Wauseon Machine acquires robotics integrator McAlister Design

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Wauseon Machine and Manufacturing has been an exclusive Integrator of FANUC Robots for 20-plus years.

Wauseon Machine and Manufacturing, an Ohio-based robotics integrator, acquired Greenville, South Carolina-based robotic integrator McAlister Design and Automation. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Wauseon Machine said the acquisition will double the size of its automation business overnight. It called the deal a “springboard” to scale its capabilities and services to other parts of the United States.

“At Wauseon Machine, we are strategically looking for companies that can complement and expand our existing capabilities, which will allow us to better serve our customers’ needs and help them improve their business,” said Scott Anair, president and CEO, Wauseon Machine and Manufacturing. “The acquisition of McAlister Design, with their impressive team, capabilities and location, aligns extremely well with this strategy.”

The video below shows off some of Wauseon Machine’s capabilities. This animated, 3D rendering illustrates an automation application for tube fabrication. Tubes are pulled from a tube coil and processed through a cut-off operation. Tubes are then transferred within the cell by FANUC robots.

Wauseon Machine’s 1004EL End Former places an endform on one end of the tube. The tube is then placed In an orientation station for reintroduction to the End Former. Next, the robot loads and unloads a CNC tube bender. Once the tube is bent, it is loaded into a basket that is placed in a part washer for cleaning of the part. The finished parts are unloaded from the washer onto an exit conveyor.

McAlister Design was founded in 1992 and claims to be one of the largest privately-owned automation companies in upstate South Carolina. It owns four facilities that total 48,000 square feet.

“What stuck out to me from our earliest conversations with Wauseon Machine is the level of respect they had for our history and our people,” said Troy McAlister, founder and president, McAlister Design. “Family businesses understand family businesses, and in the case of Wauseon Machine, they know this industry and aspire to be true leaders in the space. We look forward to being part of Wauseon Machine’s future.”

Founded in 1983, Wauseon is a portfolio company of Cornerstone Capital Partners in Dublin, Ohio, and specializes in robotics automation, tube fabrication equipment, and build-to-print precision machined parts.