Vermeer acquires Vac-Tron with plans to fold into McLaughlin under new name

Vermeer has acquired Florida-based Vac-Tron Equipment, makers of vacuum excavation products for underground utility applications.

Once the purchase is complete, Vac-Tron will be integrated into the McLaughlin Group, a South Carolina-based drill tooling and vacuum excavation company Vermeer bought in 2017.

The combined companies will operate under the group name Vermeer MV Solutions, and will provide Vermeer-branded vacuum excavation equipment and technology through Vac-Tron and McLaughlin series product lines as well as McLaughlin-branded utility accessories and auger boring systems, Vermeer says in a press release.

The new group will be led by one leadership and sales team led by general manager Dav Van Wyk. Vermeer says the leadership teams from Vac-Tron and McLaughlin will “serve as a unified team,” and the “(Okahumpka) Florida and (Greenville) South Carolina locations will continue production.

The acquisition brings a close to a close relationship between Vermeer and Vac-Tron whose products “have been sold almost exclusively through the Vermeer dealer network,” Vermeer says.

Vermeer cites growing demand within the soft dig markets and a strategy “to provide a comprehensive suite of vacuum excavation technology, equipment, training and support,” as its motivation behind the Vac-Tron purchase. Vermeer president and CEO Jason Andringa adds that the purchase gives dealers “a more efficient, single-point connection to a full product lineup.”