Northern States Metals (NSM) announced today that it has completed the previously announced acquisition of certain assets related to the Solar Tracker business of OPEL Technologies, Inc. (TSX-Venture: OPL and OTCQX: OPELF), (OPEL).

NSM is the developer and manufacturer of the widely popular Solar FlexRack®; a best-selling patented, pre-assembled photovoltaic mounting system that is the only fully assembled solar racking system available. NSM sold its first Solar FlexRack® in 2009 and now has more than 420MW worth of systems installed in North America.

Tom Meola, President and Chief Executive Officer of NSM, said “The Solar Tracker broadens our Solar FlexRack® product line, and OPEL’s Solar Tracker is perfect for the kind of utility-scale projects that we’re now targeting.”

The OPEL Tracker technology is a proven system that is designed to increase the yield of a photovoltaic system by up to 30 percent. It eliminates inter-row shadowing, allowing for larger systems to be installed in a smaller area. The OPEL Tracker technology includes an advanced wireless monitoring system that can be readily interfaced to a customer’s SCADA Systems. The product will now include many of the pre-assembled features of the Solar FlexRack®.

 “The OPEL Tracker acquisition fits well with our mission to continually lower the balance of system costs for large solar projects,” added Meola. “We are working to make solar a more efficient and cost-effective energy alternative.”

The patented factory-assembled Solar FlexRack® mounting system has been successfully designed and manufactured to have the fastest installation time in the field, which has been proven to substantially lower labor and installation costs. Similarly, the Opel tracker also has been designed for efficient installation.

Northern States Metals has manufacturing capabilities in Youngstown, Ohio and Toronto, Ontario, with corporate offices in West Hartford, Connecticut. Northern States Metals was named to Inc. Magazine’s 2012 List of America’s Fastest Growing Companies.