BIG News

Avatar Engineering Acquired by Pivot International

Pivot International is acquiring another Lenexa-based company, Avatar Engineering.

Pivot offers product development, engineering and manufacturing services to clients around the world. The 45-year-old company has a presence in both Europe and Asia.

Avatar, meanwhile, has earned a reputation for technology design and manufacturing – especially for industries such as agriculture, transportation, scientific instruments and industrial.

“We are making this strategic acquisition to expand our technological engineering and manufacturing capabilities in the U.S., specifically in the Kansas City area, while also growing our resources in Asia and the U.K. to serve European customers,” said Mark Dohnalek, Pivot’s president and CEO.

Avatar will increase Pivot’s ability to produce circuit boards, box-builds, software and hardware quickly and efficiently.

“We will be able to design and engineer, build prototypes, short-run and full-run production locally,” Dohnalek said.

Jack Ward, Avatar’s CEO, said that he is “proud of the company that he has built over the last 18 years and confident that Mark Dohnalek and his executive team at Pivot will continue Avatar’s legacy of innovation, outstanding quality, reliability and cost management.”

Avatar is the third company that Pivot has acquired since January 2016. The others were Mid-Continent Custom Electronics of Independence and DigitTron Technologies of Shawnee.

“I am committed to generating jobs, products and revenue in the U.S., especially in the Kansas City area. I am equally committed to ensuring that Pivot has the global capabilities to manufacture in the U.S. and Asia so that we can deliver the most efficient solution for our clients all over the globe,” Dohnalek said. “While many debate the merits of nationalism versus globalism, I pragmatically understand the need for both in our growth strategy.”

Pivot was on the cover of Thinking Bigger Business magazine in 2001. Avatar was a member of the 25 Under 25® class of 2010.