Houlihan Lokey Advises Kano Laboratories

Houlihan Lokey is pleased to announce that Kano Laboratories, Inc., has been acquired by Gryphon Investors. The transaction signed and closed on September 8, 2020.

Founded in 1939, Kano Laboratories, Inc. (Kano) is a leading producer of branded penetrating oils and lubricants, offering industrial-strength products to some of the world’s leading industrial companies and do-it-yourself (DIY) enthusiasts. Located in Nashville, Tennessee, Kano’s Kroil and AeroKroil product lines have cemented Kano’s position as a premier manufacturer and producer of penetrating oils for the maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) sector with broad end-market exposure.

Gryphon Investors (Gryphon), based in San Francisco, California, is a leading private equity firm focused on profitably growing and competitively enhancing middle-market companies. Managing more than $4 billion of equity investments and capital since 1997, this transaction marks the first investment in Gryphon’s new fund, Gryphon Heritage Fund, where it hopes to continue its long track record of successfully building industrial and consumer product enthusiast brands, including Mechanix Wear and K&N Engineering.

Houlihan Lokey served as the exclusive financial advisor to Kano and assisted in structuring and negotiating the transaction on its behalf.