AAR Says Purchases Strengthen its Role in Aerospace Supply Chain

Oct. 24, 2011
Telair Intl., Nordisk Aviation specialize in air cargo handling equipment, bought for $280 million

AAR Corp. has an agreement to buy two operating units of Texeflex Inc. — Telair International GmbH and Nordisk Aviation Products AS — for $280 million. It indicated the two companies’ products for air-cargo handling will for to aircraft OEMs like Airbus and Boeing will improve its standing as a Tier One supplier for commercial and military aircraft programs.

Wood Dale, Ill.-based AAR supplies aerospace OEMs and government and defense contractors through a range of businesses. In the commercial aviation sector, it supplies passenger airlines, cargo carriers, Tier 2 suppliers, and aircraft and engine OEMs with MRO, engineering, logistics and precision fabrications. In the government and defense market, it offers transport/logistics and communications products and services, and designs and fabricates machined and composite structures for aerospace and defense applications.

Telair designs and manufactures cargo-loading systems for wide-body and narrow-body aircraft, including several current and future passenger and freight jet series. It supplies standard container-based systems for Airbus A330/340 aircraft types, the future Airbus A350, and the new Boeing 747-800. The company also manufactures systems and components for the Boeing 737, 767-300s, and 747-400s, and Airbus A320 families.

Telair has plants in Germany, Sweden, and Singapore.

Nordisk designs and builds heavy-duty pallets and lightweight cargo containers for commercial airlines. It has plants in Norway and China.

Both Telair and Nordisk have strong positions in the aircraft aftermarket supply chain. AAR plans for the new businesses to join its Structures and Systems segment.

"The acquisition strengthens AAR's standing as a leading provider of cargo loading systems to the global aerospace market," stated chairman and CEO David P. Storch. "Telair's position as a leading provider to the commercial market is an excellent complement to AAR's leadership position serving the military market. Telair systems are installed on more than 4,000 aircraft currently operating around the world, representing a significant aftermarket opportunity for the company. We are very impressed with the operating teams at Telair and Nordisk and look forward to working closely with them to grow these businesses."