H Scan International acquires Comada: a deal meant to be
10/04/2014
When Brian Shannon worked, as part of his training in the early 1970s, in a large pressure vessel manufacturing facility in Belfast known as AMF Beaird, later trading as AMF Euroweld, a subsidiary of AMF Beaird from Shreveport, Louisiana, in the USA, little did he know that the NDT Manager in the plant at the time, Bill Baxter, and the NDT Technician, Robert Conn, would go on to become business partners of his some 40 years later.
Brian left his native Northern Ireland in 1975, while Bill and Robert went on to form what ultimately became Comada NI Ltd, an inspection and test engineering company with extensive experience in the energy, marine and industrial sectors.Meanwhile, Brian established his own specialised engineering company in the USA and is now CEO of H Scan International (HSI), based in Torrance, California.
While looking to expand the HSI business, Brian came across Comada as a possible candidate for acquisition. “You can imagine the surprise to us all when we realised that we all started out together forty years ago,” says Brian. “The deal was meant to be!”
The rest is history, as they say, and the acquisition of Comada marks the first European base of operations for HSI. “The market for specialised inspection and advanced testing technology continues to grow globally,” says Brian, “and Comada fits well with the HSI vision.”
Robert Conn, the long-serving Operations Director of Comada, said that the acquisition of Comada by the HSI group of companies would open up a new range of opportunities for the company. He added that with the well-proven management and staff of the combined companies he looks forward to expanding Comada in the future.
Comada management and staff will remain with the company, which will trade under the HSI Comada NI Ltd name.
www.hsicomada.com
