11 July 2011

Gas abatement and vacuum firms Steed and Highvac merge

Steed Technology Inc of Scotts Valley, CA, which provides thermal processing equipment and point-of-use (PoU) process gas abatement systems, has merged with Highvac Corp of Colorado Springs, CO, a supplier of vacuum pumps, accessories and related equipment and services. Both firms primarily serve the semiconductor, LED and solar Industries. The merged firm will operate as Steed Technologies, with headquarters at Highvac’s 45,000ft2 manufacturing and distribution facility in Colorado Springs.

A main focus of the merger involves ramping up sales channels, as well as expanding existing channels both domestically and internationally while putting an increased focus on new customers in regions with new, stricter air-quality restrictions. With the combination of Steed’s EcoGuard PoU abatement systems and Highvac’s established vacuum pump sales and service centers, customers will have access to a wider variety of vacuum/abatement solutions to better serve their specific application requirements, say the firms. Highvac has service centers throughout the USA and around the world. These locations will serve as the foundation for growth into different global regions, providing faster, more convenient access to service and support for vacuum and gas abatement products. 

Highvac’s long-term, core competency of process vacuum pumps and support lends itself to Steed’s new EcoGuard PoU technology, the firms reckon. Through the strategic alliance, they have developed a total ‘Sub-Fab’ solution to be offered to end-user customers and OEMs alike. The Sub-Fab solution is a totally integrated system that includes vacuum and abatement technologies, and an onboard environmental control panel feature developed by Steed. By combining these technologies into a packaged, turnkey product, users will no longer have to piece together vacuum and abatement systems from separate technology providers, and will be able to purchase process vacuum pumps and exhaust abatement equipment as a totally integrated system through a single vendor.

Continuing the Highvac model of local support centers is a key ingredient for providing customers the services required to maintain mission-critical manufacturing lines in a highly responsive manner, the firms say. Support centers will be expanded throughout the USA and globally, including Taiwan, Korea, China, Singapore and Europe, as efforts are aggressively ramped up to support customer demand for process vacuum and abatement technologies.

An additional aspect of the merger is the creation of Steed’s Green Consulting Service. The merger adds value to this service with the addition of the Highvac ‘Vacuum Pumping Solutions’ team, which has a combined 50 years of gas abatement and vacuum equipment experience. With new, increasingly strict, environmental regulations such as the ‘Greenhouse’ law (AB32), many firms in the semiconductor, LED, solar and other industries are closely examining ways to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of their current abatement systems, the firm says. Environmental control will play a major role in these industries in the years ahead and, to assist companies in making the transition to cleaner, more efficient manufacturing technologies, Steed will offer ‘green’ consulting and solutions services to help them to reduce emissions of gases such as perfluorocarbons (PFCs), oxides of nitrogen (NOx), and carbon dioxide (CO2). Steed’s Green Consulting provides a fast-track to compliance for companies struggling to comply with local and federal laws, while offering savings through the reduction of consumed utilities such as fuel and water, the firm says.

“The companies we serve face steep and complex challenges when forced to work with separate vendors to piece together environmentally responsible solutions to the toxic and harmful exhaust created in their manufacturing process, while at the same time trying increase machine up-time,” says Steed’s president & CEO Gerry Catalano. “High-tech companies will face tougher standards in the future and will need advanced vacuum and abatement equipment to be in compliance with regulations and provide the maximum up-time,” he adds. 

“We look forward to the new capabilities we can bring to our customers through expanding our scope of supply with the EcoGuard Abatement system,” comments Highvac Corp’s president & CEO John Catalano. “Vacuum pumps and PoU abatement are a perfect product mix, and Steed’s products are a direct extension that adds considerable value to the core products and services that we have offered to our customers for the past 18 years,” he adds. “Additionally, the added scope enables us to expand into geographical regions and bring Highvac’s proven model of being a ‘local vendor’ to our new customers.”

See related items:

Steed buys Applied Technology Specialists Inc

Tags: Steed Technology Vacuum pumps Gas abatement

Visit: www.steedtech.com

Visit: www.highvacpumps.com