News

New York, NY – (January 4, 2021) – JLL Partners (“JLL”), a New York based private equity firm, has acquired Jonathan Engineered Solutions (“JES” or the “Company”), a provider of ruggedized enclosures, slides, and vibration isolators that protect critical electronic systems operating in challenging environments. With a legacy that spans nearly 70 years, the Company’s products are used aboard U.S. Navy ships and in other defense, aerospace and high-performance industrial applications.

“For decades, JES has been proud to support the U.S. Navy with customized enclosure solutions that protect critical shipboard electronics,” said Jason Cianciarulo, CEO of JES. “We are excited to partner with JLL to continue building JES into a partner-of-choice for the Navy in support of its long-term strategic goals, including investments in technology and naval capabilities that keep our nation safe.”

JES is a global market leader in the design and manufacture of highly engineered enclosures, slides, and isolators for defense, aerospace, and specialty industrial end-markets. In the defense sector, JES products safely house electronics hardware for mission critical communications, networking, and defensive systems. In the aerospace and industrial markets, JES supports applications that require highly engineered, no-fail mechanical components such as business jets and emergency response vehicles. The Company’s products are built to withstand the harshest operating environments and are customized to meet demanding end-user requirements. JES is headquartered in Irvine, CA and has approximately 900 employees.

“This partnership with Jason and the team at JES represents the culmination of a multi-year investment thesis aimed at supporting the sustainment and evolution of critical technology systems onboard our nation’s naval assets over the coming years and decades, said Kevin Hammond, Partner at JLL. “JES designs and produces innovative products for our nation’s military and important aerospace and commercial customers, and we intend to support the Company and its employees, customers and other stakeholders with capital to expand its capacity and capabilities through organic investment and strategic acquisitions.”

JLL has been a long-time investor in the aerospace and defense sector, investing in six platforms and supporting close to 20 add-on acquisitions since 2007. JES will serve as the base of a new design and engineering-focused aerospace and defense manufacturing platform, with compelling opportunities to grow both organically and inorganically.

Houlihan Lokey served as financial advisor to JLL.