- Founder Andrea Fontanella and management will reinvest alongside Platinum
- Trime has four Italian factories and customers in more than 30 countries
- Growth plan focuses on US sales, capacity and selective acquisitions
Platinum Equity has signed a definitive agreement to acquire a majority stake in Trime, an Italian manufacturer of mobile lighting towers, generators and security towers. Trime founder and chairman Andrea Fontanella, CEO Paolo Tacconi and other members of management will invest alongside Platinum.
Trime is headquartered in Cassinetta di Lugagnano, near Milan, and supplies equipment for infrastructure, construction, mining, emergency response and events. It runs four manufacturing facilities in Italy and serves customers in more than 30 countries. It has direct commercial operations in the UK, the Netherlands, the US and Australia. Its products include conventional, hybrid, battery-powered and solar-powered units. The company said demand for its products continues to grow in North America among equipment-rental companies, contractors and infrastructure customers.
“It’s a resilient, cash-generative business serving markets that are growing and benefiting from essential infrastructure spending,” said Louis Samson, co-president of Platinum Equity, in a statement. “We also see additional potential upside from continued investment in data centers and power generation both in the United States and globally.”
Platinum and Trime’s management see an opportunity to win a bigger share of North American rental customers’ fleets, reach more national and regional rental companies and expand Trime’s mobile-generator range. The growth plan includes investment in production capacity, US sales coverage, warehousing, spare-parts availability and customer support, alongside product innovation and selective acquisitions.
Platinum has previously owned several equipment rental businesses, including BlueLine Rental, which it sold to United Rentals for approximately $2.1 billion, as well as Maxim Crane Works and NESCO. Its current portfolio includes New York-listed Custom Truck One Source and Electro Rent.
Clearwater is financial and debt adviser to Platinum Equity. Alvarez & Marsal is providing financial due diligence, EY and FRM are advising on tax and structuring, and Legance is legal counsel. Intesa Sanpaolo, UniCredit, BPER Banca, Crédit Agricole, BNL BNP Paribas and Deutsche Bank are providing debt financing. Artha Corporate Finance Advisory and Deloitte Legal advised the minority shareholders and management.
The deal is expected to complete by early 2027, subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals.
Editor’s note: This news brief was produced with the assistance of artificial intelligence.
