DeWys Metal Solutions acquires Shoreline Powder Coating

A recent acquisition grows Marne-based DeWys Metal Solutions Inc.'s portfolio of companies and brings more capabilities in-house to avoid supply chain disruptions and improve turnaround times.

DeWys Metal Solutions, which rebranded in 2021 from DeWys Manufacturing Inc., recently acquired Grand Haven-based Shoreline Powder Coating LLC, eliminating DeWys’ need to outsource powder coating to a third-party company.

Terms of the deal, which was finalized last month, were undisclosed.

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Shoreline Powder Coating brings on 15 employees will now work in tandem with ReFab Metal Fabrication LLC, a Grand Haven-based DeWys portfolio company since 2020.

The strategic acquisition of Shoreline will help DeWys, a custom metal fabricator, provide better service to customers through a broader range of finish options. This also will enable faster turnaround times for products, according to ReFab President Andrew DeWys.

"Up until this point, we always had to send our powder coating for our metal to a third party," DeWys said, noting challenges with scheduling and lead times. "Already our turnaround times have improved dramatically with this acquisition."

DeWys also said the company is exploring the possibility of doing more assembly work from the Shoreline facility at 1626 Marion Ave. to help streamline operations.

"We’re looking at how we can strategically work together between our fabrication portion and now our powder coating portion," DeWys told Crain's Grand Rapids Business. "We used to send product out to be painted, bring it back, assemble it and then send it back out again whereas now we could paint, assemble and ship from one place."

As well, the Shoreline acquisition supports the ongoing growth of ReFab, which DeWys Manufacturing President Mark Schoenborn said has tripled in size over the past two and a half years.

At the time of ReFab's acquisition in 2020, company leadership said the deal would help DeWys expand its capabilities and allow for quicker turnaround times.

"Customers continue to demand shorter times and more capacity, which is tough to do without acquisitions," Schoenborn said.

The addition of Shoreline builds on that growth and helps further diversify DeWys Manufacturing's portfolio.

"Our goal is to be that complete solutions provider and we’re going to continue to acquire businesses that build on that and service our customers’ needs," Schoenborn said. "We’re looking at other acquisitions, what's next, and what the business will look like in the future."

DeWys Manufacturing rebranded as DeWys Metal Solutions in 2021 to pursue strategic growth opportunities. The company's six divisions now include DeWys Manufacturing, ReFab, American Grower Resource, DeWys Stainless Solutions, Shoreline Powder Coating and Wyze Designs.

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