AES acquires Tennessee company

AES, an industrial equipment solutions provider, announced that it has growing once again. CEO Nicholas Cooke said the company has acquired a system integrator, repair center, and engineering service provider, in Tennessee based Plant Drives & Systems.

A family-owned company opened in 1992, AES has its headquarters in Mount Airy. CEO Nicholas Cooke said, “Our talented team of over 120 employees provide industrial electronic, hydraulic, and mechanical equipment repair, sales, and contracted manufacturing and engineering solutions to a global customer base.”

He said the acquisition of Plant Drives & Systems (PDS) aligns with the AES business model and growth strategy. “This acquisition will allow AES not only to have a physical presence for our customers in Tennessee, and neighboring areas, but to also strengthen our service offerings.”

Furthermore, Cooke said the acquisition will allow AES to begin offering system integration and panel build services not previously available to their customers. “It will increase the products we can offer to customers of AES while increasing our customer base predominately throughout North Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, Virginia, and others,” he said.

PDS is also a small family owned company, Cooke said, with its base of operations in Chattanooga. The firm brings to the table nearly 15 years of experience as a system integrator for variable frequency drives and automated systems, but he also noted an authorized integrator and service center for Mitsubishi Electric, a UL508A Certified Panel Show, and an in-house repair center.

“They have built an incredible business on the foundation of providing high-quality service with customer-centric focus. We, at AES, plan to continue that same level of customer service and provide high-quality service that customers of PDS have grown to know and love,” Cooke said.

“Current clients of PDS will enjoy the benefits of our expanded and talented workforce, diverse service offerings, web-based customer portal, two-year warranty, and free regional pick-up and delivery, to name a few,” he explained.

As the companies come together, AES will take over ownership of PDS but will maintain the latter’s presence in Chattanooga. Rather than bringing PDS wholly to Mount Airy, and leaving Chattanooga in the lurch, Cooke said the plan is to add jobs in Tennessee including drivers and repair technicians.

“This is an exciting time for both Plant Drives & Systems and AES. As one unified team, we become an even stronger service provider within our industry,” Cooke said.