Reliable Safety & Flow Corporation. Building the market leader in water flow control.

Tailwind’s research into water flow control found a fragmented manufacturing base selling into a consolidating customer base, and an opportunity to back a company that could meet those customers across categories through selective M&A and diversified global sourcing.

The company grew through a sequence of acquisitions Tailwind identified, sourced, and financed over several years, each adding unique products or market position. Pivotal deals included a complex corporate carveout that established the company as the only domestic supplier of fittings in its industry, along with a proprietary acquisition of the market leader in the highly regulated fire sprinkler industry. Integrated over time, the acquisitions turned a niche supplier into a full-line provider across mechanical and fire life safety.

One notable transaction came through deep relationships in the flow control industry: a hundred-year-old family business acquired in a proprietary process with five months of exclusivity.

Empirical experience from prior Tailwind investments, combined with deep industry diligence, provided conviction in the demand and market trends underpinning the thesis. As Tailwind continued studying the industry and scaling the platform, that accumulated experience built the conviction to grow invested capital from $95 million to $300 million.

Aligning the Tailwind thesis with the CEO’s vision, the team assembled leadership from across the world’s leading global industrial products companies. Since the partnership began, Reliable has:

• Identified, sourced, acquired, and integrated 10 acquisitions
• Diversified and strengthened its global supply chain, reducing China exposure from 100% to 15%

Tailwind’s patience, strategy, and resources have supported Reliable in compounding its scale, growing from a small distributor into one of the largest global providers of fire safety systems.

Reliable remains an active, unrealized investment. Tailwind continues to partner with management to build the platform and create value.