Graco Inc. (NYSE: GGG) has spent $185 million on four acquisitions.

The Minneapolis-based buyer picked up High Pressure Equipment, headquartered in Erie, Pennsylvania, for $160 million. High Pressure manufactures valves, fittings and other flow-control products for oil and gas and industrial research equipment.

Graco is also acquiring White Knight Fluid Handling, a Kamas, Utah-based manufacturer of air-operated double-bellows pumps and other pumps for the semiconductor, solar panel, LED and other electronic markets.

The buyer closed two deals in December, for Ontario, Canada-based GeoBlaster Equipment Sales & Services Inc., which makes wet abrasive blasting equipment for coating removal and surface preparation, and Porto Alegre, Brazil-based Multimaq-Pistolas e Equipmentos Para Pintura Ltda, which makes finishing products for the metal, wood and leather markets. Those two deals were announced Jan. 2.

The deals are part of Graco's plan to expand into new markets and diversity its product portfolio.

Graco provides technology related to managing fluids and coatings for industrial and commercial applications. The company makes and market systems and equipment to measure, move, control, dispense and spray fluid and powder materials.

The coatings sector has seen several M&A transactions recently. In December, PPG Industries (NYSE: PPG) agreed to buy Revocoat, which makes polymers for the automotive industry. Also in December, the Riverside Co. bought coatings company Intellifuse to add to H-D Advanced Manufacturing Co.