Sunnen Acquires BTA Heller to Expand Honing Expertise

Sunnen Products Co. has acquired BTA Heller Inc., a US-based manufacturer of deep hole tooling and systems for primary hole generation. This move aims to expand Sunnen’s honing expertise to include tooling for initial hole creation and other complementary bore sizing and finishing processes. The company recently introduced the SHD series skiving and roller burnishing system with tooling supplied by BTA Heller, and will retain the BTA Heller name as a wholly owned subsidiary.

“BTA Heller is a natural fit for Sunnen. Our companies complement each other very well and BTA Heller’s reputation in the industry for deep hole drilling expertise is unsurpassed,” says Chris Miltenberger, president and COO of Sunnen Products Co. “The transfer of knowledge between the two companies will create a unique value proposition for our customers. And, with this acquisition, no other deep hole/BTA company will have Sunnen’s global presence for technical and post-sale support.”

BTA Heller started in 1952 in Troy, Michigan as American Heller. In 2007, the company name changed to BTA Heller, and it has continued to produce tooling and processes for gundrilling, single tube, BTA, and double tube/ejector drilling systems, among others.

“We have developed various tools and systems for creating intricate internal profiled deep hole drilling from 0.5 in. to 36 in. diameter,” says Mark Sollich, president and CEO of BTA Heller. “To combine forces with Sunnen and its bore geometry expertise creates a company not found anywhere else in our industry. No one company can provide a total bore solution from the creation of the primary hole to the final bore finish specifications like we can.”

Mr. Sollich will continue at the helm of BTA Heller after the acquisition, under the Sunnen Products Co. umbrella.