KPM Analytics, a Union Park Capital portfolio company, has acquired family-owned Bruins Instruments.
Bruins is a manufacturer of high-resolution near-infrared (NIR) reflectance and transmission analyzers that are used in the agriculture, food, chemical and pharmaceutical industries.
NIR analysis is a spectroscopic and non-destructive testing technology that uses portions of the electromagnetic spectrum – wavelengths from 700 nanometers to 2500 nanometers – to analyze materials by passing light through a sample and measuring the fraction of the light that is absorbed and reflected by the sample.
Bruins also provides a range of support services to its customers including calibration, application development and training. The company is well known for its experience in calibration to provide high accuracy and reliable results to the meat, food, grain and feed industry. Bruins was founded in 1979 by Hans Bruins and is based near Munich in Puchheim, Germany.
“For more than 40 years, we have worked to fulfill our mission of developing high quality and precision NIR spectrophotometers and NIR analyzers with high reliability,” said Ingrid Bruins, the CEO of Bruins Instruments. “We are excited that this acquisition will provide the resources and greater reach to bring the Bruins product line to a larger market.”
“It gives me tremendous pleasure that we could acquire Bruins Instruments,” said Morgan Jones, the managing partner of Union Park. “For anyone who knew Hans Bruins, you know that he had a pride for his technology and a passion for his business which is seldom matched. After years of building a relationship with the owners, we were honored that they would entrust us to shepherd their business after Hans passed away, and we will work tirelessly to advance the business to the potential that Hans and Ingrid had envisioned.”
KPM Analytics was formed by Union Park in 2015 to assemble a portfolio of analytical instrument companies with a focus on the food, agriculture, and environmental sectors. Since formation, the company has completed eight add-on acquisitions including Unity Scientific (2015), Process Sensors Corporation (2015), CHOPIN Technologies (2016), AMS Alliance (2017), Sensortech Systems (2019), Sightline Process Control (2019), EyePro System (2021), and now, Bruins Instruments (2021). Today, KPM is led by CEO Brian Mitchell with a headquarters near Boston in Westborough, Massachusetts.
The acquisition of Bruins strengthens KPM’s positions in agriculture, feed and food applications and increases customer options in easy-to-use food and grain analysis.
“With this acquisition, KPM Analytics has significantly enhanced its NIR line of product offerings,” said Mr. Mitchell. “The addition of Bruins Instruments complements our existing offerings and completes the KPM near-infrared line of products, from our QuickChek Analyzer Series to the industry-leading SpectraStar XT Analyzer Series.”
Union Park invests from $10 million to $50 million in North American and European industrial technology companies with revenues from $10 million to $75 million. Add-on acquisitions for the firm’s platform companies will typically have revenues from $1 million to $50 million. Union Park is headquartered in Boston.
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