Protecting All That You Value Peli
Peli Protecting All That You Value
Having recently been acquired by new ownership, Pelican Products (Peli) is undergoing significant investment and a phase of growth.
With over 40 years of experience in missioncritical solutions, Pelican Products is the only player in its field to have a global manufacturing footprint able to weather the world’s most challenging scenarios.
Business Enquirer speaks to President International Business, Piero Marigo about Peli’s growth plans under its new ownership.
A Platinum Business
Since its inception in 1976 (with the Peli Float: a hundred feet of twine around a hockey stick handle and a metal weight to serve as a mini anchor to mark diver locations) Peli has become the go to designer and manufacturer of protective products for use in mission critical scenarios.
A leading supplier of the defence, government, fire safety and medical sectors, Peli’s product range specialises in protective cases and torches.
As the premier designer and manufacturer of mission-critical equipment, such as explosion proof lighting, Peli played a vital role during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We were humbled to be able to provide protective casing for Covid vaccines,
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Peli
highlighting the importance of our expertise to the world,” shared Piero Marigo.
With 11 manufacturing facilities, 23 international sales offices and a network of support centres across the 27 countries, Peli has built its global footprint by making a series of strategic business acquisitions.
“In July 2022 , with the support of our new owners, we purchased a manufacturing partner in Germany, HVB Kunststofftechnik GmbH. This has enabled us to strengthen our network in this region,” shared Piero, “we believe that continued local investment is crucial to attaining sustainable development and corporate growth,” he continued.
In January 2022, Pelican Products was purchased by private equity firm Platinum Equity. Platinum Equity is a global investment firm with more than $25 billion of assets under management, with a portfolio of around 50 operating companies worldwide.
“Along with Platinum Equity’s operational excellence and capital deployment, the purchase also gives us access to a vast team of functional and geographical experts,” Piero explained, “with around 90,000 employees within its owned businesses, that’s a wealth of knowledge we can benefit from”.
The investment coming through from Platinum Equity will allow Peli to seek further
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acquisition opportunities to strengthen its strategic growth.
“It either does the job, or it doesn’t bear the Peli name”
As well as its geographical growth, Peli has significant investment plans to improve its operations and develop its product portfolio.
“The current geo-political climate has meant an increased demand from the defence sector. The recent Covid pandemic also meant increased demand for products suited to isothermal transportation. Although these situations are difficult from a moral standpoint, we are proud to be part of the solution,” Piero said.
Peli
Peli
Peli currently has a five year pipeline of products undergoing R & D, with research into products including biothermal technology, ancillary technology and tracking.
“The products we bring to the market are always at the forefront of the industry. As we say, it either does the job, or it doesn’t bear the Peli name,” Piero reflected.
Localising on a Global Scale
A challenge met by many manufacturers throughout the early 2020s has been facilitation of international trade, due to factors such as Brexit and the conflict in Ukraine, as well as supply chain difficulties caused by the pandemic.
To counter this, Peli is developing ways in which it can “localise on a global scale”, by growing its accessible networks around the world.
“One way in which we facilitate this is by implementing world-class systems, processes and standards,” shared Piero. “We utilise large and sophisticated IT systems and employ top quality people who know our business well and are experts in their field”.
Piero described keeping the balance between centralisation and localisation as a “pendulum”, with it being key to focus on where the advantages are of standardising and localising.
“We need to use cultural agility to understand how to offer the same products and services to different cultures,” Piero explained.
An Experienced Leader
Cultural agility is a skill which Piero, an Italian who has been living in Barcelona for 12 years whilst working at Peli, has developed over time.
Piero’s career has seen him imbed himself within two major, premium businesses - GE and Pelican Products.
“I enjoyed my time at GE, I have a lot of admiration and gratitude for the business. I wanted to experience life outside of the GE paradigm, and the technical experience I gained at GE crossed over nicely with Pelican Products,” shared Piero.
Piero credits some of his leadership attributes to good teachers at both GE and Peli.
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“I love being confronted by intellectual challenges across geographies,” he said, “from a leadership perspective I believe in openness and empowerment. I like to be able to set the framework and let my colleagues act on it, so to speak”.
With a focus on locality throughout the business, Piero highlighted how it was
important that his staff were able to take ownership and react locally.
“It’s an exciting time for us here at Peli, we have a lot of products coming to the market which will further secure our position as market leader”.
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“It either does the job, or it doesn’t bear the Peli name”
Peli
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