StoneAge Acquires AquaPower Ltd., Expands the Tool Manufacturer's Capacity to Provide Waterblasting Products and Technical Support to Industrial Cleaning Contractors Across Europe

    DURANGO, CO, March 07, 2017 /24-7PressRelease/ -- StoneAge, Inc. is pleased to announce that on February 21st, 2017, the company closed an acquisition agreement with AquaPower Ltd, headquartered in the industrial midlands of the United Kingdom. "AquaPower has been a StoneAge dealer and key partner for well over a decade. We are united by a common business culture and commitment to exceptional customer service which makes this a very natural transition," said Kerry Siggins, CEO of StoneAge. "As StoneAge products are steadily adopted across the globe, we are committed to providing our growing customer base with fast and accurate access to localized stock, training, repair, and support."

The new StoneAge Europe facility will be lead by Managing Director, Steve Ellis, who brings nearly 30 years' experience in the waterblast industry, having played an instrumental part in the growth of several companies including Flowplant (formerly Harben), WOMA, and Asia Waterjet Equipment in Dubai. "This new StoneAge site presents contractors with the convenience of accessing everything they need for a water blasting job in one location along with responsive local support," says Ellis.

Long-time General Manager of AquaPower, Karen Birt, will move into the role of acting Operations Manager and continue to oversee day-to-day operations, managing the experienced AquaPower team of order fulfillment and customer service specialists, Karen Evans, James Stallard, and Andy Stevenson. This continuity of staff will enable a seamless transition for customers as the facility begins to ship and support StoneAge products throughout Europe. Bob Birt, founder of AquaPower, will stay on as a technical consultant and support the StoneAge Europe team and UK customers through this transition.

To compliment the new base of European operation, StoneAge will add regionally based staff to provide technical sales and field support to extended areas of Western Europe. Andrew Birt, who has worked in the water blasting industry for 20 years, and directly for StoneAge for the last seven years, will take on the new role of European Dealer and UK Sales Manager. Jan van der Wal, brings extensive experience selling and supporting technical water blasting products for DiBo, and VertiDrive to his new role of StoneAge Sales Manager for Benelux, Germany, and Austria. StoneAge will be adding more regional staff in the coming months to provide convenient customer assistance for the European marketplace.

StoneAge, Inc. is the leading manufacturer of high pressure waterblast tools and automated equipment for industrial companies and contractors worldwide. Our focus is on developing the highest quality products for industrial, sewer, and downhole cleaning as well as custom equipment for application-specific challenges. Visit news.stoneagetools.com for information.

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