Joe Milot, a young and ambitious accountant, and Wellson Tao, with strong roots in sourcing and manufacturing, form Protective Industrial Products Inc. with an initial investment of $2,000.
Working out of a 400 square-foot space in Albany, NY, PIP® – as it quickly became known – started selling cotton lisle gloves for the inspection and handling of small parts. The business grew quickly as demand for work gloves grew, with more and more companies requiring PPE.
In the early 90s, the demand for gloves and new technologies took off. PIP® distinguished itself by offering distributors great products, good prices and robust stock levels, which enabled them to quickly become a favorite supplier – leading PIP® to expand its head office and distribution center to 28,000 square feet.
By the early 2000s, PIP® had become a preferred supplier of work gloves to many of the newly formed distributor buying groups due to their business philosophy of “We don’t say NO to our customers. We find reason to say YES.” During this time, PIP® also acquired Georgia Safety Group and Gloves Unlimited, Inc. which lead to the opening of an additional distribution center in Memphis, TN, as well as PRI industries – a US manufacturer of specialty seamless knits.
In 2004, PIP® established an exclusive sales partnership with ATG® Gloves in North America and, together, they introduced the world to the MaxiFlex® G-Tek® glove, as it was known then. This glove set the standard for fit, form and function that, even today, remains unrivaled.
The need for PPE continued to grow not only in the U.S. but globally. PIP® began investing in operations outside of the U.S. – establishing PIP Mexico and PIP Latin America.
Continued growth also allowed the company to expand its New York operations to 125,000 square feet and its Tennessee distribution center to 90,000 square feet. The expansion of PIP's operation in New York included the creation of Black Pearl Manufacturing, a dedicated facility for custom packaging, PPE logo imprinting for customers and dielectric testing for electrical insulated gloves.
This period marked the launch of PIP’s retail division, having acquired the Mud® and West County Gardener® consumer glove brand and business, along with Brahma® work gloves.
On the industrial side, advancements in glove technologies continued to be made due to the acquisition of the DSM Dyneema® license. PIP® quickly gained a leadership position as a supplier of advanced coated seamless knit gloves with cut resistance.
By the end of the decade, PIP® was now a $100 million company thanks to the acquisition of SafetyGear™ USA – a protective clothing company that enabled PIP® to expand its product offering to include hand protection, protective and hi-vis garments.
PIP® established a partnership in Europe and opened an office and distribution center in Italy. Altogether, these milestones were more than Joe and Wellson had never imagined.
The new decade marked PIP’s strong foray into the PPE market – starting with the acquisition of the DuPont® Kevlar® license. Having achieved a dominant position in reusable work gloves, Joe and Wellson decided to further expand within Safety by investing more deeply into PPE products.
PIP® also expanded its U.S. manufacturing capabilities with the acquisition of McHenry Knitting and Manufacturing which, along with PR Industries acquired in 2003, made PIP® one of the largest U.S. based manufacturers of gloves and sleeves made with Kevlar®.
The recent acquisition of SafetyGear™ USA inspired PIP® to take the chance and purchase the H.L. Bouton brand and business – an American pioneer in safety eyewear – known for developing special tank goggles for the U.S. Army during World War II. ISSI Eyewear was also acquired, further expanding PIP’s eye protection product offering.
This was also an optimal time to expand globally and seek out new partnerships. During this period, PIP® entered into a partnership with U.K.-based JSP® Safety, allowing PIP® to sell a line of head protection that set the standard for advanced design and features.
PIP® also expanded operations in Europe, Canada and in Asia – officially establishing PIP Europe, PIP Canada Ltd. and PIP Asia Pacific, whose operations expanded from Hong Kong to include sales and distribution centers in China and Australia.
By the middle of the decade, Wellson began to step back from the daily operations in Asia to spend time mentoring the new generation of leaders and supporting Joe, who had his eyes on expanding PIP® further.
In 2016, PIP® doubled down on retail by purchasing Safety Works – a leading retail brand in safety – from MSA.
Joe went on to buy Safe Industries, another U.S. manufacturer of knitted sleeves. Then, in 2017, Joe and Wellson – in the ultimate irony – would purchase Century Gloves, the company whose actions in 1984 ignited the spark for Joe and Wellson to get together and form Protective Industrial Products.
By the end of 2017, PIP® had grown to be a referenced global leader in hand protection with more than 300 employees, $250 million in sales and a presence in the Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific.
The end of the decade marked a new dawn for the company. With Wellson retiring, Joe and his children along with Wellson’s children began searching for a new partner that could help make PIP® a global leader in hand protection and PPE. In 2018, Audax Group became that partner. It was Joe’s decision to find a partner that aligned with his philosophy of customer excellence and service. For Joe, the new dawn would be about expanding to serve customers better AND to make Safety better. This vision drove him to seek out companies he had long respected for the technologies they developed and the customers they served.
That year, PIP® acquired West Chester Protective Gear, a solidly established leader in Safety with a strong business unit in the retail market. With this acquisition, PIP® became the undisputed leader in work gloves.
This was followed by the acquisition of HEAROS ear plugs which included a manufacturing facility with global capacity.
PIP® also bought out and settled all European partnership interests by consolidating all business in Europe within PIP France. They also reworked all partnerships for PIP Mexico and Latin America, enabling them to enter the PIP Global Family.
PIP’s acquisition strategy continued, but now, Joe and the management team set their eyes on emerging markets. In 2019, PIP® purchased QRP®, a leader in hand protection for Controlled Environments, followed by Uniform Technology®, a Colorado-based manufacturer of reusable cleanroom garments. With the technological advancements being made in manufacturing, the factories of tomorrow will be cleaner and more hi-tech.
PIP® also struck a deal to buy Dynamic Safety from Claude Roberge – a titan of the Safety industry who started in the 1970s. After building then selling Arkon Safety, he came out of retirement to build Dynamic Safety which became a leader in Canada as well as a global manufacturer of hard hats, first aid and above-the-neck products.
Worldwide Protective Products, a strong rival to PIP® in gloves and sleeves, also joined the PIP Global Family during this time. As part of the Worldwide purchase, PIP® also acquired U.S. Mesh, a leader in metal mesh protection for food processing.
At the end of 2019, PIP® purchased Boss® Glove and Safety, a 100-year-old legacy brand in work gloves as well as a leading source of boots and protective wear that is recognized around the world.
Today, PIP® is a $660 million entity with more than twenty-one locations around the world. A flagship, state-of-the-art 800,000-square-foot distribution center was built in Olive Branch, MS, to service most of the U.S.
PIP® has seven manufacturing facilities in North America, ensuring that the supply of critical PPE is available for American workers. We are proud of what we do and the industry that we serve.
