Hancock County company makes more acquisitions
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The parent of Indiana Automotive Equipment in Hancock County is continuing to grow its footprint. SLE Technologies Inc., which provides sales and service for the automotive and heavy-duty vehicle repair industries, has acquired a pair of companies in Missouri and Wisconsin, though terms of the deals are not being disclosed.
SLE acquired Autotech Systems in Catawissa, Missouri, about 40 miles southwest of St. Louis. The company’s 12,000-square-foot facility sells diagnostics, vehicle lifts, wheel service, and other automotive maintenance equipment.
In Wisconsin, Midwest Equipment Specialists Inc. provides sales and service for commercial vehicle lifts, tire changers, wheel balancers and other shop equipment. The company operates in Madison and Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as well as a 20-county region in northern Illinois.
“These companies have a strong local presence, which will allow us to bring our customer-centric approach, industry leading menu of products, and exclusive distributorships to these new markets,” SLE President Chris Susott said in a news release. “We are looking forward to working in these new markets and continued growth in the months to come.”
SLE says a total of 11 employees from both companies will be retained. A spokesperson for SLE told Inside INdiana Business the company plans to add about 20 employees at each location over the next five years, including a mix of sales, technicians, and installation specialists.
Susott added the acquisitions put SLE among the top 10 distributors of Stertil-Koni heavy duty vehicle lifting systems in the U.S. The company is the exclusive Stertil-Koni dealer in Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Illinois, eastern Missouri, and eastern Wisconsin.
Indiana Automotive Equipment, which is headquartered in Maxwell, Indiana along with its parent, announced in February it had acquired Care-Tech Automotive Equipment near Louisville and Safetylane Automotive Equipment in Chicago.