News & Insights

SFW News
Feb, 17
2022
SFW Capital Partners Makes Strategic Investment in RDI Technologies, a Leader in Vision-Based Analytical Solutions for Predictive Maintenance

RYE, N.Y. and KNOXVILLE, Tenn.,—February 17, 2022 –  SFW Capital Partners, LP (“SFW”) today announced that it has completed a majority recapitalization of RDI Technologies (“RDI” or “the Company”), a provider of vision-based analytical solutions used for predictive maintenance and test & measurement applications across a diverse set of industries, including aerospace and defense, power generation, industrial manufacturing, metals and mining, and information technology. Company founder and CEO Dr. Jeff Hay, President Bob Wilson, and COO Jenna Johns, are all reinvesting alongside SFW to retain a significant equity stake in RDI.

Founded in 2015, RDI is best known for its patented technology, which includes proprietary video and image processing algorithms, that enables customers to identify vibration-related machine issues that are difficult to diagnose through the naked eye or traditional sensors. By detecting these issues early, RDI’s customers can increase the uptime and reliability of their assets and improve their decision making.

“RDI is a true innovator with proprietary and proven technology that is delivering significant ROI for its customers, which include many blue-chip names from various industries,” said Ahmad Sheikh, Partner at SFW who will serve as the Chairman of the Board of RDI. “We look forward to applying our expertise and network in the industrial technology sector to support Jeff and the RDI management team in unlocking significant value for their customers, employees and all other stakeholders.”

The global predictive maintenance market size has been valued by industry analysts at more than $4.0 billion in 2020, and is projected to reach $64.25 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 31.0% from 2021 to 2030.

“When we met Ahmad and the SFW team at a trade show several years ago, we were impressed by their expertise in the predictive maintenance and test & measurement sectors, as well as their approach to partnering with founders and management teams,” said Hay. “We have enjoyed great success since our founding, and we’re confident SFW’s extensive network and market knowledge will enable us to accelerate our growth rate, expand our client base, and bring more innovative solutions to market that take predictive maintenance forward. We also look forward to working with SFW to pursue acquisitions of complementary technologies for predictive maintenance and test and measurement applications, in areas such as video-based measurement and analysis, machine learning, and IoT.”

“SFW is the perfect strategic partner for RDI as we look to continue scaling over the next several years while also establishing a more significant international footprint,” said Johns.

“We believe there is a significant opportunity to accelerate RDI’s already impressive growth rate by investing in its sales and marketing capabilities, expanding the product offering, and pursuing strategic add-on acquisitions,” added Gianluigi Sepe, Principal at SFW who joins RDI’s board.

SFW has led investments in several leading family and founder-owned businesses in the industrial and life sciences technology sector, including Caron Products and Services, Essen Bioscience, Filtec, Granite River Labs, Micromeritics, Pion, and Bigneat, a subsidiary of Caron Products and Services. In each of these investments, the combination of SFW’s industry expertise and partnership approach were critical factors in being selected as an investment partner.

About SFW Capital Partners, LP

SFW Capital Partners is a private equity firm focused on building market leading companies in the industrial and life sciences technology sector. SFW partners with profitable founder and family-owned companies and provides its capital, resources, and network to make significant growth-oriented investments and drive long-term value creation. For more information, visit www.sfwcap.com.

About RDI Inc.

RDI Technologies is pioneering the camera as the sensor of the future because visualization is faster, safer, and makes the complex more simple. The company’s proprietary technology platform powered by Motion Amplification® enables users to see and measure motion that is impossible to see with the human eye and could previously only be measured by contacting sensors. Products combine the power of modern cameras with software to turn what used to be complex charts and graphs into easy-to-understand video data that enables users to quickly and safely solve their toughest problems and communicate the results. RDI’s customers include some of the largest companies in the world, among them are Google, Nissan, Duke Energy, Newmont, and Chevron. Learn more at www.rditechnologies.com