Houston Steel Plate (HSP) and Artco Group International (AGI), two independent steel service centers located in Houston, Texas and Hannibal, Ohio, have retained Heritage Equity Partners to seek a buyer for the companies.  Specializing in heavy steel plate, HSP and AGI offer customers flame cutting, saw cutting, bending, grinding, heat treating and shot blasting capabilities. 

Originally founded in 1948, Artco Group International and 100-year-old Houston Blow Pipe (now Houston Steel Plate) have evolved into one-stop-shops, providing customers with all their heavy plate needs. Houston Steel Plate and Artco Group have become a lead resource for steel users across North America, South America, and Europe.  Additionally, the companies have accumulated unique manufacturing equipment to satisfy the demands of their customers.  Those customers include steel construction companies, oil and gas companies, heavy industry, machine shops and many others.  Each of the two companies offer a broad selection of in stock plate grades and sizes to create turnkey solutions for their customers, including, the industry’s most complete inventory of heavy steel plate – up to 25” thick.  As two of the few companies in North America specializing in heavy plate, the HSP and AGI team is focused exclusively on finding better solutions to its customers’ heavy plate needs.

According to Fred Cross, a managing director at Heritage Equity Partners, “This is an excellent opportunity to acquire one or both companies.  Absent bids for complete locations, all equipment and inventory will be auctioned starting November 30th.” 

Heritage Equity Partners, formerly “Equity Partners”, based in Easton, MD provides investment banking services and has completed in excess of 400 engagements throughout the United States since 1988.