As part of the transaction, employees also will receive pre-paid personal financial coaching and tax preparation services, according to a KKR spokesperson.
"I am proud to have worked alongside MRP colleagues who have contributed in so many ways to the company's performance," said Josh Weisenbeck, a partner at KKR. "Together we have been able to deliver the fantastic results that made this sale possible. This is a great outcome for all employee owners and our limited partners in KKR's Americas XII Fund."
KKR introduced the employee ownership program for MRP employees as a free, incremental benefit and not in exchange for benefits, wages or wage increases.
Other tenets of the program, which is different from an Employee Stock Ownership Program (essentially a corporate tax-deferred retirement program), include "sharing business targets and regular progress updates with all employees, and giving employees a voice in capital expenditures and operational improvements."
Known as Ownership Works, the non-profit program was founded by Peter Stavros, KKR's co-head of Americas Private Equity.
Among other benefits, the program allocates about $300,000 per year for employees to decide their own capital fixes, which have included the addition of air conditioning in production facilities, improved break rooms and bathrooms, and the purchase of equipment to improve ergonomics for production employees.
"MRP shows the power of building an ownership culture, something we believe many more companies can replicate, and the potential of the shared ownership movement," Stavros said. "Trelleborg is a great cultural fit for MRP and the ideal strategic partner.
"As part of Trelleborg, MRP will continue to be an employee-centric organization with exciting opportunities for continued innovation and global growth."
Outside of the Ownership Works, KKR's investments in MRP have helped drive acquisitions and funded a new innovation center.