AFC Industries acquired The Chess Group, a distributor of metallic components for OEMs.

Chess owner Dutch Schultz said he was “looking for a partner that would allow us to expand our business but didn’t want what made us successful over the years to get swallowed up by a corporate culture. AFC brought a great balance of resources and entrepreneurial spirit that will benefit our customers and our team.”

Chess Group provides VMI and inventory management and  is headquartered in Upstate New York and has facilities in Mexico and China. Web: ChessGroupInc.com

AFC CEO Kevin Godin said “we were looking for a company that had a culture of going the extra mile to provide value to their customers. Chess does that as well as adding additional value for the current AFC customers by expanding our product capabilities for Custom Engineered Components, strengthening our position in Mexico, and adding talent to the organization.”

Fairfield, OH-headquartered AFC provides supply chain management of fastening and other assembly components. Customers’ industries include automotive, defense, fluid-handling, food equipment, lighting, medical, transportation and solar energy. Web: AFCind.com

AFC was acquired in 2015 by Incline Equity Partners, a Pittsburgh-based private equity firm. Chess is the 10th fastener distributor AFC has acquired since being purchased by Incline. Web: InclineEquity.com