Thomas Industries acquires Oberdorfer Pumps

CNY Business Journal (1996+), Nov 12, 1999 by Allen, Paul

Kevin A. Digney, president of

Oberdorfer Pumps in Syracuse,

recently announced that Thomas

Industries of Louisville, Ky., has

acquired the 109-year-old Central

New York company. Oberdorfer

manufactures a wide range of

pumps for industrial, agricultural,

marine, and commercial use. No

immediate changes are anticipated

at the facility or to the company's

39 employees. Oberdorfer Pumps

will continue operating as a wholly

owned subsidiary of Thomas

Industries. Financial terms of the

deal were not disclosed.

Oberdorfer Pumps was founded in 1890, when Moses L. Oberdorfer began manufacturing bronze pumps at Oberdorfer Foundries, then located in a small factory on East Water Street in Syracuse. The pumps were used to supply oil to lubricate the engine cylinder walls for the fledgling automobile and aircraft industries.

In the 1920s, Oberdorfer became the first manufacturer in the world to produce pumps for marine engines. During World War 11, Oberdorfer Pumps helped the war effort by developing pumps for defense purposes. In the 1950s, there was a great interest in liquid crop spraying, and Oberdorfer Pumps asserted itself as a leading producer of agricultural pumps.

As the market changed, Oberdorfer concentrated on manufacturing pumps for industrial uses. In 1998, more than a century after its unassuming start in an East Water Street factory, Oberdorfer Pumps' sales topped $5 million.

Timothy Brown, president and chief executive officer of Thomas Industries, explains the reasoning behind his company's acquisition of Oberdorfer Pumps. "The addition of Oberdorfer expands Thomas' presence in the OEM (original equipment manufacturer) liquid-pump market with a strong brand name that has a rich history of quality and service. This acquisition increases Thomas' participation in the industrial, agricultural, marine, and commercial liquid-pump markets."

Thomas Industries' world headquarters are located in Louisville, Ky.; European headquarters are in Puchheim, Germany, with Asia Pacific headquarters in Hong Kong, China. In 1998, net sales for Thomas Industries' compressor and vacuum-pump business was $177.2 million, with a net income at $24.5 million.

In 1998, Thomas' Lighting Group entered into a joint venture with the Genlyte Group and formed a new company called Genlyte Thomas Group LLC, which combined the complementary product lines and geographical strengths of the two companies to create the third largest fightingfixtures and -controls manufacturer in North America.