Amsoil Inc. said this week that it acquired Aerospace Lubricants, a Columbus, Ohio, producer and marketer of specialized lubricating greases.
The aerospace lubricants market is quite competitive and specifications from original equipment manufacturers are highly demanding due to stringent safety considerations. The bar to entry is high and the segment is dominated by global-scale players.
Officials at Amsoil, a Wisconsin-based pioneer of synthetic automotive engine oils, said the acquisition will broaden its product offering. They added that Amsoil plans to invest in growing Aerospace’s business.
“By acquiring Aerospace Lubricants, we are acquiring a strong new partner for grease formulation and production,” Amsoil Chairman & CEO Alan Amatuzio said in a July 1 news release. “We are going to invest in Aerospace to enhance the capabilities and capacity of the operation.
The companies did not disclose the price or other terms of the deal.
Aerospace Lubricants was founded in 1973 and is a family-owned business that designs and markets a wide range of specialized greases for applications ranging from manufacturing to military, automotive, aerospace and consumer applications.
Amsoil said Aerospace Lubricants will operate as an independent subsidiary of Amsoil’s and that it will be headed by Dave Meyer, former vice president for industrial at Amsoil.
Amsoil is headquartered in Superior, Wisconsin, and is also family-owned. Founded in 1972, it was one of the first companies in the United States to produce synthetic engine oils, initially a 10W-40 product that it claims was the first synthetic to meet American Petroleum Institute service requirements.
The company originally made its synthetic motor oils using polyalphaolefin base stocks, which became the industry’s early approach for such products. Today most synthetic motor oils are made with API Group III oils.