitment to the next generation of steel products. It also deepens our commitment to our mills and customers, as we all work together to understand the vast capabilities of these new materials."
In addition to the acquisition, Union Partners recently installed a Braner slitting line at the organization's Gibraltar location. This heavy gauge slitter is capable of processing hot-rolled black, hot-rolled pickled and oiled, and cold-rolled coils with mechanical properties ranging to 100,000 psi in gauges up to 0.5 inches.