Kimberly-Clark BuysJackson Products

Kimberly-Clark Corp. can now count industrial safety gear among its wares.

The Dallas maker of Kleenex tissues and Huggies diapers announced late Tuesday, April 14, that it had agreed to acquire privately held industrial safety products maker Jackson Products Inc. of Fenton, Mo.

Terms were not disclosed, but the target, which uses the trade name Jackson Safety, reported revenue of $123.7 million for 2008, according to the St. Louis Business Journal.

The company was founded in 1933 and sells welding safety gear such as eye goggles, gloves and helmets. It employs 400 people.

Jackson will operate within Kimberly-Clark's professional products unit, which makes safety apparel for out-of-home use, as well as washroom and skin products. That division recorded $3.1 billion in revenue for 2008, up from $3 billion a year prior.

Operating profit was $428 million for the division, down from $478 million in 2007. The company blamed the slide on increased raw materials and manufacturing costs.

Jackson CEO Tom Burns will continue to operate the target as a division within Kimberly-Clark.

Kimberly-Clark and Jackson Product officials did not return calls seeking comment Wednesday.

"Jackson Safety brings a wealth of strengths to Kimberly-Clark's business, including an outstanding product portfolio and a highly experienced sales force," Jan Spencer, president of Kimberly-Clark's professional sales unit, said in a statement.

Partners Soren Lindstrom, Stephen Marcus, Aileen Hooks and Rufus Oliver of Baker Botts LLP led the legal team for Kimberly-Clark. The buyer did not disclose a financial adviser.

Jim Lavelle and Eugene Bazemore of Houlihan Lokey Howard & Zukin Inc. gave financial advice to Jackson Products. Partners Bruce Herzog and Mark Getachew of Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP were outside counsel to Jackson.

Jackson Products produces and sells industrial safety equipment used in construction and manufacturing.

Kimberly-Clark produces health and hygiene products under such brand names as Scott paper towels, Depends undergarments and Cottonelle toilet paper. The company was founded in 1872 and has a market capitalization of $20.3 billion.