Techmer PM, LLC (“Techmer PM” or “the Company”) announced today that it has received a majority investment from Gryphon Investors (“Gryphon”), a leading middle-market private equity firm. Techmer PM’s founder John Manuck, the Company’s management team, and SK Capital, a private investment firm with a focus on the specialty materials, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals sectors, will remain investors in the company alongside Gryphon. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Founded in 1981, Techmer PM is known for its development of innovative materials which add functionality to materials, including fast-growing technologies, such as composites and additive manufacturing. The Company serves customers across a diverse set of global markets serving many leading consumer products and packaging, healthcare, and building product OEMs. Techmer PM CEO Mike McHenry will continue to lead the Company, supported by the existing management team.

“The Techmer team has significantly improved the overall business performance in a very challenging market environment. We are excited by the additional support, expertise, and resources that will come from Gryphon’s investment,” said Mr. McHenry. “We have a number of commercial strategies to expand our offering and deliver first-class service to a diverse customer base, and we believe that Gryphon, alongside SK Capital, gives us additional operational and capital resources to help Techmer maximize its potential in enabling brand success for our customers.”

Techmer PM represents Gryphon’s fourth investment in the materials and chemicals sector. The firm’s previous acquisitions include Pacur, a market-leading supplier of specialty plastic packaging materials for the medical device industry; Kano, a branded penetrating oils and lubricants producer; and Vivify Specialty Ingredients, a leading provider of specialty organic colorants, functional ingredients, and additives.

“With our investment in Techmer PM, we are excited to partner with another leader in the advanced materials space,” said Craig Nikrant, Gryphon Operating Partner. “Techmer PM is at the forefront of delivering functional performance in some of the most critical and active areas of today’s economy, including weather resistance, light-weighting, and sustainable materials.”

Deal Partner and Head of the Industrial Growth Group at Gryphon Leigh Abramson added, “We see great potential for the company to grow its global reach and continue investing in technologies and capabilities that enable its customers to deliver the most innovative and complex projects. We look forward to partnering with Mike, his management team, and SK Capital as we work together to identify and pursue organic growth opportunities and strategic acquisitions.”

Techmer PM operates six production sites strategically located throughout North America, serving customers globally. It focuses on high-performance applications where quality, technical support, and problem-solving are critical in the design and delivery of engineered materials.

Piper Sandler served as financial advisor to Techmer PM in this transaction. Guggenheim Securities served as financial advisor to Gryphon in this transaction.

About Techmer PM
Founded in 1981 and based in Clinton, TN,  Techmer PM is a materials design company specializing in modifying and fine-tuning the properties of technical polymers. The company thrives on collaborating with plastics processors, fabricators, designers, specifiers, and brand owners. Drawing on a broad portfolio of resins –– from polyolefins to PEEK –– Techmer PM helps manufacturers enhance product function and appearance in scores of end-use markets. The firm operates six North American plants and has extensive expertise in virtually every plastic- and fiber-related process, from additive manufacturing and blown film to nonwovens, injection molding, and sheet extrusion. Techmer PM has been recognized six times since 2014 by Plastics News on its list of “Best Places to Work” in North America’s plastics industry. Learn more at www.techmerpm.com.

About Gryphon Investors
Based in San Francisco, Gryphon Investors (www.gryphoninvestors.com) is a leading private equity firm focused on profitably growing and competitively enhancing middle-market companies in partnership with experienced management. As of December 31, 2021, the firm has over $9 billion of assets under management. Gryphon targets making equity investments of $50 million to $300 million in portfolio companies with enterprise values ranging from approximately $100 million to $600 million. Gryphon prioritizes investment opportunities where it can form strong partnerships with owners and executives to build leading companies, utilizing Gryphon’s capital, specialized professional resources, and operational expertise.

About SK Capital
SK Capital is a private investment firm with a disciplined focus on the specialty materials, specialty chemicals, and pharmaceuticals sectors. The firm seeks to build strong and growing businesses that create substantial long-term economic value. SK Capital aims to utilize its industry, operating, and investment experience to identify opportunities to transform businesses into higher performing organizations with improved strategic positioning, growth, and profitability, as well as lower operating risk. SK Capital’s portfolio of businesses generates revenues of approximately $16 billion annually, employs more than 20,000 people globally, and operates 203 plants in 32 countries. The firm currently has approximately $6.6 billion of assets under management. For more information, please visit www.skcapitalpartners.com.

Potter Electric Signal Company, LLC (“Potter”) announced today that Valcom, Inc. (“Valcom”), an established leader in voice paging, intercom and mass notification communications systems, has become a new division within Potter. Potter’s strategic investment in Valcom will allow the business to expand its engineering, marketing, and sales initiatives to drive growth in new applications. With this acquisition, Potter now offers a portfolio that covers the broadest range of emergency communication systems used in commercial projects. Valcom’s range of mass notification systems complements Potter’s fire and life safety offering, including their voice evacuation and emergency responder communication systems.

