Investment in Ballymore’s Domestic Manufacturing Capabilities Significantly Expands Geographic Footprint and Product Portfolio
Ballymore Safety Products (“Ballymore” or the “Company”), a portfolio company of One Equity Partners (“OEP”), and a leading designer and manufacturer of vertical access equipment (e.g., aerial work platforms, rolling ladders, etc.), material handling, and custom safety products, today announced the completed acquisition of Valley Craft Industries, Inc. (“Valley Craft”), a manufacturer of material handling, drum handling, and storage solutions equipment. Transaction terms were not disclosed.
Valley Craft represents Ballymore’s fourth acquisition since 2021, catapulting the Company into one of the largest, fully integrated safety, vertical access, and material handling products and services businesses in the United States.
Valley Craft manufactures a range of material handling equipment, including box dumpers, forklift attachments, carts, hand trucks, material handling lifts, stackers, drum lifts & transporters, cabinets, workstations, and facility storage equipment. Headquartered in a suburb of Minneapolis, MN, Valley Craft employs a team of over 100, all of whom will join the Ballymore family of safety-focused brands. Valley Craft, in business for more than 70 years, will continue delivering its industry-leading products under the Valley Craft brand name post-transaction. Ballymore plans to invest in Valley Craft and the business will serve as Ballymore’s Midwest headquarters, where Ballymore will introduce rolling ladder manufacturing capabilities to the Midwest for the first time in the Company’s history, among other planned investments to fully leverage Valley Craft’s state-of-the-art, ~175,000 square foot facility.
The acquisition of Valley Craft by Ballymore marks a significant milestone in Ballymore’s evolution. The Company continues to add to its domestic manufacturing base with safety product categories and new customers that can leverage Ballymore’s nationwide service capabilities. Today, Ballymore’s family of safety-focused brands include manufacturing businesses like Ballymore Company (Coatesville, PA), Tri-Arc Manufacturing Company (Pittsburgh, PA – acquired in 2021), Lift Products Inc. (Waukesha, WI – acquired in 2023), and now Valley Craft (Lake City, MN), alongside the national services and support capabilities provided by Ballymore’s services arm, DOC Services (Fort Mill, SC – acquired in 2024).
“Acquiring Valley Craft represents a great step forward in our mission to provide comprehensive, innovative safety solutions for our customers,” said Bill Frame, Chairman of Ballymore Safety Products. “Valley Craft’s expertise in material handling and storage, combined with its extensive domestic manufacturing capabilities, positions us to offer an unparalleled range of safety products and services to our customers and enables us to onshore products that have been historically imported. Combining the Valley Craft and Ballymore manufacturing operations results in approximately half a million square feet of domestic manufacturing capability. We are excited to welcome Valley Craft’s talented team to the Ballymore family and look forward to driving growth and innovation together.”
Ballymore continues to remain active in seeking additional acquisition opportunities to grow its platform of safety-focused brands, with a particular focus on (i) domestic manufacturing businesses within the vertical access, material handling, and custom safety products market, and (ii) industrial / commercial services businesses with strong regional or national footprints, with a particular focus acquiring complementary equipment maintenance and commercial HVAC services providers.
Fairmount Partners LP served as the exclusive merger and acquisition advisor to Ballymore on this transaction, while Klehr Harrison Harvey Branzburg LLP provided legal advisory services.
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