Who's Buying?

Rockwell Collins finalized its $8.3 billion acquisition of B/E Aerospace in April 2017. The deal was completed six months after it was first announced that the U.S. avionics giant was looking to buy Florida-based cabin interior specialist B/E. Kelly Ortberg, chairman, president and CEO of Rockwell Collins, said the deal will provide the firm with “a strong flow of aftermarket retrofit opportunities”, with the combined portfolios positioning it to integrate cabin products, smart network technologies and connectivity solutions to enhance the operating of aircraft.

GE Aviation's summer 2017 acquisition of OC Robotics, a manufacturer of snake-arm robotics hardware, will draw on its expertise to aid its services division. Lance Herrington, integration leader for OC Robotics at GE Aviation, says the business will eventually be integrated into GE Aviation portfolio and will enable technology for technicians to maneuver in tight spaces. "This will enable new repairs to be developed and aid the on-wing support teams as they work to inspect and repair engines on wing," he told MRO-Network.com.

Airborne Maintenance and Engineering Services (AMES), a subsidiary of Air Transport Services Group (ATSG), acquired Florida-based MRO and passenger-to-freighter specialist PEMCO World Air Services in January 2017. ATSG said the buyout will "combine operational strengths, expanded capabilities and cost savings related to shared services between the companies."

The summer saw Californian private equity firm Platinum Equity snap up UK-based Pattonair, a provider of supply chain services for MRO and airframe manufacturer customers. The transaction is expected to close during the fourth quarter of 2017.

Having acquired B/E Aerospace earlier in the year, Rockwell Collins itself became the subject of a takeover in September 2017 from United Technologies. In a proposed $30 billion industry mega deal, the avionics and interiors specialist will combine with United Technologies to create a new business division named Collins Aerospace Systems.

It isn't just MROs that are making acquisitions this year. Consultancy Oliver Wyman  purchased UK-based AVISA Aviation Safety Systems in September for an undisclosed sum to expand its European aviation technical services. AVISA services will be integrated into Oliver Wyman's Cavok aviation services technical consulting division.

AAR announced in September that it had struck a deal to acquire two MRO facilities from Canada's Premier Aviation. The move, driven by a desire from AAR to capture more work in the Canadian market, saw them take over two Premier facilities in Trois-Rivières, Quebec, and Windsor, Ontario.

StandardAero completed the acquisition of Vector Aerospace from Airbus in November 2017. The buyout will bring about an expansion of U.S.-based StandardAero's capabilities, with the company adopting turboprop MRO capabilities for Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6s and PW100s.