FARMINGTON HILLS — RTI Biologics Inc. (NASDAQ: RTIX), a leading provider of orthopedic and other biologic implants, has announced its intent to acquire Pioneer Surgical Technology, a Beringea, LLC portfolio company based in Marquette that manufactures and distributes metal and synthetic products in the orthopedics, biologics, spine, trauma and cardiothoracic markets.
Under the terms of the merger agreement, RTI will pay $130 million in cash to acquire all the outstanding stock of Pioneer. Beringea first invested in Pioneer in 2008; the exit is the third in three months for the private equity group, which includes Beringea’s London, UK affiliate, Beringea LLP.
“We believe the combination of Pioneer and RTI will be a catalyst for continued growth,” said Daniel Webber, Pioneer’s president and chief executive officer. “The combined company will have a broad portfolio of complementary surgical implants benefiting patients, surgeons and hospitals, as well as advancing the positive momentum we have built at Pioneer. Additionally, RTI’s culture of innovation is a great fit with that of our own employees.”
RTI’s expects the transaction will enhance RTI’s existing core competency in biologics processing with the addition of Pioneer’s core competency in metals and synthetics.
“The combination of RTI and Pioneer is an exciting opportunity for both companies and their employees,” said Brian K. Hutchison, RTI president and chief executive officer. “This acquisition is strongly aligned with RTI’s long term strategic plan, accelerating new growth opportunities and gross margin expansion. Pioneer has built a strong distribution network for their implants, which will be beneficial when we launch our cellular allogeneic bone graft later this year. This acquisition will bring immediate scale, allowing us to reach our strategic goals and take advantage of growth opportunities more quickly than either company could do independently.”
