Aarrowcast is a case where a successful business with a particularly rare asset needed capital support to upgrade and expand capacity.
Aarrowcast is a leading provider of ductile iron castings, specializing in large, complex castings that rely upon sophisticated metallurgy. Aarrowcast operates three separate molding lines, including the largest automated green sand flask in North America, the Georg Fischer line, which is also the second largest such flask in the world. The company operates from its single plant location in Shawano, Wisconsin and casts products for equipment in the agriculture, off-highway heavy truck, military and construction markets.
Aarrowcast’s management had begun to execute on a complex capital expenditure plan designed to increase manufacturing capacity and upgrade certain pieces of aging equipment. The company was operating at full capacity, but had already booked additional business in anticipation of the capacity increase. They sought funding resources to support their capital investment plan.
In Aarrowcast, we saw a leading manufacturer with a rare asset in the foundry industry – the Georg Fischer line, which has a flask size and degree of automation that only a few competitors worldwide can replicate. The company’s foundry assets were well maintained and in very good condition.
Aarrowcast sought funding resources to support their capital investment plan.
THE DEAL + OPERATING THESES
IOP made a control-equity investment in Aarrowcast. Our operating theses comprised of several key elements. We wanted to support management as they executed their complex capacity-expansion plan, which included a melt shop upgrade, a blast machine addition and robotic grinding equipment. The company also needed capex aimed at improving reliability and productivity on the Georg Fisher line and to navigate increasingly stringent regulatory and air-quality standards. Operationally, the team faced challenges of unplanned downtime and preventative maintenance. We also saw an opportunity to revamp their sales model and create a succession plan for key management.
THE PARTNERSHIP + RESULTS
Together, IOP and Aarrowcast have accomplished several key strategic and operational initiatives while maintaining the company’s emphasis on quality, engineering and customer service:
The team completed these objectives while dealing along the way with a severe downturn in one of Aarrowcast’s key end markets, agricultural equipment. Management and IOP positioned the company to deal with this short-term challenge by optimizing the company’s cost structure and by identifying growth opportunities in existing and new markets. With the rebound in its primary end markets, Aarrowcast today is thriving and poised for long-term success.
