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Industrial Private Equity Firms605
Last database update: 06 December, 2025 View database stats
Industry
Business Services (B2B)
Consumer Services (B2C)
+3
Stage
Series B
Region
Africa
Size
$1-5 m
Industry
Business Services (B2B)
Industrial
+1
Stage
Series B
Region
North America
Size
$10-50 m
Industry
Consumer Products
Education
+19
Stage
Series B
Region
North America
Asia
Size
$10-50 m
Industry
Agriculture
Business Services (B2B)
+25
Stage
Series B
Region
North America
Europe
Size
$1-5 m
Industry
Biotechnology
Business Services (B2B)
+27
Stage
Seed
Series B
Series A
Region
North America
Europe
Middle East
Asia
Size
$100+ m
Industry
Business Services (B2B)
Consumer Services (B2C)
+4
Stage
Seed
Region
South America
Size
$1-5 m
Industry
Financial Services
Fintech
Industrial
+10
Stage
Series B
Series A
Region
North America
Europe
Asia
Size
$1-5 m
Industry
Healthcare Services
Industrial
+12
Stage
Series B
Region
Europe
Size
$1-5 m
Industry
E-commerce/Marketplace
Electronics
+5
Stage
Seed
Region
Middle East
Size
$0-1 m
Industry
Construction
Industrial
Medical Devices
+13
Stage
Series B
Region
Middle East
Size
$10-50 m
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Top Industrial Private Equity Firms
The industrial sector, the backbone of the global economy, is a primary focus for some of the world’s most sophisticated private equity firms. These capital partners specialize in a range of middle-market, lower-middle-market, and billion-dollar strategies across industries like manufacturing, distribution, chemicals, aerospace, and automotive.
By offering growth equity, buyout expertise, M&A strategies, and deep operating experience, these firms help companies modernize, expand, and build sustainable, cash-flow-driven success.
In this article, we explore top industrial private equity firms, highlighting their investment strategies, sector focus, and how they create value through strategic partnerships and operational excellence.
1. Clayton, Dubilier & Rice (CD&R)
Clayton, Dubilier & Rice is a renowned private equity firm with a strong track record in transformative industrial investments. Since 1978, CD&R has focused on core industrial partners through a hands-on approach that includes retired Fortune 500 executives as operating partners.
The firm emphasizes business development, lean manufacturing, and strategic growth. A notable success was their acquisition and IPO of Core & Main, a top industrial distributor carved out of HD Supply—demonstrating CD&R’s ability to create high-performance industrial platforms.
2. The Carlyle Group
The Carlyle Group operates a global industrial and transportation practice, with a focus on growth and transformation across middle-market and large-scale industrial companies.
With strong M&A capabilities and operational support, Carlyle invests in sectors such as aerospace, chemicals, and transportation. Their $400+ million investment in Atotech, a specialty chemicals firm, highlights their commitment to scalable, innovation-driven industrial assets.
3. Platinum Equity
Platinum Equity, founded by Tom Gores and based in Los Angeles, specializes in complex corporate carve-outs and operational turnarounds within the industrial sector.
The firm’s “M&A&O®” approach—Mergers, Acquisitions & Operations—emphasizes transformation through on-site operational improvements. Their acquisition of Vertiv (from Emerson Electric) illustrates how they restructure underperforming divisions into thriving standalone entities.
4. Advent International
Advent International is a global private equity firm known for its deep involvement in chemicals, industrial manufacturing, and building products. The firm’s buy-and-build strategy focuses on platform expansion via add-on acquisitions.
Advent applies rigorous due diligence and targets companies with strong management and EBITDA potential. Their investment in Cobham, a defense and industrial technology leader, showcases their global scale and execution strength.
5. American Industrial Partners (AIP)
American Industrial Partners is a U.S.-based PE firm focused exclusively on middle-market industrial businesses. AIP pairs capital structure expertise with operating experience to scale engineered products, manufacturing, and distribution companies.
Noteworthy is their acquisition of GE’s Current lighting division, where AIP revitalized the business with operational excellence and market-focused strategy, demonstrating their industrial specialization and co-investment mindset.
6. GTCR
GTCR, headquartered in Chicago, applies its distinctive “The Leader’s Strategy™” to build industrial companies. This involves backing experienced executives to acquire and grow companies through organic expansion and acquisitions.
A standout investment is Resonetics—a laser micro-machining manufacturer for life sciences—where GTCR partnered with an executive team to scale the business, illustrating their effectiveness in fragmented industrial markets.
Let’s Recap
These industrial-focused firms deploy capital across essential economic sectors like manufacturing, aerospace, distribution, and chemicals. Their strategies combine operational rigor with M&A savvy, making them key players in driving innovation and efficiency across industrial platforms.
Whether you're an SME or a multinational, Private Equity List helps connect you with the right capital partners. These firms offer unmatched industry insight, execution capability, and long-term value creation strategies.
Join Private Equity List today and find the right partner for your business transformation journey.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is private equity?
Private equity involves investing capital in companies, typically with the goal of improving operational efficiency and generating higher returns. Private equity firms invest in both private and public companies.
How does private equity benefit industrial companies?
For industrial companies, PE firms provide capital for facility upgrades and expansion. More importantly, they bring deep operational expertise to implement lean manufacturing, optimize global supply chains, drive commercial excellence, and fund R&D.
What types of companies do industrial private equity firms invest in?
Industrial PE firms invest across a vast range of sub-sectors, including specialty manufacturing, industrial technology, building products, chemicals, aerospace & defense, packaging, and distribution.
What is a "corporate carve-out"?
A corporate carve-out is the sale of a division or business unit from a large parent corporation. Industrial PE specialists like Platinum Equity and CD&R often acquire these divisions and transform them into successful, independent companies with dedicated management and strategy.
How do private equity firms create value in industrial businesses?
PE firms create value by driving operational improvements (e.g., Six Sigma, lean manufacturing), optimizing pricing strategies, expanding into new geographic markets, investing in automation and technology, and executing strategic add-on acquisitions.
How can I find the right industrial private equity firm?
Platforms like Private Equity List help connect businesses with relevant investors. By using the platform, you can easily filter through various firms based on their specific industrial sub-sector focus, investment size, and geographic preference to find the perfect partner.