Posted August 23, 2024

Lincoln Electric Broadens Technology Platform with Vanair Acquisition

Lincoln Electric, a manufacturer of advanced welding and cutting solutions, has acquired Vanair, a manufacturer of mobile power solutions. The purchase price was reported as $116 million.


Vanair’s Air N Arc 330 Diesel All-In-One Power System is powered by a Kubota diesel engine and includes a Lincoln Electric 330 amp DC multi-process arc welder. (Photo: Vanair)

“Vanair is renowned for their leading high-quality manufacturing, innovation, and engineering expertise in the fast-growing maintenance and repair service truck market,” said Steven B. Hedlund, Lincoln Electric’s president and CEO. “By joining together, Lincoln Electric will capitalize on this channel opportunity to accelerate growth and broaden our technology platform for long-term value creation.”

Vanair, a privately held Michigan City, Ind.-based company, was founded in 1972, as a division of as a division of Sullair Corporation, starting with the vehicle-mounted 185 cfm underdeck rotary screw air compressor. That design integrated parts of the tow-behind compressor on the truck’s frame and used the truck’s engine to drive the compressor. T

The company became Vanir Manufacturing in 1984 and today offers a comprehensive product line of mobile power solutions:

Vehicle-mounted air compressors
Generators
Welders
Hydraulics
Electrified power equipment
Chargers/ boosters
Engine starters
Custom mobile power equipment

The company employs approximately 235 people. The completion of an $8.3 million expansion of its facility with a 100,000-square-foot addition led to the creation of 75 more jobs in 2023.

Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, Lincoln Electric operates 71 manufacturing and automation system integration locations across 21 countries and maintains a worldwide network of distributors and sales offices serving customers in over 160 countries.

None of the Vanair jobs are expected to be affected by the acquisition.

Lincoln Electric has about 12,000 employees at its global facilities. Vanair, which reports an approximately $100 million annual revenue with a low double-digit percent EBIT, will become part of Lincoln Electric’s Americas Welding Segment.

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