HOUSTON — Jim Coleman Company has officially acquired the assets of conveyorized carwash equipment giant Hanna Car Wash Systems, bringing together two of the industry's top names under Jim Coleman's corporate management.
For a timeline of Hanna's corporate history, click here.
Jim Coleman, a long-time OEM for the in-bay and self-serve markets, said that it plans to move the manufacturing of all Hanna's equipment from Portland, OR, to its corporate headquarters in Houston.
Randy Coleman, Jim Coleman's vice president, told Professional Car Care Online that the company's acquisition of Hanna has been in the works since Nov. 1, 2004.
"We're purchasing all of the assets of the company," Coleman said, "We're not assuming the liabilities."
There is a notable exception to that: Coleman made sure to point out that Jim Coleman is taking on all equipment liabilities and warranties. The company will be working with existing Hanna distributors and companies that own Hanna equipment.
"The reason for the move from Portland to Houston is so that we can combine our manufacturing plant with parts of their manufacturing plans so that we don't have duplications," Coleman noted.
According to Coleman, of the approximate 45 employees previously employed by Hanna, about 20 to 25 are moving to Houston along with the company. This is largely due to employee overlap, Coleman said. Jim Coleman Co. employed 275 employees before this acquisition.
Despite this, both brand names will remain and continue to service their existing markets. According to John Antonis, executive vice president for Hanna, the company will keep its offices in Portland and expects that Hanna brand will continue to stand on its own.
"In terms of product development, sales, marketing and branding, our offices will continue their work for Hanna," Antonis told PCC Online. "Instead of outsourcing like we had done in the past, our equipment will now be manufactured under Jim Coleman, in Houston."
Antonis added that his company considered research conducted prior to the asset acquisition that showed that Hanna, by far, had the highest brand equity in the industry, followed only by Jim Coleman.
MGC Capital Corporation, a company commissioned by the International Carwash Association (ICA), had conducted the research after last year's ICA expo to determine the impact of brand recognition among operators surveyed.
The combined operations of Jim Coleman and Hanna brings into question the influence the acquisition may have on distributors for both companies, and what changes might be made in the near future concerning distributor coverage for the carwashing markets served.
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