Sarasota Manufacturer Buys Italian Company

Sun Hydraulics counterbalance valves
Image: Courtesy Steve Berlin
Sarasota's Sun Hydraulics, which makes hydraulic valves and other industrial equipment, on Monday announced that it is acquiring Faster Group, an Italian manufacturer that makes quick-release hydraulic coupling products, for approximately $531 million. The acquisition is expected to close in the second quarter of 2018. Headquartered in Milan, Faster also has operations in Toledo, Ohio; Pune, India; Shanghai, China; São Paulo, Brazil; and Langenfeld, Germany. Its primary markets include agriculture and construction equipment.