Connecticut-based industrial pipe, valves, and fittings distributor The Collins Companies on June 19 announced it will acquire Massachusetts-based distributor Washburn‐Garfield Corp. and its abrasive and cutting tool distribution subsidiary, Waites Company Inc. 

As a result of this acquisition, The Collins Companies will expand its presence in Worcester, Massachusetts and the surrounding areas, and expanding its service capabilities to this area. The company serves customers in the New England and upstate New York markets.

“This acquisition, above any other, ‘just makes sense’ for both of us,” said Brian Tuohey, CEO of the Collins Companies in a news release. “We have really been friends, not competitors, for the last 30+ years and this acquisition now gives us a greater presence in a market that is adjacent to us in Central Massachusetts.“

In 2008, then-Washburn CEO Richard O’Hearn, sold the companies to an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) which now owns all of Washburn’s stock. Completion of the transaction, which is subject to a shareholder vote by participants in Washburn’s ESOP, is currently expected to occur by month’s end.

These two acquisitions represent the ninth and tenth expansions of The Collins Companies’ footprint in the last 15 years.

In 2019, Collins purchased International Valve and Instrument, which launched them into the valve and heat exchanger repair and testing markets. Subsequently, in 2022, Collins also launched a compressed air sales and service offering to their customers.  Both WG and Waites have current customers where these service divisions could be utilized and the customers of both companies will benefit from an expanded product inventory, access to a wider range of industry‐leading brands, and the increased availability of these specialized services, Collins officials said.