Massachusetts-based Boyd Technologies Acquires Georgia-headquartered Wellington Custom Fabrics in Effort to Grow and Expand Within Nonwovens Industry

2008-01-07 South Lee, Mass. -- Boyd Technologies (BT), parent company of Boyd Converting Company (BCC), the 27-year-old converter, distributor and contract manufacturer to the nonwovens industry, has announced its acquisition of Wellington Custom Fabrics (WCF), in Columbus, Georgia. Boyd assumed full ownership and operation of WCF effective January 1, 2007.

"The acquisition signals the beginning of an exciting era of unlimited future potential for Boyd Technologies," said Bronly B. Boyd, the founder, owner and CEO of the company. "Our aim is to grow the business nationally and internationally by seizing intelligent opportunities to offer our customers economies of scale and new and related product options that support our mutual business goals," he continued.

Boyd intends to keep the headquarters for WCF in its current location, about 100 miles south of Atlanta. As part of the acquisition plan, it has appointed Dennis J. Martin as President of WCF, effective immediately. Martin serves as a Vice President and General Manager of BCC, where he has managed the manufacturing facility for the past 30 years.

WCF, was owned by Charles A. Kurtz, who built the company into a key supplier of high-quality fabrics to the apparel industry. "I've been considering selling my business for a long time," said Kurtz about the completed acquisition by Boyd. "We're both family-run businesses. When Bronly Boyd, the father, who is widely respected in the industry, and his three sons expressed interest, it seemed like a perfect match. After spending this time with the Boyds, I wouldn't sell my business to anyone else," he continued. The two sides have worked in tandem on the details of the transition toward uninterrupted production output.

Boyd Technologies is an entrepreneurial management firm that operates manufacturing companies in the nonwovens industry and markets breakthrough technologies that use those materials. The company is positioned to support and facilitate growth through maximizing leverage of its core business in BCC and recognizing emerging related business opportunities. Boyd Technologies is supported by a dedicated workforce -- half of its employees have worked for the company for more than fifteen years. It also benefits from an organizational structure comprising the collective knowledge base, professional expertise and industry affiliations of Bronly Boyd, Chairman and CEO; Stephen Boyd, COO of Boyd Technologies and President of Boyd Converting; Dennis Martin, VP of Operations; Andrew Diamond, VP of Business Development; Joan Goodenough, VP of Finance; and Matthew Boyd, VP of Business Development.

"We see this acquisition as a spot-on opportunity to kick off our strategy of seizing bold expansion opportunities for the future," said Stephen Boyd, COO. "The growth of the business will focus on high technology and vertically integrated opportunities that serve to build the Boyd Technologies' brand and scope of operations," he said.

Inherent in the acquisition opportunity was the awareness by Boyd that the Southeast accounts for approximately sixty percent of the revenue for the U.S. nonwovens industry. The company continues to be recognized by its Fortune 500 customers as a top-tier supplier, best in class, supplier of choice.

"We are pleased by the opportunity to have a presence in the Southeast," said Matthew Boyd. "We're also poised to achieve more powerful brand awareness for our company, whose ultimate mission is to set the pace for the most dynamic breakthroughs and progressive outcomes toward safe, clean and healthy products and processes in the industry," added Matthew Boyd.

Boyd Converting Company (BCC) was founded by Bronly Boyd in 1979 as a converter, distributor and contract manufacturer of technical papers, engineered fabrics, specialty textiles and membranes. It supplies its customers with these high-value-added, nonwoven and specialty paper products as well as converting services. An ISO 9001:2000 certified, EPA and FDA registered company, Boyd specializes in products that require precision manufacturing within a controlled environment. Its current manufacturing plant in South Lee, Mass., is roughly 110,000 square feet. The company has won several employee and economic development best practices awards. In 2004, it was the recipient of the Massachusetts Economic Impact Award.