MEDIAPOLIS, Iowa — Aug. 1, 2018 — HawkeyePedershaab Concrete Technologies Inc., a leading global manufacturer of capital equipment for the production of concrete pipe and manholes, is pleased to announce the formation of Afinitas, its new parent company. Since 2017, HawkeyePedershaab has been building out the vision of creating a global, comprehensive, customer-oriented infrastructure equipment and services platform, acquiring New Hampton Metal Fabrication Corp., based in New Hampton, Iowa; BFS Betonfertigteilesysteme GmbH, based in Blaubeuren, Germany; and, most recent, CAM Sales Inc., based in Ludington, Michigan.
The formation of Afinitas (pronounced “uh-FINN-it-oss”) supports the strength of each of these individual companies in the marketplace, while offering a unifying umbrella. The name Afinitas is a derivation of the Latin word for alliance, underscoring both the lasting relationships between each company and its customers, as well as the synergistic potential unleashed through the alignment of these entities.
“Even though these companies have only been together under one umbrella for a short time, I’m extremely pleased and energized by the new opportunities that have been unlocked for the group and our customers,” said Brad Schmidgall, Afinitas President. “We’re seeing multiple examples where we’ve been able to leverage the service reach and sales network of one company to provide new and value-added solutions for the customers of another.”
More than 350 team members in eight global locations are part of the growing Afinitas platform, which aims to connect the world through infrastructure via mindful expansion. Currently, the platform has three divisions, each with distinct brands, capabilities and leadership teams:
- HawkeyePedershaab and BFS (dry-cast equipment)
- New Hampton Metal Fab (wet-cast forming)
- CAM products (consumables)
“In addition to providing value and benefits for our customers, our vision for Afinitas is equally about using the scale, breadth and diversity of the platform to provide stability and security for our team members,” said Mike Kiefer, Afinitas Vice President of Finance. “We’ll never be able to completely avoid the cyclical nature of the markets we serve, but our exposure to an increased diversity of end products and geographies mitigates this risk to a significant degree. We want to foster a stable environment in which our team members can thrive.”
“Going forward, we will continue to thoughtfully and carefully build out the Afinitas platform with a mix of organic growth and strategic acquisitions,” said Ryan Gable, Afinitas Chairman and CEO. “As we execute our strategy, we will ensure that our organization will continue to grow in its ability to innovate, care for customers and provide development opportunities for our team members.”