Hillman Solutions Corp. (Nasdaq:HLMN) (the "Company", “Hillman Group”, or "Hillman"), a leading provider of hardware products and merchandising solutions, has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Kanebridge Corporation ("Kanebridge"), a leading master distributor of industrial fasteners for a purchase price of $315 million, subject to customary adjustments for cash, indebtedness, working capital and transaction expenses.

Kanebridge supplies more than 44,000 commercial and military-grade fastener SKUs to distributors throughout the U.S. and Canada from its warehouses in Illinois and California, selling exclusively to distributors in commercial and industrial channels. Kanebridge prides itself on maintaining industry-leading fill rates, its proprietary digital ordering platform, FasNet™, which enables same-day shipping, and its long-standing relationships with industrial and specialty distributors. These capabilities have made Kanebridge a critical partner for its customers for over 50 years.  

Consistent with Hillman's disciplined acquisition framework, the transaction is expected to be accretive to Hillman's margins and earnings. Hillman anticipates cost synergies from Hillman’s sourcing and distribution expertise, sales synergies coming from cross-selling opportunities, and material tax benefits from the transaction.

Jon Michael Adinolfi, President and Chief Executive Officer of Hillman, commented, "Kanebridge gives us an immediate and credible foothold in the industrial channel, which we've identified as one of our biggest growth opportunities. Their master distributor model, capabilities-driven platform, and long-standing distributor relationships make it a great fit for us. This acquisition follows the same disciplined, accretive approach to M&A that has built Hillman over the past 60 years, and we're looking forward to welcoming the Kanebridge team to Hillman."

Following completion of the acquisition, Kanebridge will operate as part of Hillman's commercial & industrial business, led by Chris Martin, EVP, Commercial & Industrial.  

Martin added: “Like Hillman, Kanebridge has decades of expertise taking great care of customers, maintaining strong fill rates, and providing a long tail of specialty fastener SKUs.Kanebridge's focus on the U.S. industrial market complements Hillman's existing industrial presence in Canada, broadening our combined reach across North America. The Kanebridge platform makes a great addition to our Commercial & Industrial business.” The acquisition advances Hillman's Industrial growth strategy, outlined at its recent Investor Day.  

The acquisition expands Hillman’s addressable market opportunity in industrial by $1 billion, bringing the total TAM to $3 billion. Kanebridge's master distributor model will leverage Hillman's global "dual faucet" sourcing expertise and extensive breadth of SKUs. Kanebridge gives Hillman an immediate, scaled platform to serve long-tail, high-specification fastener requirements across industrial and specialty distribution channels, while creating new cross-sell opportunities across Hillman's existing C&I, Pro and DIY customer base.  

The transaction has been approved by the boards of directors of both companies and is subject to regulatory approval and customary closing conditions. The Company expects to fund the transaction with a combination of cash from the balance sheet, borrowings under its existing asset-based revolving credit facility, and an add-on to its existing First Lien Term Loan, which the Company intends to raise through the capital markets.  

Source: Hillman Group