Daifuku Webb to buy Wynright in bid to strengthen U.S. warehousing and DC presence

Daifuku Webb Holding Co., which makes material handling equipment and systems, said late yesterday it will buy Wynright Corp. in an effort to boost Daifuku Webb's presence in the U.S. warehousing and distribution center sector.

Under the agreement, terms of which were not disclosed, Wynright will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of Farmington Hills, Mich.-based Daifuku Webb. The acquisition is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2013, Daifuku Webb said.

Wynright provides conveyor and sortation systems, voice- and light-directed order fulfillment technology, a suite of warehouse control and execution software, robotics, mezzanines, and structures. It is strong in the warehousing and distribution center categories in the United States, an area that Daifuku Webb wants to penetrate.

"The acquisition of Wynright will strengthen our business in North America and greatly improve the services and products we offer our customers," said Brian Stewart, chairman, president, and CEO of Daifuku Webb, a subsidiary of Japan-based Daifuku Co. Ltd. "We have worked together with Wynright on several projects and have great respect for their expertise in designing, manufacturing, integrating, and installing intralogistics solutions that are helping some of the world's largest and fastest-growing companies."

Wynright is headquartered in Elk Grove Village, Ill., a suburb of Chicago, and has regional offices and manufacturing locations throughout the U.S.