Rehlko, a portfolio company of Platinum Equity, has agreed to sell its Curtis Instruments unit to Parker Hannifin for approximately $1 billion in cash.
Curtis Instruments designs and manufactures control system components for electric and hybrid vehicles, with a product line that includes motor speed controllers, battery management systems, and instrumentation panels.
Curtis’s products are sold to OEMs and system integrators operating in the materials handling, medical mobility, and on-road/off-road electric vehicle markets. Curtis was founded in 1960 by Edward Marwell and is currently led by CEO Stuart Marwell.
Mount Kisco, New York-headquartered Curtis operates from more than 450,000 square feet of production space across facilities in New York and California, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, China, Germany, and India. For the full year 2025, Curtis is projected to have $320 million in revenue.
Curtis is a portfolio company of Rehlko (formerly Kohler Energy), which was acquired by Platinum Equity in May 2024 from Kohler at an enterprise valuation of approximately $3 billion, with Kohler maintaining a minority interest in the business. Post-closing, the business was rebranded as Rehlko (a modified order of K-o-h-l-e-r) in September 2024. Kohler Energy was formed by Kohler in April 2023 to consolidate its power businesses under one umbrella.
With the sale of Curtis, Rehlko now operates through three business segments: Industrial Energy Systems (generators, transfer switches, switchgear and controllers), Powertrain Technologies (diesel, gasoline, alternative fuel, and marine engines), and Home Energy (residential power generators).
Rehlko’s customers include utilities, telecom providers, industrial operators, and residential energy consumers. The company is led by CEO Brian Melka and is headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Parker Hannifin (NYSE: PH) manufactures motion and control technologies for the aerospace, automotive, and healthcare sectors. The company, founded in 1917 and headquartered in Cleveland, is led by CEO Jennifer Parmentier. Over the past several years, Parker Hannifin has been actively reshaping its portfolio with acquisitions and divestitures, including its 2022 acquisition of UK-based Meggitt. Divestitures have included France Electromechanical Solutions, MicroStrain, and Filter Resources, as well as product line sales of Industrial Profile Systems and Indego exoskeletons.
“We have great respect for Curtis, its leadership team and its innovative products, and we are confident that Parker Hannifin is the right home for the business going forward,” said Platinum Equity Co President Jacob Kotzubei and Managing Director Matthew Louie in a released statement.
Platinum Equity invests in a range of industries including manufacturing, distribution, transportation and logistics, equipment rental, metals services, media and entertainment, technology, and telecommunications. Beverly Hills-headquartered Platinum was formed in 1995 by Tom Gores and over the past 28 years has completed more than 450 acquisitions.
BofA Securities and Goldman Sachs were the financial advisors to Rehlko, and Guggenheim Securities advised Parker Hannifin.
The sale of Curtis Instruments to Parker Hannifin is expected to close by year-end 2025.
© 2025 Private Equity Professional | July 1, 2025