For more than 40 years, Roanoke, VA-based Valcom has been a leader in the development of communications products that relay information rapidly, enabling individuals in various locations throughout an organization to receive relevant instructions in emergency situations. Valcom enterprise communication systems are especially well suited for educational, retail and government facilities. From simple voice paging and intercom to expansive mass notification for emergency situations, Valcom products and software technology are currently used in thousands of businesses, government agencies, school districts, college campuses and transportation hubs around the world.  Valcom’s management team will continue to lead the company.

Headquartered in St. Louis, MO, Potter is a world-renowned leader in the fire and life safety industry that has been designing and manufacturing fire and security products since 1898. Potter is a portfolio company of middle-market private equity firm Gryphon Investors, which invested in Potter in 2017.

Potter’s CEO, Gerry Connolly, commented, “We have had a longstanding respect for Valcom’s products and culture. With more building owners and facility managers looking to manufacturers to provide better platform and system integration across their mission-critical life safety and communication systems, we see the potential for additional strategic growth given our complementary products and channels. Both companies have invested in IP and cloud-connected platforms, while maintaining intense focus on quality and reliability in the digital era. We are excited to welcome Valcom to the Potter family.”

“Valcom’s long tradition of communication leadership, innovation, and customer care is what has driven us for over 40 years,” said Jack Mason, CEO of Valcom. “We are thrilled to join the Potter organization as our cultures and strategies closely align. Being part of a company with the longevity and reputation of Potter will allow us to drive our business even further.” 

Raymond James represented Valcom in the transaction, and Harris Williams advised Potter.

About Potter Electric Signal Company, LLC
Potter has been a major supplier of key fire and security products since 1898. Since then, Potter’s reputation for quality and service has been the catalyst towards its focus for the design, development, and manufacture of the highest quality and most reliable life safety products available today. Potter is an active participant in the advancement of life safety, fire protection and building codes, globally, in support of the IFC, NFPA, EN and other international agencies. Potter, headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, is a world-renowned leader in various life safety industries including IP-Based Fire Alarm Systems, Voice Evacuation, Sprinkler Monitoring, Corrosion Solutions, and Emergency Responder Communication Enhancement Systems (ERCES). Potter is a portfolio company of middle-market private equity firm Gryphon Investors.

About Valcom 
Established in 1977, Valcom, Inc. is a leader in design and manufacture of loudspeaker paging, IP-centric mass notification systems and visual messaging. Valcom provides leading-edge technology, hardware and software solutions to meet the specific needs of various industries including K12, higher education, hospitals, and airports, commercial and industrial facilities. 

About Gryphon Investors
Based in San Francisco, Gryphon Investors (www.gryphoninvestors.com) is a leading private equity firm focused on profitably growing and competitively enhancing middle-market companies in partnership with experienced management. The firm has managed over $7.50 billion of equity investments and capital since 1997. Gryphon prioritizes investment opportunities where it can form strong partnerships with owners and executives to build leading companies, utilizing Gryphon’s capital, specialized professional resources, and operational expertise.

Pacur, LLC, a market leading supplier of specialty plastic packaging materials for the medical device industry, announced today that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire CAROLEX SAS, a polyethylene terephthalate glycol (“PETG”) sheet extruder based in France. The acquisition strengthens Pacur’s medical device focus in Europe and extrusion capabilities to meet the global demands of customers.

Pacur is the leading supplier of extruded PETG sheet used principally to provide rigid, high-performance packaging for medical devices. The company also produces sheet for certain specialty graphics, pharmaceutical packaging, and food packaging applications.

CAROLEX represents Pacur’s first acquisition and extends the company’s best-in-class customer service and reputation for quality into Europe. Oshkosh, WI-based Pacur is acquiring CAROLEX from epsotech Holding GmbH, a supplier of primarily thick gauge extruded plastic sheet with seven other factories in Europe. Pacur is a portfolio company of middle-market private equity firm Gryphon Investors, which invested in Pacur in 2020. Terms of the transaction, which is expected to close by year end, were not disclosed.

The CAROLEX management team will remain in place, led by Managing Director Sylvain Forestier.

John Carlson, CEO of Pacur said, “The past two years have certainly highlighted how important the entire medical supply chain has become, and has reinforced Pacur’s commitment to increasing our global presence. We are excited to join forces with Sylvain and the entire CAROLEX team and to develop a strong partnership in technology and customer satisfaction. We look forward to investing in Carolex and bringing Pacur’s market-leading capabilities in product innovation to Carolex’s European customers.”

