Fall 2006 issue of Horizons

CLIENT SPOTLIGHT

A Lean Vision, Acquisitions

A St. Louis-based and privately held company for more than 100 years, Barry-Wehmiller attributes its leadership in U.S. manufacturing to continual progress in fine-tuning its mission and values. Today, the company excels in the global packag- ing, corrugating and paper converting industries. That suc- cess comes from strategies focused on growth, value and liq- uidity. They seem to be working. Since 1987, the company acquired 33 businesses and grew to its current size of nearly 4,000 employees worldwide and $800 million in revenues. In the past year alone, Barry- Wehmiller purchased seven new businesses! Jim Lawson, Barry-Wehmiller’s chief financial officer, explains that a winning combination of financial success, the company's management team, board of directors and capital James W. Lawson has served as vice president, chief financial officer and secretary of Barry-Wehmiller Companies, Inc. since May 1997. From July 1994 through May 1997, Lawson served as president of Pneumatic Scale Corporation, a Barry-Wehmiller subsidiary. He first joined Pneumatic Scale as division controller in June 1990 and became vice president of operations in January 1993. Prior to joining the Barry-Wehmiller organization, Lawson worked for Wang Laboratories and New England Telephone. He received a master's degree in busi- ness administration from Northeastern University, a bachelor's degree in industrial management from the University of Massachusetts - Lowell, and an associ- ate's degree in mechanical engineering from the Wentworth Institute of Technology.

providers creates a strong financial position. This system allows the company to be opportunistic in seeking acquisi- tions for continued growth and value creation. “Our strategy entails acquiring businesses classified as 'bolt-on' acquisi- tions to fit with our existing businesses, or pursuing transac- tions that allow us to develop what we call 'new platforms,'” says Lawson. The four business platforms include: Packaging Automation, Corrugated, Paper Converting and Engineering Consulting. The latter is the only platform not in manufacturing. Engineering Consulting provides engineering practices that include line layout drawings and full turnkey installations for industries ranging from pharmaceutical to biosciences to more traditional markets like snack food and beverages.

27 • summer 2006 issue