FMA acquires two Canadian media brands.
Press Release Summary:
FMA has acquired media brands Canadian Metalworking and Canadian Fabricating & Welding from Annex Business Media, based in ON, Canada. Brands will be part of FMA Communications Canada, a media subsidiary of FMA, which already delivers print and online products and sponsors in-person events in U.S., Canada, and Mexico. According to FMA president Ed Youdell, acquisition advocates for growth and sustainability of North American metal processing, forming, fabricating, and welding industries.
Original Press Release:
FMA Acquires Canadian Metalworking, Canadian Fabricating and Welding
FMA increases its commitment to important Canadian market, adds to portfolio of leading media products in North America
ROCKFORD, IL, -- Manufacturing industry leader Fabricators and Manufacturers Association, Intl. (FMA) has acquired the media brands Canadian Metalworking and Canadian Fabricating & Welding from Annex Business Media, based in Simcoe, ON, Canada. The brands will be part of FMA Communications Canada, a media subsidiary of FMA, which already delivers print and online products and sponsors in-person events in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Terms of the sale were not disclosed.
The addition of 110-year-old Canadian Metalworking (CM) and the new offering Canadian Fabricating & Welding (CFW) gives FMA the leadership spot in Canadian metalworking media, and advances FMA's service to all of North America. The publications will be run by FMA’s new Canadian subsidiary, FMA Communications Canada (FMACC).
"This acquisition is all about us delivering on our mission to advocate for the growth and sustainability of the North American metal processing, forming, fabricating, and welding industries," says FMA president Ed Youdell. "Canada is a large part of that, and it is both independent of and interdependent on the rest of the North American markets. Our newly acquired brands—magazines, digital products, and in-person events—allow us to scale up our delivery on that mission."
FMA’s existing Canadian brand, Canadian Industrial Machinery (CIM), will be transitioned into the two newly acquired brands. Certain parts of CIM's print and online coverage will remain as editorial linchpins in the two acquired brands. The "Made in Canada" feature, which each month covers a Canadian business making something of note, will remain, as will the ongoing feature coverage, columns, and news.
The acquisition results in a rich blend of editorial and sales talent from Canadian Metalworking, Canadian Fabricating & Welding, and Canadian Industrial Machinery, according to Youdell.
“Relative to publishing in the Canadian manufacturing sector, this merger provides a long overdue consolidation of publications serving the Canadian metalworking industry,” states Mark Hoper, Vice President of Media & Expositions at FMA. “The consolidation of talent and resources into the new CM/CFW publication will provide Canadian manufacturers and equipment suppliers with a new, unmatched publication serving the Canadian manufacturing industry.”
"We are very excited to bring on these two brands and two talented individuals as well," notes Dave Brambert, Group Publisher of FMA Communications. "We welcome Rob Swan as Publisher of Canadian Fabricating & Welding, and Rob Colman as Editor, and we're proud to have them on the team."
Swan was formerly the Associate Publisher of Canadian Metalworking; Colman was Editor of Metalworking Production & Purchasing, the precursor to Canadian Fabricating & Welding. Swan will mainly sell for Canadian Fabricating & Welding and will also support Canadian Metalworking.
Current FMA Communications Director of Sales and Marketing, Jim Gorzek, also will serve as Publisher of Canadian Metalworking. Kathleen Fitzgerald, now Associate Publisher of Canadian Metalworking, will continue her sales presence for the publication.
Of the current FMA Communications editorial team covering Canada, Joe Thompson becomes Editor of Canadian Metalworking, and Sue Roberts is now Associate Editor of both publications. Dan Davis remains Editor in Chief of all FMAC media products.
Annex Business Media President & CEO Michael Fredericks states, "We think this is a good move. We are able to sell two excellent products to a team that solely focuses on fabricating and metalworking. Much as we will miss our two colleagues, they will continue to grow in the sector they know so well and continue to make great contributions to the industry."
About FMAC
FMA Communications (FMAC) is the media arm of Fabricators and Manufacturers Association (FMA), and like FMA is based in Rockford, IL. Its print titles now include The Fabricator, Stamping Journal, Tube & Pipe Journal, Practical Welding Today, Fabricator en Español, and now Canadian Metalworking and Canadian Fabricating & Welding. In addition, the company offers websites, digital publications, webinars, and in-person events. This year FMAC celebrates 45 years of offering high-quality media products for the metal manufacturing industry.
About Annex Business Media
Annex Business Media is Canada’s largest business-to-business media company, with almost 50 brands serving markets from agriculture and manufacturing to resources and professions. The private company’s growing list of offerings includes print, websites, e-news, e-marketing, events, webinars, video, research, printing services, book distribution, and data rental.
Contacts:
Megan Paja                                                                                                       Ben Arens
Fabricators & Manufacturers Association, Intl. (FMA)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â L.C. Williams & Associates
815-227-8203Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 312.565.4626
meganp@fmanet.org          Â
