MiddleGround Capital has sold Arrow Tru-Line (ATL), a leading manufacturer and distributor of overhead garage door hardware, to Chamberlain Group (CG), marking the private equity firm’s third exit from its inaugural fund. The deal highlights how operational upgrades can boost the value of specialty component distributors.
Based in Archbold, Ohio, ATL supplies hinges, brackets, tubes, springs and track sets to OEMs, distributors, and installers across North America. The company runs six combined manufacturing and distribution sites in the U.S. and Canada.
Under MiddleGround Capital’s ownership, ATL shifted from a traditional parts supplier toward a vertically integrated, data-driven distributor. Initiatives included:
- Digitizing operations with IFS enterprise resource planning, giving real-time visibility into inventory and performance.
- Automating production using Shoplogix smart-factory tools to monitor equipment uptime and downtime.
- In-house manufacturing of springs and torsion tubes to cut import reliance, lower costs and improve lead times.
- Streamlining the supply base through SKU rationalization, vendor consolidation, and strategic pricing to improve terms, freight costs, and steel pricing.
“MiddleGround brought hands-on operational expertise and a genuine commitment to helping us evolve,” said CEO Thomas Brockley. “Their guidance helped us modernize how we manufacture, strengthen our supply chain, and make better use of data across the organization.”
For Chamberlain Group—parent of LiftMaster and myQ—the acquisition adds a vertically integrated supplier with an established distribution footprint, giving it tighter control over critical garage door components and delivery to distributor and installer networks.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
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