OneSource Distributors, Oceanside, Calif., has staked a claim to the infrastructure and industrial markets of Hawaii and U.S. territories in the South Pacific with the purchase of certain assets of Berkeley Engineering Inc., a distributor based in Honolulu.

Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed, but the move makes OneSource the authorized distributor for Rockwell Automation/Allen-Bradley products throughout Hawaii, Guam and American Samoa. Berkeley Engineering has been serving those markets for over 50 years, providing not only the Rockwell package of automation and control products, but also pumping-related products for municipal water and wastewater systems and institutional and industrial applications.

Bob Zamarripa, president of OneSource, points to the infrastructure needs on the islands as one of the key opportunities the company can capture through this acquisition. “The infrastructure in Hawaii and the American territories in the South Pacific is all getting old and needs significant upgrading,” he said. Systems slated for upgrades include power generation, water and wastewater handling, and utility grids, he said.

Another opportunity comes from the consolidation of military bases. As part of a realignment of U.S. forces throughout the Pacific, the Navy is consolidating some Pacific fleet bases to Guam, which is being built into a major air and naval base, as well as its Pacific command headquarters in Hawaii.

The acquisition brings the number of OneSource locations up to 12 sales centers and four distribution centers in California, Arizona, the Baja peninsula and now Hawaii. The company has about 300 employees and annual sales of just under $300 million.