This has been tried before, of course, as anybody who's watched the system integrator space for longer than a decade remembers...so it will be interesting to see how this variant goes.
From the press release:
National Automation Services, Inc. is a public holding company focused on designing, engineering, installing and maintaining automated control systems for such business applications as waste water treatment, water treatment, airport security, bottling plants, power plants, metals, mining, breweries, food processing, tire making, textiles, plastics and nearly all production activities.
In addition to growing organically, the company also aims to build its business through strategic acquisitions. It has been estimated that there could be as many as 300 local and regional firms providing automation control services. In general, these companies have an edge on the larger behemoths because they can better respond to the needs of local business and municipalities. Unfortunately for these smaller companies, they compete in a limited market space, have stunted growth prospects and have no way of monetizing their asset value.
NAS aims to capitalize on this condition by acquiring and integrating the strongest local and regional players into a new organization that would allow for the synergies and efficiencies of a national company while keeping the competitive advantages of decentralized management and service. Of the 300 local and regional automation companies, 42 meet the company’s acquisition criteria; 11 of which have been targeted for acquisition over the next two years.
The majority of the company’s clients are in the following industries: water/wastewater, substation automation, motion control, delivery systems, semiconductor, and pharmaceutical industries. NAS currently has many sites with remote access and dial out options such as Web Pages, Software Alarm Dialers, and PC Anywhere for timely support. The company also has automated reporting and historical data collection functions using off the shelf and proprietary software.
As a team of control engineers, the management team at NAS believes it is extremely important to measure and control business results for customer satisfaction and customer retention. The management team maintains its competitive edge with a highly trained and experienced work force capable of executing complex work and demonstrating the skills necessary for the growth of NAS.
For more information on National Automation Services, Inc. (Ticker symbol: NASV), visit their website at www.nasautomation.com