Listen to this article

Komline-Sanderson, a designer and manufacturer of equipment for wastewater management, environmental control, and other industrial applications based in Peapack, has acquired Fluid Quip Inc., a manufacturer of capital equipment for the corn wet-milling and ethanol industries.

Announced on Jan. 6, the transaction closed on Dec. 30.

Corn wet-milling is a process that uses water and specialized equipment to physically separate corn into proteins, starches, oil and fiber, and it’s a core market for Komline. The acquisition of Springfield, Oh.-based Fluid Quip substantially broadens its product offering in the space.

Fluid Quip’s equipment is also used by Fluid Quip Technologies, a separate company, in the retrofitting of ethanol facilities to produce ultra-high-protein products used as animal feed.

This marked Komline’s fifth and final acquisition of 2021. Earlier last year, it acquired Illinois-based Barnes Intl., a manufacturer of coolant filtration equipment; Florida-based Harn R/O Systems, a producer of reverse osmosis, nanofiltration, and low-pressure membrane treatment systems; South Carolina-based Haselden Co. Inc., an engineering design and installation business of waste-reduction systems serving the food and beverage industry; and Tennessee-based AquaShield Inc., a manufacturer of products for stormwater runoff, rainwater harvesting, and construction site discharges.

“Komline and Fluid Quip have partnered for nearly 20 years on a variety of projects and joint ventures for our customers in the corn wet-milling industry, making the business combination a very natural next chapter,” said Fluid Quip CEO Andy Franko. “Becoming part of Komline means we have even more products, engineering capabilities, and solutions to offer, while providing the same great service on which we built our reputation.”

Fluid Quip was founded in 1987. It grew from a repair and field service company serving the pulp and paper and corn wet-milling industries into one that designed and sold its own capital equipment and replacement parts.

“We are proud of the progress Komline made in 2021, as we significantly broadened our product offering, production capacity, and field service capabilities over the course of the year,” said Komline Chief Executive Officer Danai Brooks in a prepared statement. “With Fluid Quip, we now have nine manufacturing facilities in the United States and a new partnership with a talented team in Ohio. Because of the special relationship Komline and Fluid Quip have built over the years, I am particularly enthusiastic about the opportunities this acquisition will create.”