Westinghouse Announces Acquisition of Carolina Energy Solutions
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PITTSBURGH, Nov. 13 / -- Westinghouse Electric Company has acquired Carolina Energy Solutions (CES), a leading supplier of welding and machining services to the nuclear, fossil and hydropower generation, waste-to- energy, petro-chemical, gas and general fabrication industries.
Located in Rock Hill, S.C., CES and its approximately 60 employees will become part of Westinghouse's newly established subsidiary company, WEC Welding and Machining, which holds PCI Energy Services, the world's leading supplier of specialty welding and machining services to the nuclear power industry.
The acquisition includes CES affiliates Aggressive Equipment (AE), now WEC Machining; Construction Institute of America (CIA), now WEC Welding Institute; and Carolina United Services, now Carolina Union Services. AE manufactures and distributes a leading line of field machining tooling, and CIA operates a welding school serving the North and South Carolina areas. All of these entities along with PCI will be a part of WEC Welding and Machining and will position Westinghouse for the current and future expansion in the energy industry.
Jimmy Morgan, president of WEC Welding and Machining, notes that the specialty welding business has been growing at a double-digit rate for the last several years. "The planned construction of new nuclear plants along with projects under way in both the fossil power and petro-chem sectors ensure that this trend will not diminish," he said. "The acquisition of CES complements WEC Welding and Machining's core business and positions the company to continue supporting the operating nuclear fleet, while ramping up resources to meet the demands of the new nuclear construction with the best technology, equipment and human resources."
Westinghouse Field Services Vice President David Howell said, "Through this acquisition we plan to continue investing in the welding and machining business and its employees to spur growth while focusing on operational excellence for our nuclear power plant customers."
A key aspect of the acquisition is the CIA Welding School. The school is highly successful in the region and is attracting a steady stream of students into the welding trades. Morgan says this was a strategically important factor in the decision to acquire CES. The school is currently graduating 120 to 150 apprentice welders each year, and WEC Welding and Machining expects to expand and replicate this model program in new locations in the United States, as well as internationally.
Richard Bryant, president and founder of CES, adds that the financial and management strength of Westinghouse will facilitate continued growth and development of CES' core welding business, as well as provide the resources to expand the equipment leasing and welding school operations.
With headquarters in Lake Bluff, Ill., WEC Welding and Machining's PCI subsidiary specializes in field welding and machining services, as well as the related services of laser metrology, tool design and manufacturing, and quality assurance and control. PCI serves industrial customers in the power, oil and gas, pulp and paper, and petrochemical industries.
Westinghouse Electric Company, a Toshiba Group company, is the world's pioneering nuclear power company and is a leading supplier of nuclear plant products and technologies to utilities throughout the world. Today, Westinghouse technology is the basis for approximately one-half of the world's operating nuclear plants.
Source: Westinghouse Electric Company
CONTACT:
Vaughn Gilbert of Westinghouse Electric Company
+1-412-374-3896
gilberhv@Westinghouse.com
Web site: http://www.westinghousenuclear.com/
