Protective Industrial Products, Inc. (“PIP®”), a global leader in hand protection and PPE for the industrial, construction, mining and retail markets, proudly announces that it has acquired Industrial Starter, S.p.A, (“Industrial Starter”) headquartered Vicenza, Italy, which includes all of the Industrial Starter affiliates throughout Europe.
Industrial Starter is widely recognized in Europe as a quality provider of PPE, workwear, footwear and fall protection – selling principally under the ISSALINE® and Akrobat® brands. Current commercial operations include locations in Valencia, Spain; Altavilla Vicentina VI, Italy; Sosnowiec, Poland; and Ostrava, Czechia.
"Industrial Starter is an ideal partner to join the PIP Global family. This union enables us to significantly expand our operations in southern and eastern Europe by adding strong people and a solid infrastructure that includes more than 20,000 sq. mt. (215,000 sq. ft.) of warehouse space,” said Joe Milot, CEO of PIP®. He added, “The business and operational functions of Industrial Starter are very efficient and as such, we do not anticipate any major changes.”
Vinicio Dalla Vecchia, the current head of Industrial Starter in Italy, stated “Finding the right partner was not easy as we were looking for a company that possessed a strong, complementary legacy along with a passion for the industry.” Roberto Piccolo, head of Industrial Starter’s Spain operation added, “Vinicio and I have assembled an amazing team and we are very happy that they will be part of a global force with such a strong portfolio of international customers.”
PIP®, now with 35 locations around the world, is a portfolio company of Odyssey Investment Partners. Industrial Starter is another example of PIP's successful acquisition strategy that is predicated upon delivering a wide portfolio of consumable PPE products so that global distributors and retailers choose PIP® first for all of their safety needs. PIP Global’s ultimate mission is to provide distributors worldwide with more opportunities for growth by offering workers around the world PPE that exceeds industry standards while placing sustainability and ethical sourcing at the forefront.