Birmingham private equity firm Oakland Standard Co. has assembled a new business platform combining Novi’s Temperform and the C.A. Lawton Co. of De Pere, Wisc.
The combination of Temperform and Lawton creates a multi-metal, multi-capability operation with the ability to serve a broad range of applications across a wide variety of industries and end-markets, according to Oakland Standard.
Temperform is a niche manufacturer of heat, corrosion, and abrasion-resistant castings and machined components for use in a variety of industrial applications. They produce castings from 1 to 6,000 pounds in more than 400 alloys to best suit the application.
Founded in 1879, Lawton is a manufacturer of gray- and ductile-iron castings serving the HVAC, mining, water, and paper industries, among others. Lawton produces castings ranging in size from 400 to 20,000 pounds and provides an end-to-end casting solution, from design and engineering through finishing and machining.
“As one unified front in the market, we will continue to grow and gain market share across a variety of industries,” says Alex Lawton, the current CEO of Lawton, who has been named CEO of the new business platform, and will lead the integration of the businesses and management teams.
Barry Adamski will remain president of Lawton and Blake Albritton will remain president of Temperform.
“The partnership with Alex Lawton and the rest of the Lawton team marks an exciting new chapter for the company,” says Dan Bickersteth, managing partner of Oakland Standard. “We are excited to bring these longstanding businesses together and work with the talented teams in both Michigan and Wisconsin as we continue to grow.”