The Drives & Motion Division of Yaskawa America Inc. (Waukegan, Ill.) has acquired the business and operations of Wermac Electric Ltd. in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Wermac has grown over the years by providing unique software and packaging solutions centered on Yaskawa drives. Wermac is a 25-year partner with Yaskawa and has been an innovator in applying variable speed drives and electrical controls in the oil & gas industry.
Mike Knapek, president and COO of Yaskawa America, Motion and Drives Division, said, the acquisition of Wermac “continues Yaskawa’s growth in key vertical markets. The oil & gas market in particular presents extreme requirements for quality, packaging and special software.” The acquisition “will allow for better service for our joint customers, with greater resources located locally,” he added.
The division will be known as Yaskawa Wermac and will be located at the former Wermac Electric facility in Calgary. It is a division of Yaskawa Motoman Canada, which is a subsidiary of Yaskawa America, Inc.
All key personnel have been retained to continue providing the service and products that Wermac is noted for, said Wermac President Jim MacKinnon. “The existing management team, sales team and production team will make a noticeable contribution to Yaskawa’ s growth and our line of industry solutions, while expanding Yaskawa’ s current offerings in the energy industry.” MacKinnon will take on the role of director of Oilfield Operations for Yaskawa Wermac.
Mark Bernicky, Yaskawa vice president of drives, will be responsible for integrating Yaskawa Wermac into the Yaskawa family of companies. “That includes defining the role of Yaskawa Wermac in helping and assisting existing oilfield customers to be more successful, as well as partnering with new oilfield operators and OEMs to make them more successful and profitable,” he said.
