PDI Acquired by Smiths in $235 Million Deal

Posted By Rich Miller On September 2, 2011 @ 3:57 pm In Power | No Comments

The PDI i-Con modular data center. PDI has been acquired by Smiths Interconnect for $235 million.

Power Holdings Inc., the parent company of power equipment specialist Power Distribution Inc. (PDI), has been acquired by Smith Interconnect for $235 million, the two companies said today. The seller in the all-cash deal is private equity firm Bertram Growth Capital I, which acquired PDI [1] in 2007.

PDI is the parent company for Power Distribution, Inc [2]., Marelco Power Systems and Onyx Power [3]. It produces power distribution units, static transfer switches, remote power panels, power conditioning units, medium and low voltage transformers and patented power monitors used mainly in data center and alternative energy applications. PDI is also among the players in the market for modular data centers with its i-Con Modular [4] offering.

Division of Smiths Group PLC

Smiths Interconnect is a division of UK-based technology conglomerate Smiths Group plc. Smiths Interconnect is focused on core technology groups: microwave; connectors and power management. The acquisition of PDI transforms the existing power protection group with a new range of products and growth opportunities.

“The addition of PDI strengthens our offering of technically differentiated solutions for applications requiring ultra-reliable and precise power performance including higher-growth end markets such as data centers and alternative energy,” said Smiths Interconnect President Ralph Phillips added. “We will now be able to provide a breadth of high reliability power quality capabilities, including conditioning, protection, distribution, filtering and monitoring to ensure the optimum function of advanced electrical systems.”

“Smiths Interconnect operates in a highly fragmented market that offers great scope for consolidation,” said Smiths Group Chief Executive Philip Bowman. “PDI is its sixth and largest acquisition in three years, all adhering to our strategic criteria of adding complementary technologies, extending geographic reach or leveraging existing sales networks. This latest transaction expands its range of power quality technologies into new, specialized, high growth markets.”

PDI is based in Richmond, which also has facilities in Santa Ana, California and Howell, Michigan, employs around 370 people. It is expected to generate sales of around $156 million this calendar year with more than 90% of revenues from non-government funded markets.

About Rich Miller [5]

Rich Miller is the founder and editor-in-chief of Data Center Knowledge, and has been reporting on the data center sector since 2000. He has tracked the growing impact of high-density computing on the power and cooling of data centers, and the resulting push for improved energy efficiency in these facilities.


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URL to article: http://www.datacenterknowledge.com/archives/2011/09/02/pdi-acquired-by-smiths-in-235-million-deal/

URLs in this post:

[1] acquired PDI: http://www.datacenterknowledge.com/archives/2007/05/10/private-equity-firm-buys-power-distribution/

[2] Power Distribution, Inc: http://www.pdicorp.com/

[3] Onyx Power: http://www.datacenterknowledge.com/archives/2008/09/03/pdi-acquires-onyx-power/

[4] i-Con Modular: http://www.datacenterknowledge.com/archives/2011/03/01/inside-the-pdi-i-con-modular-data-center/

[5] Rich Miller: http://www.datacenterknowledge.com/archives/author/richm/

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