EQI acquires Industrial Paint Solutions

Blake Phillips. Courtesy EQI

A manager of supply chain needs for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) acquired a company based in Northern Ireland.

Spring Lake-based EQI said Tuesday, Nov. 30, it acquired Craigavon, Northern Ireland-based acquired Industrial Paint Solutions (IPS), a supplier of repair, VMI and finish painting services.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

EQI said the acquisition will allow it to bring enhanced service capabilities to the OEMs it serves to seamlessly manage their global supply chain needs.

IPS was founded in 2011 by Richard Graham, who still leads the business today, now as part of EQI. The company provides finish painting services (wet and powder coatings), counterweight repairs, vendor-managed inventory and other services to OEMs. Finish painting is critical to the usability of castings, which now will be handled by EQI in-house in the Craigavon facility, the companies said.

“There is no greater compliment than when a customer whom you service wants your team to become part of their team,” Graham said. “We’re excited to be part of EQI’s unparalleled supply chain management services for OEMs who rely on us for top-quality finished castings.”

Since its founding in 2004, EQI has provided supply chain management services — including sourcing, manufacturing and logistics — to OEMs that procure metal castings across markets including material handling, aerial work platform, construction, oil and gas, forestry, and agricultural industries.

To support its services, the company maintains a network of over 50 foundry partnerships in China, India and Vietnam and has locations in Michigan; Beijing; Coimbatore, India; and Hanoi, Vietnam. When OEMs need support with engineering, logistics, designing a new product, or now, painting and repairs, EQI strives to provide a one-stop-shop to meet their needs.

“IPS has been a class-leading supplier to EQI since its inception, and we are glad to now bring its reputation for exceptional VMI and finish painting capabilities to EQI’s scope of services,” said Blake Phillips, CEO of EQI. “We’re all about making the supply chain easier to navigate for our customers, and having IPS as part of our service offering will strengthen our best-in-class service capabilities.”