“The U.S. Navy uses our equipment to help make the hull of aircraft carriers,” he said.
Cocco said he’s retaining a minority stake in the company following its acquisition by Italy’s Saip, part of Pozzi Industries Group near Milan. Saip previously opened a warehouse in the Columbus, Ohio, in 2022.
Saip’s chief product line is equipment used to manufacture pre-formed construction panels that are insulated with polyurethane foam. It makes that equipment in Italy and ships it to international customers, including in the U.S., Cocco said.
Linden will support that business with its equipment service capabilities, but it might also make sense to make some of the equipment here, Cocco said.
If that happens, it could require a substantial expansion of Linden’s operations in Akron’s 200-acre Ascot Business Park, where the company owns more land than it currently uses and has room to double its existing space.
“We have our main and only facility here in Akron. We have a 30,000-square-foot building here and 25 employees,” Cocco said. “One of my [business’] neighbors walked over the other day and asked, ‘Would you ever want to sell some of your land?,’ and I said, ‘No.’”
If Linden were to start producing Saip equipment for construction panel manufacturers here, it would take up quite a bit of space.
“That equipment can be a hundred yards long, or 200 yards long,” Cocco said.
Saip and Linden haven’t decided to do that, but Cocco said it’s a possibility.
“Sometimes it makes sense to manufacture here,” he said. “It’s not a decision we’ve made, but it’s one of the areas of flexibility that we have. ... We have enough room to double our space here if we decide to make that decision.”
Another option now open to Cocco is acquisitions, something he said he has experience with. Cocco previously helped Goodyear sell its engineered-products operations to Carlyle Group when he worked there, buying Linden in 2019, and purchasing Feedall, an industrial automation business similar in size to Linden that Cocco moved from Rochester to 30,000 square feet of new space he built in Willoughby in December.
The terms of Saip’s acquisition were not disclosed, but Cocco said it has provided more capital, which enables him to consider future acquisitions.
For now, though, Linden will focus on growing its existing business and learning more about SAIP’s products it will support in the U.S.
Saip CEO Walter Pozzi said in announcing that deal late last year that he expects Linden to provide growth and a source of service closer to his American customers.
“The investment will enhance customer service and accelerate the development of both companies, creating new opportunities for growth and innovation," Pozzi said.
