M. K. Products Buys S. T. International, Maker of Computerized Welding Gear

M.K. Products Inc., which makes equipment for the arc-welding industry, confirmed Monday that it has acquired S.T. International Inc. in Fountain Valley, a computerized welding equipment manufacturer.

The company did not reveal terms of the acquisition. It did say, however, that it expects the purchase to boost its revenue by 20% to 30%.

“It fit beautifully with our worldwide sales operation,” Paul Miller, vice president of sales for M.K. Products, said of S.T. International. STI, which he said solicited the acquisition, makes products used in the aerospace, medical, petrochemical and other industries to weld very thin metal tubing.

M.K. Products plans to move the engineering, manufacturing and sales facilities of STI to its Irvine facility and to retain six of the company’s employees. STI formerly employed about a dozen people, Miller said. He noted that STI had been on the verge of bankruptcy and that, had the merger not taken place, it might have been liquidated and all of its employees laid off.

M.K. Products, which is privately held, was founded in 1967 and now employs about 95 people.