Meyer Tool Inc., based in Cincinnati, has bought B&B Precise Products Inc. on Route 100 in Benton. Rich Abrahamson/Morning Sentinel

A Cincinnati-based manufacturer has completed its purchase of a Benton precision machinery company as part of a broader expansion into central Maine that is also to include construction of a new facility at the FirstPark Commerce & Technology Center in Oakland.

Meyer Tool Inc. announced last week it had completed its acquisition of B&B Precise Products Inc. on Route 100 in Benton. The move is part of a $10 million investment by Meyer Tool to expand its manufacturing capabilities in the region over the next four years.

It could ultimately bring up to 100 machinist, engineering and related jobs to central Maine.

Miranda Rood, the director of business development for B&B, said Wednesday the acquisition raises capital for B&B, allowing it to pursue a $3 million, 15,000-square-foot expansion.

The intention is to begin the project in the spring, and Rood said the expansion is needed to keep up with demand.

B&B is “busting at the seams,” she said.

The company specializes in machining various components, such as those for sensors, hydraulic valves, landing gear and ground defense. It contracts with the U.S. Navy, aerospace industry, defense sector and power generation industry.

“This acquisition brings Meyer Tool many new customers, positions us close to our largest customer, Pratt & Whitney, and gives us a nice complement of high precision machining capabilities,” Daniel Godin, president of B&B, said in a news release.

Pratt & Whitney, based in East Hartford, Connecticut, has a manufacturing facility in North Berwick.

B&B said in a separate statement: “This acquisition will give both Meyer and B&B access to additional capabilities as well as access to new customers. It will be a catalyst to further diversify both companies.”

Meyer Tool, meanwhile, bought 28 acres at FirstPark in November for $337,500.

FirstPark is a 285-acre business park that is home to a T-Mobile cell center and other, mostly health-related companies. Meyer Tool would be the first manufacturing operation to open there.

A spokesman for Meyer Tool did not respond to several requests for further details of the project and its acquisition of B&B.

The manufacturer is reportedly planning a $7 million, 50,000-square-foot facility at FirstPark.

Carrington Stanford, a programmer and inspector with B&B Precise Products Inc. in Benton, inspects a machined part in this 2020 photo. Meyer Tool Inc., based in Cincinnati, has bought B&B on Route 100. Photo courtesy of B&B Precise Products

Michelle Flewelling, president of the Kennebec Regional Development Authority, which operates FirstPark, said Meyer Tool has yet to present design plans for the project at FirstPark at 46 First Park Drive.

Flewelling said she was not sure when the company is expected to break ground at FirstPark, but Rood estimated it could happen in 2024 or 2025.

Rood said B&B is contending with the same problem companies in other sectors are facing: A shortage of qualified workers. She said Kennebec Valley Community College offers a course allowing candidates to become qualified in handling and assembling complex machinery, but only about six people sign up for the certification each year, and there are a couple of machine shops in central Maine vying for those graduates.

“I feel like we’re always restricting our growth,” Rood said, “because we can’t find help.”