Dedienne Aerospace plans to strengthen its presence in the U.S. following its recent acquisition of The Champion GSE in Springfield, Ohio.
The investment is valued at over $5 million and for Dedienne, it marks a key milestone in the company’s development and U.S. industrial footprint. The acquisition also expands its product and technology offerings for the aerospace, defense and energy sectors.
The Champion GSE specializes in ground support equipment (GSE) and the design, production and maintenance of containers for transporting sensitive equipment. Dedienne considers the acquisition as an ideal accompaniment to its aerospace maintenance equipment business.
As part of th acquisition, Dedienne is implementing an ambitious investment plan to develop new products and to modernize and expand The Champion GSE’s industrial capabilities, including investing in new machining equipment. The first machines are scheduled to be operational by early 2025 and Dedienne says the investments will double The Champion GSE’s production capacity while enhancing its competitiveness.
“[Champion] needs to expand its manufacturing capacities, and to achieve this, we will implement automatized manufacturing processes, starting with welding robots,” says Dedienne Aerospace Chairman Cedric Barbe.
The Champion GSE produces containers that ensure the integrity of systems during transportation or storage phases. The water- and air-tight containers enable pressurization and protect against shocks and vibrations. Barbe says the containers complement the technologies created by Dedienne’s own engineering teams and offer opportunities to develop new ones and manufacture them in large quantities while offering after sales support. He adds that the combined capabilities of both companies will enable customers to manage a single source for their global requirements, noting that Dedienne’s after sales services, maintenance processes and digital solutions help to manage product life cycles.
The Champion GSE’s facility in Springfield will serve as a twin plant to Dedienne’s facility in Saint-Juery, France. The facilities will serve OEMs in the European and U.S. markets, respectively. Barbe says the Saint-Juery plant is equally dedicated to containers, and both sites will share the same industrial processes and organization.
Barbe confirms that The Champion GSE will retain its name and branding but will have stronger financial and technical capacities provided by Dedienne Aerospace.
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