EPTAM Precision Acquires Sterling Manufacturing

EPTAM Precision Solutions, a Frazier Healthcare Partners portfolio company, has purchased Sterling Manufacturing and its wholly-owned subsidiary Albright Silicone. Sterling is a component manufacturer headquartered in Lancaster, Mass., specializing in plastic injection molding and liquid silicone rubber (LSR) molding serving the medical device, molecular diagnostics, biopharma, consumer electronics, and eerospace and defense markets.

Neither company disclosed the deal’s terms.

“By welcoming the professionals from Sterling and Albright to our team, EPTAM adds highly automated, thermoplastic and liquid silicone rubber injection molding expertise, while also expanding our front-end engineering support offering and benefitting from Sterling’s proximity to many of the leading molecular diagnostic and biopharma OEMs located in the greater New England area,” EPTAM CEO Mark Kemp said.
 
Besides further bolstering EPTAM’s presence in the life sciences, biopharma and broader medical device market, the acquisition expands and further diversifies the company’s capabilities, offering customers a single partner of choice to solve their plastics manufacturing requirements. Albright brings a new capability into the EPTAM portfolio with its expertise in silicone injection tooling fabrication and molding. With Albright sitting only minutes down the road in Leominster, Mass., the combined molding expertise of Sterling and Albright will allow EPTAM to serve as a one-stop shop for medical customers requiring both thermoplastic and LSR injection molded components.

“We are excited to be joining the EPTAM family. They share the same culture and values, creating the ideal partnership for our next chapter,” Sterling President Stan Bowker said. “EPTAM’s reach and industry expertise, especially in the medtech space, combined with our molding, tooling, and automation experience, will greatly enhance our capabilities and offerings to our customers.” 
 
Founded in 1981, EPTAM is an outsourced manufacturer of medical device components, implants, single-use medical disposable, biopharma and diagnostic devices, as well as other high-precision surgical device components. The company has expertise with polymer machining, precision metal machining, injection molding, laser cutting/welding and metal injection molding, which the company targets to open later this year. Additionally, EPTAM offers a range of value-added services such as process validation, design-for-assembly, cleanroom assembly, laser cutting/welding equipment and process development, rapid-prototyping, and technical program management solutions. EPTAM employs more than 500 workers and has operations in New Hampshire, Colorado, New Jersey, Minnesota, Connecticut, and Michigan.
 
“Partnering with EPTAM is a great opportunity in the evolution of Sterling’s capabilities. We are confident this acquisition will expand EPTAM’s vast technical capabilities in servicing the life sciences and medical markets. We could not have found a better strategic fit,” Sterling CEO John Gravelle said. 
 
EPTAM is a high-precision outsourced manufacturer of complex components and devices with particular expertise in plastic, metal, and injection molded applications. The company provides its custom machining solutions to leaders in the medical devices, biopharma and diversified industrials sectors. 
 
Founded in 1968, Sterling is a vertically integrated injection molding solutions partner in the consumer product, healthcare and defense industries. Sterling supports the entire product lifecycle, with rapid prototyping, tool development, validation, production molding, and significant automation expertise. In addition, Sterling offers a wide array of secondary operations such as automated assembly, pad printing, and sonic welding, among others. With the acquisition of Albright in 2019, Sterling added a vertically integrated silicone molding partner to its offering, allowing the company to better serve the medical, industrial, consumer, and defense industries. 
 
Founded in 1991, Frazier Healthcare Partners is a private equity firm focused exclusively on the healthcare sector. With more than $7 billion in total capital raised, Frazier has invested in more than 200 companies with transaction types ranging from buyouts of profitable healthcare services companies to venture capital and company creation. Frazier partners with strong management teams while leveraging its internal operating resources and network to build exceptional companies. Frazier has offices in Seattle and Menlo Park, Calif., and invests throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe.