The KPS Difference
KPS’ passion is making businesses better and creating strong, industry-leading companies. KPS works closely with its portfolio companies, from the manufacturing shop floor to senior management to accomplish this objective. KPS applies its investment and manufacturing strategy across economic and business cycles. In partnership with management, KPS seeks to generate investment returns by structurally improving the strategic position, competitiveness and profitability of its portfolio companies, rather than primarily relying on financial leverage and revenue growth.
KPS has a deep understanding of the manufacturing process, including the commitment, resources and focus required to create and maintain what it believes are world-class manufacturing operations around the world.
KPS believes that speed in decision-making is a critical competitive advantage. The senior management teams of KPS’ portfolio companies work directly with a KPS Partner in order to make decisions in real-time. This is attributable to KPS’ deep understanding of manufacturing companies and the issues they confront. Some CEOs and executives have established long-standing relationships with KPS serving as senior executives of multiple KPS portfolio companies over time.
KPS owns and invests in a small number of portfolio companies by design, therefore the success of each investment is critical to the Firm’s success. KPS establishes true partnerships with its management teams because each investment matters. KPS’ portfolio company management teams participate in the wealth they create, in a manner that is aligned with KPS and its investors.
KPS portfolio companies have access to capital to fund investments in growth, modernization and operational excellence. KPS does not believe long-term or sustainable value is created by using excessive financial leverage or other capital structure-related initiatives. Its investment strategy is based on conservative capital structures, in contrast to the traditional “private equity” or “leverage buyout” model.
KPS Works with Management to Seek to Make Businesses Better by:
- Improving safety and compliance
- Establishing and improving fundamental key performance measures
- Establishing competitive industry benchmarking and implementing best practices
- Developing annual operating plans
- Developing strategic planning and strategy deployment processes
- Improving employee training
- Improving product quality, customer service and on-time delivery
- Improving plant productivity
- Improving operating cash cost structures
- Improving plant capacity utilization
- Focusing on returns-driven capital investment
- Improving supply chain and distribution system management
- Rigorously analyzing customer and product profitability
- Creating and maintaining a process and culture of continuous improvement
KPS understands that making businesses better involves change, and change is conditioned on people and process. KPS invests a significant amount of resources to train employees and develop human capital. KPS’ Operations Group has trained over 8,000 portfolio company employees in various process improvement strategies, including in Six Sigma, Lean and Kaizen.
KPS has an in-house Operations Group that supports its investment activities and portfolio company management teams in a targeted and complementary manner. The Operations Group possesses core competencies across the following areas: safety, process engineering, plant productivity, manufacturing facility construction and integration, procurement and supply chain management, Six Sigma, Lean, ERP implementations, financial systems and reporting, and sustainability and environmental compliance. The Operations Group works as one integrated team with the KPS investment professionals, and has demonstrated success driving transformative change in KPS’ portfolio companies.
KPS Grows Companies and Establishes Industry Leaders
KPS works with its portfolio companies to seek to create value through organic and strategic growth initiatives.
KPS provides its portfolio companies with the capital necessary to support organic growth initiatives, including capacity expansion, equipment upgrades, R&D and new product development initiatives.
KPS also believes in growing its portfolio companies through acquisitions – employing a “buy-and-build” strategy. 50% of KPS portfolio companies have completed one or more add-on acquisitions while under KPS’ ownership. KPS provides its portfolio companies with the access to capital required to seek to execute synergistic and strategic acquisitions globally. These acquisitions have often been transformative for KPS’ portfolio companies.
KPS believes that its portfolio companies should capitalize on global opportunities. KPS has invested capital and resources in support of its portfolio companies’ global expansion. KPS’ portfolio companies have constructed new manufacturing facilities in countries around the world, including China, India, Mexico, Brazil, Poland, the United Kingdom, Ireland and Morocco, in most cases to serve local and regional market demand.