What do Arlington Industries and Pull Logic have in common? Both are innovators. And innovative companies drive change and are valued.

Innovation Drives Acquisition

Both companies are known as innovators and, coincidentally, received new “investors” with Arlington being acquired by Blackstone, a leading private equity firm, and Pull Logic receiving investment from a number of firms.

Arlington, a 77 Year History

Much to the chagrin of a number of manufacturers in the industry, Arlington Industries was sold to Blackstone.

According to a press release:

“Blackstone and Arlington Industries, Inc announced that funds managed by Blackstone Energy Transition Partners (“Blackstone”) have entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Arlington, a leading designer and manufacturer of electrical products in the United States.

Founded in 1949, Arlington designs and manufactures a range of electrical products such as fittings, enclosures, and other components. The company’s innovative solutions are used across commercial, industrial and data center facilities. Amid increasing electrification trends, Arlington’s products play a vital role in supporting the growing needs of electrical distributors and contractors.

Tom Gretz, President of Arlington, said: “We are thrilled to be entering into this new partnership between Arlington and Blackstone. With support from Blackstone, we will continue to deliver innovative and dependable solutions to electrical contractors. I am incredibly proud of what our team has built and excited about the next phase of growth.”
Betty (Elizabeth) Stark, Chairman of Arlington’s Board, added: “This transaction with Blackstone marks an exciting new chapter for Arlington. Blackstone will be a terrific steward of the company and will unlock new opportunities for Arlington’s employees, customers, and representatives.”

Bilal Khan, Senior Managing Director, and Mark Zhu, Managing Director, at Blackstone Energy Transition Partners, said: “Arlington has built an excellent reputation for its high quality and innovative products delivering market leading solutions for its diverse customer base. Together with Blackstone’s scale, resources, and global network, we look forward to further expanding Arlington’s product offerings and supporting the company’s track record of innovation and long-term growth.”

Arlington represents the latest in a number of recent transactions Blackstone Energy Transition Partners has announced behind its high-conviction investment themes in electrification and the ongoing energy transition, including Alliance Technical Group, Maclean Power Systems, Wolf Summit Energy, Hill Top Energy Center, Shermco, Enverus, Lancium, Westwood, and others.”

Of note, Blackstone recently acquired MacLean, a major utility manufacturer for $4 billion, reportedly outbidding ABB.

Arlington was started in 1949 and acquired by the Stark family in 1956. Tom Stark, who took over from his father in 1976 was known as an innovator. His desire for innovation, and the company seemingly launching something new on a weekly basis, helped make the company a distributor and rep favorite. Known for being easy to do business with the company also holds more than 350 patents.

With Tom’s passing in 2023 many questioned future ownership of the company. His wife, Betty, became active in the business but … Other than the company being bought by management or an ESOP formed, a divesture was probably inevitable. While Blackstone is viewed as a PE firm, they historically have had a “buy and hold / buy and build” mentality, which differentiates them. Their investment fund is focused on electrical and utility as a theme, hence they may be the best alternative for carrying on the legacy of the Starks and for serving Arlington’s customers.

As it is said, “the end of an era, the beginning of a new one.”

Pull Logic … Turning AI into Availability

Turning AI into Availability Intelligence

Pull Logic, an innovative AI-focused company with solutions for manufacturers and distributors announced last week that it raised $3.3 million from existing investors, new investment funds and, in a surprise, IDEA.

According to an article published on Edison Report:

“Pull Logic, an AI-powered Availability Intelligence platform helping manufacturers, distributors, and retailers reduce lost sales and unproductive inventory, today announced it has closed a $3.3 million seed round led by New Build Venture Capital. The round was oversubscribed and includes participation from Foster Ventures, Silicon Road Ventures, YANMAR VENTURES, DNX Ventures, and IDEA, a technology company owned by NAED and NEMA serving the electrical industry.

As supply chains grow more complex and customer expectations for product availability continue to rise, enterprises face increasing pressure to deliver the right products in the right place at the right time. Yet most planning systems still focus on optimizing inventory levels rather than ensuring true availability across enterprise networks.

Pull Logic addresses this gap by enabling availability-first decision-making at the SKU and network level. The platform applies Availability Intelligence, an AI-driven decision layer, on top of existing ERP and planning systems to continuously measure service risk, uncover hidden demand, identify availability gaps, and guide smarter inventory, replenishment, and deployment decisions. It is built for environments where lost sales and excess inventory coexist due to misalignment across locations, SKUs, and timing.

“Most supply chain systems are designed to plan inventory, not to ensure availability,” said Taresh Grover, CEO of Pull Logic. “Pull Logic focuses on the outcome that matters most: making sure the right products are available when customers need them, without tying up excess working capital. This funding allows us to scale the platform and bring Availability Intelligence to more enterprises.”

Pull Logic was co-founded by four leaders with deep expertise across supply chain research, enterprise software, and operations: Taresh Grover (CEO), Professor Benoit Montreuil of Georgia Tech, Rahul Chahar (CTO), and Karl Swensen (COO).

“Backed by Georgia Tech research, our Availability Intelligence helps enterprises understand where service is at risk, why it is happening, and how to fix it at the SKU, location, and network level,” said Rahul Chahar, CTO of Pull Logic. “This allows companies to reduce lost sales and operate with greater confidence across complex supply chains.”

Pull Logic has deployed its tools in multiple industries and works with a lighting manufacturer (MaxLite is mentioned on their website) on what it calls “Availability Intelligence” as well as has a robust lighting cross reference tool that can be used by manufacturers, reps / lighting agents, and distributors.

I reached out to Taresh Grover to inquire more. He shared:

“At a high level, what we are building is a new category we call Availability Intelligence. For years, the electrical industry, like most supply chains, has invested heavily in forecasting, inventory planning, and ERP. And yet the day-to-day reality is still the same: stockouts, expedites, excess inventory, and missed sales.

The core issue is that most systems are designed to optimize inventory and cost, not actual availability, and readiness to serve demand.

Pull Logic adds a new decision layer on top of existing systems that focuses on a more practical operational question: are we actually ready for the demand that is coming across the network? This is especially important in the electrical channel, where project demand is lumpy, substitutions are common, lead times move around, and service levels directly impact who wins the order.

IDEA is a strategic investor for us because they sit at the center of the electrical ecosystem. They understand the data, the manufacturer distributor contractor workflows, and the real operational challenges in this industry. We share a common view that the channel needs better intelligence and better decisioning around availability, not just inside individual companies, but across the ecosystem over time.

What we hope to bring to the electrical market in practical terms is:

• Better service levels without simply carrying more inventory
• Better placement of stock across branches and networks
• Better use of substitution, lead times, and real demand signals
• And ultimately, less lost sales and less dead inventory at the same time

We see this as a long-term shift in how the electrical channel runs availability as a business outcome, not just a planning exercise.”

Given IDEA’s historical role in facilitating supply chain initiatives to improve productivity and reduce costs (which was the impetus for the Industry Data Warehouse – now the IDEA Connector and IDEA Exchange, an EDI platform), and their expansion into new services such as Volumetrics, Cross Check and its latest, Data Whispers to provide manufacturers and distributors with enhanced sales and profitability guidance at the customer level, and Pull Logic’s involvement in other industries, there are some unique opportunities that can benefit both parties, and the industry.

Take Away

• Innovation pays and drives differentiator.
• AI, especially how Pull Logic is defining it (Availability Intelligence) is an interesting concept and something that formerly was challenging to achieve at scale. Something for companies to consider and a mode that can deliver a ROI

And for an industry that historically has been staid, perhaps there is innovation in funding sources.