Mr. Forestier commented, “We are delighted to become part of a top-notch global supplier. Under epsotech, we strengthened our production capacity and developed a world-class service capability, and we are now eager to join Pacur to support our next phase of growth. We look forward to continuing our commitment to innovation and leadership and gaining increased resources to better serve our customers.”

About Pacur, LLC
Founded in 1979, Pacur (www.pacur.com) is an ISO 9001 certified custom sheet extruder located in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Pacur is the leading supplier of extruded PETG sheet used principally to provide rigid, high-performance packaging for medical devices.

About CAROLEX SAS
CAROLEX SAS (www.carolex.fr) is a leading producer of engineered thermoplastic packaging based in Longué, France. The Company has a core focus on producing high-quality packaging for the medical, pharmaceutical, food and specialist retail sectors. CAROLEX SAS sells its products throughout Europe.

About Gryphon Investors
Based in San Francisco, Gryphon Investors (www.gryphoninvestors.com) is a leading private equity firm focused on profitably growing and competitively enhancing middle-market companies in partnership with experienced management. The firm has managed over $7.50 billion of equity investments and capital since 1997. Gryphon targets making equity investments of $50 million to $300 million in portfolio companies with enterprise values ranging from approximately $100 million to $600 million. Gryphon prioritizes investment opportunities where it can form strong partnerships with owners and executives to build leading companies, utilizing Gryphon’s capital, specialized professional resources, and operational expertise.

About epsotech
For more than 60 years the epsotech group (www.epsotech.com) has been developing customized plastics solutions for a wide variety of segments and markets. Each year the group supplies over 2,500 customers worldwide, combining the strengths of 6 European thick gauge manufacturing locations, 1 thin gauge competence center and a fibre manufacturing site. With more than 3000 products, epsotech offers the most comprehensive portfolio of extruded sheets, foils and fibres in Europe – striving for 100% recyclability.

Pacur, LLC, a market leading supplier of specialty plastic packaging materials for the medical device industry, today announced a planned transition in the leadership of the company. John Carlson, a 30-year veteran of the healthcare and medical device industry, will take over the role of CEO effective today, succeeding Barry Johnson, who is retiring after leading the company for the past decade. Pacur is a portfolio company of middle market private equity firm Gryphon Investors.

Mr. Carlson is an accomplished executive with a track record of driving innovation and growing businesses in the healthcare and medical device industry. Prior to joining Pacur, he served as president of Flex Health Solutions, a $2.5B business focused on design, engineering services and contract manufacturing for the medical technology market. Before that, he held a variety of technology and innovation roles at Johnson & Johnson, both at the parent company and at its Ethicon Endo-Surgery division. He holds a B.S. in BioEngineering and an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering, both from the University of California, San Diego.

Under Mr. Johnson’s leadership, Pacur has established itself as a first-class brand with a reputation for quality, excellent customer service, reliability, and strong financial performance. Mr. Johnson will continue to remain active in the business as a board member.

“It is difficult to step down from my day-to-day work as CEO of Pacur,” said Mr. Johnson. I have had the privilege to lead a great team of people who have grown Pacur into a world class supplier to the medical device industry. But the time is right for me to focus on my future. I’m very confident that John is the right leader to guide Pacur through our next phase of growth, and I look forward to working with him through the transition and as a partner on the board. I’m very bullish about our company.”

Craig Nikrant, chairman of the board for Pacur and Gryphon operating partner, said, “I am very pleased to partner with John as Pacur moves forward. His laser focus on customers, superior service, and quality, as well as his innovative mindset, gives me great confidence in his leadership and vision for the company.” Wes Lucas and Leigh Abramson, Partners and co-Heads of the Industrial Growth Group at Gryphon Investors, added, “We cannot thank Barry enough for his invaluable leadership and significant contributions that helped make Pacur the market leader it is today. All of us at Gryphon wish him the best in his retirement and look forward to his continued involvement on the board.”

Mr. Carlson said, “I couldn’t be more excited to join the Pacur team to help expand upon the great foundation they have built. I look forward to working with Barry on the transition as we augment Pacur’s already strong technology, introduce new advanced products, and broaden the company’s capacity to serve its customers.”

About Pacur
Founded in 1979 and based in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, Pacur (www.pacur.com) is the leading supplier of extruded PETG sheet used principally to provide rigid, high-performance packaging for medical devices.

About Gryphon Investors
Based in San Francisco, Gryphon Investors (www.gryphoninvestors.com) is a leading private equity firm focused on profitably growing and competitively enhancing middle-market companies in partnership with experienced management. The firm has managed over $5.0 billion of equity investments and capital since 1997. Gryphon targets making equity investments of $50 million to $300 million in portfolio companies with enterprise values ranging from approximately $100 million to $600 million. Gryphon prioritizes investment opportunities where it can form strong partnerships with owners and executives to build leading companies, utilizing Gryphon’s capital, specialized professional resources, and operational expertise.