McDanel and Richland Merge to Form Advanced Materials Powerhouse

BEAVER FALLS, Pa. and VINELAND, N.J. – January 15, 2026 – In a significant move set to reshape the advanced materials landscape, McDanel Advanced Materials and Richland Glass today announced the completion of their strategic merger. The deal, orchestrated under the stewardship of private equity firm Artemis Capital Partners, unites two specialized manufacturers into a single, integrated entity poised to deliver a comprehensive suite of high-performance materials for the world's most demanding industries.

The newly formed company combines McDanel's century of expertise in technical ceramics, Richland's precision glass engineering, and the cutting-edge optical technologies of Rayotek, which McDanel acquired in 2024. This consolidation creates what the companies are calling a total 'Advanced Materials Platform,' designed to provide one-stop solutions for complex engineering challenges in aerospace, defense, life sciences, and semiconductor manufacturing.

The Artemis Blueprint: A Strategy of Integration

This merger is not an isolated event but rather the culmination of a deliberate, multi-year strategy by its owner, Artemis Capital Partners. The Boston-based private equity firm has a well-documented history of acquiring specialized, high-value industrial technology companies and consolidating them into powerful, integrated platforms. Their portfolio reveals a clear focus on building market leaders in niche, mission-critical sectors.

Artemis began assembling the pieces of this advanced materials powerhouse with its acquisition of McDanel in October 2022. This was followed by McDanel's purchase of Rayotek Scientific in March 2024, which added critical capabilities in sapphire optics and advanced window systems. The acquisition of Richland Glass by Artemis in January 2025 was the final major piece before today's announced merger. This pattern mirrors Artemis's other investments in industrial tech, such as its acquisitions of optical filter manufacturer Omega Optical and sensor-maker Tekscan, demonstrating a clear blueprint: acquire complementary specialists and forge them into a synergistic whole.

By uniting these companies, Artemis is creating an entity with a broader technological base and greater scale than its individual parts. This strategy allows the combined company to compete more effectively against larger, diversified materials giants like CoorsTek, Kyocera, and Corning, while offering a more complete and integrated solution set than smaller, niche competitors could provide.

A New Force in a High-Growth Market

The timing of the merger places the new entity in a strong position within the burgeoning advanced materials market. The global advanced ceramics sector, valued at over $107 billion in 2023, is projected to grow steadily, driven by relentless demand from the electronics, healthcare, and aerospace industries for materials that offer superior thermal, chemical, and mechanical properties. Similarly, the specialty glass market is expanding, fueled by innovations in consumer electronics, life science instrumentation, and energy-efficient technologies.

The combined company now offers a unified portfolio that spans high-purity alumina, zirconia, and mullite ceramics; sapphire and fused silica optics; and precision-engineered borosilicate glass. This integration is designed to streamline the material selection process for customers developing products that must perform flawlessly under extreme duress—from the intense heat of a jet engine to the sterile environment of a biotech laboratory.

"This merger is about creating something meaningfully stronger than the sum of its parts," said Rudi Coetzee, Executive Chairman of McDanel, in the official announcement. "By bringing Richland into the McDanel platform, we can meet the needs of current and future customers with greater depth, speed, and confidence." This sentiment underscores the core value proposition: offering customers a single, expert partner for complex, multi-material challenges.

Engineering for the Extreme: The Future of Multi-Material Solutions

The true potential of this merger lies in the technological synergies it unlocks. By combining deep expertise in ceramics, optics, and glass under one roof, the company is positioned to pioneer novel solutions that were previously difficult to engineer and source. The ability to co-design components using multiple advanced materials from the outset can solve critical performance trade-offs.

In the aerospace and defense sectors, this could translate to next-generation sensor windows and domes that combine the optical clarity of glass with the durability and thermal shock resistance of advanced ceramics, essential for hypersonic vehicles and advanced reconnaissance systems. The push for lightweight, high-temperature ceramic matrix composites (CMCs) in jet engines represents a key area where integrated material science is critical.

For the life sciences market, the merger opens possibilities for more sophisticated diagnostic instruments and microfluidic devices. Richland's expertise in precision glass forming, crucial for handling low-volume, high-value samples, can now be integrated with McDanel's ceramic components and Rayotek's optical systems to create highly advanced analytical tools. In the semiconductor industry, the relentless drive for miniaturization and performance demands components with extreme purity and thermal stability. The new entity can develop integrated solutions for wafer processing equipment, such as ceramic chucks with built-in optical monitoring systems, improving precision and yield.

Jack Carson, Founder of Richland Glass, highlighted the cultural alignment driving this potential. "We share a common culture built around quality, engineering excellence, and long-term customer relationships," he stated. "Together, we expand the technology, talent, and capabilities that directly benefit the customers and markets we serve."

Company leadership has been quick to reassure stakeholders that existing operations will see no disruption. Both McDanel and Richland will continue to operate from their current facilities with their established teams, ensuring continuity for all customer programs and commitments. The primary change for customers will be the immediate access to a vastly expanded pool of technical resources and a broader portfolio of material solutions, empowering them to push the boundaries of innovation in their respective fields.