Michael Byrne Mfg. Eyes Expansion Following Acquisition

In mid-2025, word began to surface that Mansfield, Ohio-based Michael Byrne Mfg. was taking a major step in its growth. The rumor mill was churning that Michael Byrne was acquiring the auger boring assets of its in-state rival – American Augers – from The Toro Co.

Confirmation came in August 2025 when Michael Byrne made the announcement of the acquisition. “We are excited to bring the American Augers’ auger boring legacy under the Michael Byrne banner,” said Jim Weist, president of Michael Byrne at the time of the acquisition. “This move allows us to expand our product offerings, enhance our customer support, and honor the heritage of two respected brands in the trenchless industry.”

Fast forward seven months and Weist reports that the integration of the American Augers inventory is progressing well. And there is exciting news in the pipeline.

“We picked up a great name in the business,” says Weist. “Let’s face it, they were the No. 1 people [in auger boring] for five decades. There’s a lot of history and excitement there.”

While the formal announcement came in August, the conversations leading to the acquisition came well before that. And, according to Weist, there was never an intent or plan to make the acquisition.

Located a short drive from each other, Weist acknowledges the two companies always had a competitive but cordial relationship. So, when Weist got the call that there was interest in selling the auger boring assets, his interest was piqued. At that point, the wheels were set in motion to complete the acquisition.

With American Augers retaining its name for directional drills and mud systems, Weist says it’s important for existing auger boring customers to have a trusted and reliable source for those equipment needs. And that is what Michael Byrne provides.

Market & Manufacturing Growth

“We were already supporting the product line,” says Weist. “We have customers who were running Michael Byrne and American Augers machines. A lot of times we’d have someone ask us if we knew were they could get a part for an American Augers machine. We realized there were interchangeable parts, and if not, we’d source the needed part for them.”

An additional factor leading to the acquisition was the fact that over the last 10 years Michael Byrne has made several strategic hires of former American Augers employees. With this institutional knowledge on board, it made the decision a no-brainer. And it helps to augment the offerings at Michael Byrne.

“Twelve to 15 years ago people were thinking that auger boring was going to be dying because of directional drilling and other technologies,” Weist says. “But, in all actuality, the market has taken off and grown over the last five to six years. And we see it continuing to grow.”

To help manage and be at the forefront of that growth, Michael Byrne acquired land adjacent to its Mansfield headquarters for imminent expansion.

“We’re expanding our assembly and production facility so we can get to a place where we are supplying 36 to 40 machines, as well as augers and the other specialty products we manufacture,” says Weist.

The existing headquarters, at 1855 Earth Boring Road, is about 50,000 sq ft. The expansion plans in the works will add at least another 35,000 sq ft of manufacturing and service capabilities. Current output is in the 12 to 15 machine range. And the bulk of those are 48- and 72-in. machines.

This is where the American Augers acquisition will bolster Michael Byrne’s offerings.

Expanding the Line

All equipment will carry the Michael Byrne name with 24- and 36-in. machines being American Augers style machines. Machines 48-in. and larger will continue to be the typical Michael Byrne style machines.

“The acquisition broadens our customer list quite a bit. Most of the customers we’ve done business with at one time,” Weist says. “There were definitely more international customers we picked up, as well as service.”

The latter, he notes, is an area that is seeing staffing expansion and will benefit from the new facility coming online. The plan is to add service bays for repair and maintenance of machines, which Weist says there is a real need for.

“I’d say we do about 10 to 15 percent in service and repair,” says Weist “We’ve expanded what our field service department will do. We just hired on Jeremy Harrah; he was a field tech for American Augers for eight years.”

They are developing a team to handle more field repairs and help with machine start-ups. Both are integral to upping yearly machine output.

Welcome to the Family

What can customers expect as Michael Byrne continues to grow?

“Michael Byrne is a family business. We have that culture here and that is what is important to us. Taking care of our customers is the foremost on our minds. Our guys do not go the extra mile, but that extra five miles. And people remember that,” says Weist. “They are going to have a great experience dealing with Michael Byrne from the culture to the knowledge of the industry we have. We will go out of our way to get you what you need.”

Mike Kezdi is managing editor of Trenchless Technology.

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