Hexagon Composites, a global leader in composite cylinders for natural gas vehicles, and Agility Fuel Systems, the leader in natural gas fuel system solutions for commercial vehicles, announced that the companies will merge Hexagon Composites' CNG Automotive Products Division, which includes medium- and heavy-duty vehicle composite cylinder manufacturing operations and its bus systems business unit, with Agility to form Agility Fuel Solutions.
The new entity will be owned equally by Hexagon Composites and Agility's current investors. The merger is uniquely positioned to drive innovation in the industry, while better serving the global market and expanding its product offerings worldwide. The strategic integration of fuel systems and cylinders will provide value by reducing up-front costs for clean technology, accelerating commercialization of new product ideas, and driving faster returns on investments.
The combined company will have production sites in the United States, Norway, and Brazil, with technical centers located in Lincoln NE and Kelowna BC, Canada. Agility Fuel Solutions will manufacture cylinders for use in its systems, as well as for direct sale with offices in the United States, Canada, Latin America, Norway, India, and Southeast Asia.
"This merger combines two market leaders with strong backgrounds in engineering creativity, profitable growth and operational excellence" said Kathleen Ligocki, named chief executive officer of the newly merged company, Agility Fuel Solutions. "Agility is proud of our successful relationship with Hexagon, and together we will target driving adoption of clean natural gas systems in commercial vehicle markets around the world."
Sam Gabbita, general partner at Element Partners, the lead investor for Agility Fuel Systems, said: "This transaction is a natural progression of our existing joint venture arrangement and will expand our ability to create unique value for our customers by deepening our technical capabilities and expanding our reach globally.
Hexagon's Mobile Pipeline, hydrogen products, and light-duty vehicles divisions will continue to operate as Hexagon Composites. The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2016.