HAWE Hydraulics - Solutions for a World Under Pressure

HAWE Hydraulics Acquires Pacific Fluid Systems

Chuck Houghton and Stan Nelsen
HAWE Hydraulics, Inc., of Charlotte, N.C., the North American subsidiary of HAWE Hydraulik, SE, of Munich, Germany, is strengthening its North American presence through the acquisition of Pacific Fluid Systems, located in Portland, Oregon. Effective April 1, 2013, this merger strategically positions HAWE for increasing its market share in the U.S. and Canada.

HAWE Hydraulik is a leading global manufacturer and supplier of sophisticated hydraulic components and controls for the mobile, industrial, and renewable energy markets. The company began operations in the U.S. in 1997 when it established HAWE North America in Charlotte. Consisting of 14 subsidiaries and a workforce of 2,100, the HAWE Group generated revenues of €320 million in 2012. North America ranks as the third biggest market for HAWE Hydraulik, behind China and Germany. The addition of Pacific Fluid Systems (PFS) is intended to help grow HAWE’s North American market.

Stan Nelsen began PFS in 1977. Building the business on a reputation of application knowledge, innovation, and engineering expertise, Mr. Nelsen successfully assembled an outstanding team of engineers and support staff who bring a unique vision to their client needs and projects. It wasn’t long after HAWE came to North America that PFS became a distributor for them. Subsequently, the consolidation of PFS’s strengths with the strengths of HAWE North America brings a greater balance to the services available from coast to coast.

"We strongly believe that searching and finding the right balances enables sustainable success," says Karl Haeusgen, CEO of HAWE Hydraulik, SE. "Making PFS a part of the HAWE family is a logical step in our quest to balance growth and continuity. By combining excellent people with excellent products and a loyal customer base, we are taking a huge step toward extending our market presence and brand recognition in North America."

Moving forward, PFS will be doing business under the name HAWE North America, Inc.

HAWE Hydraulics: Solutions for a World Under Pressure

In 1997, North America was introduced to HAWE Hydraulik through its American subsidiary, HAWE Hydraulics. Today, many of America’s most rugged industries rely on 60 years of HAWE’s dependable German engineering and experience to help them build equipment with extremely robust hydraulic systems. Based in Charlotte, North Carolina, HAWE Hydraulics is an ISO 9001:2001 certified international supplier of sophisticated modular hydraulic components and systems. HAWE offer sales and application engineering services for the custom design of modular hydraulic solutions, an extensive local inventory, and after-sales support, including product training, troubleshooting, and on-site service.