The Heico Companies

What does The Heico Companies acquire?

The Heico Companies is a family-owned parent holding company founded by Michael Heisley in 1979, with a portfolio of manufacturing, construction, and industrial services businesses. The company states that it has more than 9,000 employees, more than 70 operating companies, and businesses in 19 countries across five continents.

Heico states that it maintains majority ownership in each of its operations. Its public materials describe a family-owned business with no outside investors that deploys proprietary capital to support and grow its portfolio for the long term.[1][2][3][10]

Heico states that it is not constrained by traditional private-equity investment horizons and uses proprietary capital to support and grow its portfolio for the long term. Its operating model is decentralized: portfolio companies operate independently while sharing resources, customer and vendor relationships, and management experience across the organization.

The company also states that it invests in industrial businesses that share its values, can benefit from its resources, and can prosper as members of its family for many years into the future.[3]

Owners evaluating a strategic or long-term buyer can compare the proposal with independent valuation analysis, review how professional acquirers approach transactions in Auxo’s buy-side process guide, and assess whether a full or partial sale best fits their objectives.

What should a business owner evaluate before selling to The Heico Companies?

An owner evaluating Heico should assess whether the business meets the stated platform or add-on size and operating criteria, whether majority control is acceptable, and whether the company can benefit from Heico’s decentralized structure and shared resources. The owner should also clarify how Heico would classify the opportunity, which operating group would own it, and what management role would be expected.

For a business that overlaps with an existing Heico operation, the company states that it is open to arrangements in which an owner-operator transitions away after a period of time. Owners should clarify the proposed management-transition arrangements, governance, operational autonomy, financing, leverage, seller rollover expectations, and intended ownership horizon. The official investment-criteria page does not state a fixed holding-period range or mandatory exit timetable.[3]

What companies does The Heico Companies look for?

Heico states a preferred acquisition size of $50-$250 million for platform acquisitions and $5+ million for add-ons. For new platforms, it prefers businesses with $5-$15 million in EBITDA. For add-ons, it has no minimum EBITDA but prefers businesses with at least $5 million in sales.

The company requires majority control in all investments and seeks EBITDA margins above 10% or a path to achieve them. It describes strong, dedicated management teams as integral to business value and seeks long-term partnerships with those teams.[3]

The Heico Companies organizes its operating portfolio into four groups: Construction Solutions Group, Applied Solutions Group, Metal Processing Group, and Industrial Technologies Group.

Its publicly identified sector activities include commercial and industrial construction, construction equipment, engineered cargo and industrial products, electronics and thermal solutions, recycling, steel wire products, steel fasteners, wire rod products, heavy equipment, water infrastructure, capital equipment, and specialty solutions and components.[3][4]

Heico states that its family ownership and lack of outside investors allow it to deploy proprietary capital without traditional private-equity investment horizons and to support and grow its portfolio for the long term.

The official investment-criteria page does not state a fixed investment holding-period range, mandatory exit timetable, or universal ownership duration. Owners should therefore seek transaction-specific clarity on the intended ownership horizon and circumstances that could lead to a sale or recapitalization.[3]

The official portfolio page presents Heico’s portfolio as long-term strategic partnerships for performance-driven industrial businesses. Named companies include Ancra Aircraft, Ancra Cargo, Ivaco Rolling Mills, Shred-Tech, CM Shredders, and Coolcentric.[5]

Heico completed the acquisition of Kleiss Gears, Inc. from Victrex plc on August 7, 2026. The business operates as Kleiss High Precision within the Industrial Technologies Group’s Plastics Segment.

Heico completed the acquisition of Electric Eel Manufacturing on November 3, 2025, adding sewer and drain cleaning equipment capabilities to its Industrial Technologies portfolio. It also acquired the Kershaw rail maintenance and vegetation-management businesses in November 2025 and placed them within its Heavy Equipment Segment alongside Pettibone, BARKO, and ARDCO.

In August 2024, Heico acquired a majority ownership share of The Cargo Control Company B.V., the parent of LoadLok and Roland International. Johan de Rooij remained involved as a shareholder and CEO.[6][7][8][9]

What is not clear from The Heico Companies's public acquisition criteria?

The official investment-criteria page does not state a fixed investment holding-period range, mandatory exit timetable, or universal ownership duration.

The official Kleiss Gears acquisition announcement does not disclose purchase price or transaction consideration terms. The official Electric Eel Manufacturing acquisition announcement also does not disclose purchase price or transaction consideration terms. The official LoadLok and Roland International acquisition announcement does not disclose purchase price or transaction consideration terms.[3][6][7][9]

Questions to ask before selling to The Heico Companies

Related Auxo guidance

Use these resources to evaluate role, structure, economics and process rather than relying on a directory profile alone.