28-12-2020

Specialty Welding and Turnarounds acquire Hydroprocessing Associates

Specialty Welding and Turnarounds LLC (SWAT), a leading provider of specialty welding and other highly technical services to the oil and gas refinery, biodiesel, petrochemical, and industrial markets, announced today the acquisition of Hydroprocessing Associates, LLC (HPA). Headquartered in Moss Point, MS, and with substantial operations across the South-Central and Western U.S., HPA provides specialized catalyst handling services for oil and gas refineries and petrochemical facilities. As part of the transaction, SWAT will also acquire Breathing Systems Inc. (BSI) , a wholly-owned subsidiary of HPA which provides manufacturing, maintenance, and repair for NIOSH-approved life support systems worn by workers conducting catalyst change-out services.

“The addition of HPA into the SWAT platform enables us to offer an additional highly specialized and mission-critical service,” said Johnny Holifield, Founder & CEO of SWAT. “We will now be able to provide high-quality catalyst handling services as a core part of our differentiated offering. We’re excited to extend the SWAT brand into this attractive market.”

“SWAT’s consistent focus on customer service, execution quality, and safety make it a perfect match for HPA,” said Rodgers Thibodaux, General Manager of HPA. “With SWAT, we anticipate tapping into a significant base of resources that will allow us to further leverage our highly-trained workforce and proprietary technology to better serve our customers.” At close, Mr. Thibodaux will lead the newly formed division as Vice President of SWAT Catalyst Services.

SWAT was acquired by the private equity firm ORIX Capital Partners in January 2020, in partnership with Hastings Equity Partners and the SWAT management team. HPA represents the partnership’s first add-on acquisition as SWAT executes on a multi-pronged growth strategy.

“We continue to be impressed with SWAT’s commitment to being an industry-leading provider,” said Mohammed Khalil, Director at ORIX Capital Partners. “Expanding SWAT’s service offering is an opportunity to demonstrate to both new and existing clients SWAT’s best-in-class capabilities.”