Manufacturer of Ground Support Equipment and Aircraft Production Tooling for Sale

• Opportunity to acquire a 70-year-old family business which manufactures and supplies ground support equipment and aircraft production tooling to the aviation industry and military.

• Specialising in design and manufacture, the company has been supplying the UK’s Ministry of Defence for over 60 years and other major aircraft manufacturers and aircraft operations for over 50.

• The company is located in the South East of England in a prime location close to motorway networks and a major airport.

• With extensive knowledge and experience of sector, the company has established a strong range of reliable products and solid contractual links with its client base. In addition, it designs bespoke products for its clients which it owns or share-owns.

• The company’s financial performance reflects the need to drive sales and marketing to build on a strong core performance.

• The business could successfully expand into the commercial aircraft manufacturing and operating sectors.

• There is scope to considerably develop the ‘spares and repairs’ arm of the business.

• Existing products could be extensively marketed to customers in Europe and Worldwide.

• The company is ISO 9001 accredited. All products carry the CE Mark and a 12-month warranty (minimum).

• The sale offers an outstanding opportunity as a bolt-on opportunity for a company looking to break into the military aircraft industry sector or expand their existing operations.

Products & Services

The core business is designing and building products to a client’s bespoke requirements.

In addition, they sell their own range of ‘off-the-peg’ ground support equipment and aircraft tooling products including:

• Aircraft Maintenance Jacks and Wheel-Change Jacks
• Tow-bars
• Tyre Inflation Kits
• Charging Regulators
• General Purpose Aircraft Chocks
• Oxygen and Nitrogen Charging Trolleys

Services include:

• Sales and product advice
• Replacement parts and spares
• Repair of equipment.

Premises

• Freehold.
• 33,000 sq. ft. of land including offices, factory, store-room and car-parking.
• The vendors are open to including the purchase of the freehold within the sale.  A property investor may wish to acquire the premises for redevelopment whilst an engineering-focused buyer may wish to acquire the trading business alone.

Employees

• In addition to the vendor, there is a full time Operations Manager who runs the business day to day, 2 managers, 2 administration staff and 7 operatives (2 of whom are sub-contracted).
• A part-time Design Manager oversees the design facility.

Reason for sale

• The vendor is in his seventies and wishes to retire. No family member is available to take on the business.

Financial overview

SOLD