Thresher acquires Talon
The market for the secure containment, transportation, and storage of nuclear materials is growing — what with these materials offering lucrative targets for terrorists and growing environmental concerns; Thresher, a company which knows a thing or two about casting and composite materials, is acquiring Talon, a specialist in manufacturing premium metal matrix composites
Worries about containing and transporting nuclear materials have increased because of the temptation these materials offer terrorists, to say nothing about the environmental concerns. There is thus a way to make money in offering nuclear container and transport solutions, and Hanford, California-based Thresher Industries (OTC: THRI), a manufacturer of aluminum and composite castings, knows this. It has just announced that it has agreed to acquire 100 percent of Talon Composites, a manufacturer of premium metal matrix composites. The transaction is scheduled to close on 10 November 2006.
Thresher’s move is smart, as it the acquisition will allow it to leverage its manufacturing strength to develop and market Talon’s products in the high-growth nuclear market and other industries. Talon Composites has focused on providing neutron-absorbing materials and manufactured components for nuclear transport and storage containers, and there has been growing interest in the use of Talon’s materials in the nuclear industry — not only in the United States, but in other countries as well. The properties of Talon’s materials have also proved valuable in other applications in which a combination of light weight, stiffness, longevity, and strength are important, for example, engines, electronics, defense, and aerospace.
The relationship between the two companies is not new. Back in January 2005 Thresher had successfully cast an automotive aftermarket “Hemi” engine block using Talon materials. Thresher’s leaders said their company has been successful in filling, melting, and handling Talon’s materials, and we know that Thresher has cast parts as small as one-half pound and as large as the full engine block using the materials.
-read more at the Web sites of Thresher | Talon
