Rocla acquires KSA Limited Partnership

Rocla Concrete Tie, Inc. (Rocla), a North American manufacturer of prestressed concrete railroad ties, has acquired KSA Limited Partnership (KSA), a joint venture of Pittsburgh-based Koppers Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Koppers Holdings Inc., and Dallas-based Lehigh Hanson, Inc.

KSA, founded in 1992, manufactures concrete ties, concrete turnout ties, concrete grade crossing ties as well as other concrete products for the railroad industry. Its customer base extends to Class I railroads as well as to commuter and transit customers primarily in the eastern U.S. It is headquartered and has its manufacturing operation in Portsmouth, Ohio.

“The acquisition will allow for Rocla to expand its customer base and product range,” said Rocla President and CEO Peter Urquhart. “KSA is a recognized market leader in the concrete turnout market and a major supplier to the concrete grade crossing market. This business, led by General Manager Scott Craig, complements Rocla’s strategic initiative of expanding its product solutions to the railroad industry. We also anticipate that the KSA acquisition will provide a platform for further opportunities to grow the business.”

Among Rocla’s major customers are Amtrak, BNSF, Union Pacific, and various transit agencies and industrial and port railroads. Rocla began producing prestressed concrete railroad ties in the U.S. in 1987 and now has manufacturing plants in Pueblo, Colo; Amarillo, Tex.; Bear, Del.; and San Jose Iturbi, Mexico. Rocla is a portfolio company of Altus Capital Partners, which specializes in investments in U.S.-based middle-market manufacturing companies. Altus acquired Rocla in May 2013.