Great Lakes Towing Acquires Plotz Machine

The Great Lakes Towing Company announced it has purchased The Wm. Plotz Machine & Forge Company.

The acquisition, which includes all Plotz Machine’s assets and real estate, increases the services provided by Great Lakes and allows the company to now offer marine and industrial machine shop services to all types of customers, including shipyard new construction and ship repair. The transaction closed on Tuesday, November 30, 2021.

Great Lakes said it has retained all employees of Plotz Machine and will supplement the enterprise with administrative and financial support to help grow Plotz Machine’s current book of business.

Plotz Machine is a jobbing machine shop, specializing in remanufactured replacement parts for commercial, municipal, marine, and industrial operations. Services include repair and overhaul work on shafts, bearings, pumps, motors, valves, cooling towers, and ventilation systems, as well as fabrication of a wide range of precision machined products. Plotz Machine’s services have been utilized by both commercial and government customers in the greater Cleveland area and throughout the Midwest.

Both companies have been in continuous business since the late 1800s and have rich histories in the City of Cleveland. “We see many similarities between our two 120+ year old, family owned, Cleveland based businesses, and we look forward to leveraging synergies to create long-term value for the collective benefit of both businesses, our customers, and our city,” said Joe Starck, President, The Great Lakes Towing Company.

“Our mission has always been to go above and beyond for our customers, and continually improve on-time deliveries and service, at a competitive cost, with the same high quality our customers expect. We believe this transition will help us continue to do just that,” said Tom Plotz, President, The Wm. Plotz Machine & Forge Company.