aircraft tires
Search

Private Equity Professional

Private Equity's News Leader

There is a right and a wrong in the universe, and that distinction is not hard to make.
Superman

You are here: Home / Archives for aircraft tires

aircraft tires

Graham Completes Aerospace Add-on

by

watts tires nf1Desser Tire & Rubber Company, a portfolio company of Graham Partners, has acquired Watts Aviation Services.  According to Graham Partners, the firm identified Watts as a primary add-on acquisition candidate for Desser prior to its acquisition in August 2014.

chris lawler nf2“Graham Partners and Desser are excited to partner with Watts’ management team. Desser and Watts possess complementary customer relationships and geographic strength, and we expect a smooth integration that will produce significant benefits,” said Chris Lawler, Managing Principal at Graham Partners.

Watts Aviation Services is a distributor of aircraft tires and tubes that are used for light aircraft, business aviation, helicopters and airliners. Watts is an authorized distributor for Goodyear, Michelin, Condor, Dunlop and McCreary as well as a stocking distributor for other tire brands such as Bridgestone.  The company inventories more than 15,000 tires and has more than 500 SKUs.  Watts is headquartered west of London in Gloucestershire, UK (www.wattsaviation.co.uk).

Desser Tire & Rubber Company, acquired by Graham Partners in August 2014, is supplier of aircraft tires and tubes as well as other aviation products to customers in over 100 countries. The company also holds Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) approvals for high speed aircraft tire retreading and wheel and brake services, and produces aviation transparencies – such as aircraft windshields, windscreens, canopies, and windows – for aftermarket applications.  Desser had been family-owned and operated since 1920.  The company is headquartered near Los Angeles in Montebello, CA and has an additional warehouse in Memphis (www.desser.com).

Graham Partners acquires companies with EBITDA between $5 million and $50 million, and will invest in smaller companies as add-on acquisitions to existing portfolio companies. The firm is sponsored by the Graham Group, an industrial and investment concern with interests in plastics, packaging, machinery, building products and outsourced manufacturing. Graham Partners was founded in 1988 and is headquartered in Philadelphia (www.grahampartners.net).

© 2015 PEPD • Private Equity’s Leading News Magazine • 3-20-15

Graham Acquires Desser Tire & Rubber

by

desser nf1Graham Partners has made a majority investment in Desser Tire & Rubber Company and its affiliated companies; Aero Wheel & Brake Service Corporation and Cee Bailey’s Aircraft Plastics (collectively, “Desser”).

Desser is supplier of aircraft tires and tubes was well as other aviation products to customers in over 100 countries. The company also holds Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) approvals for high speed aircraft tire retreading and wheel and brake services, and produces aviation transparencies (aircraft windshields, windscreens, canopies, windows, etc…) for aftermarket applications.  Desser has been family-owned and operated since 1920 and has been exclusively focused on aviation markets since 1985.  The company is headquartered near Los Angeles in Montebello, CA and has an additional warehouse in Memphis (www.desser.com).

Graham Partners has been proactively seeking to make investments in the aviation product aftermarket and, according to Graham Partners, the Desser transaction was sourced on a proprietary basis as a result of this sector focus coupled with Graham’s experience and relationships in the aerospace industry.  Graham Partners intends to leverage its operating resources and aviation products expertise to capitalize on Desser’s strong brand name and reputation. One of Graham’s strategic objectives is to expand Desser’s specialized aviation supplier capabilities by offering more products to its customer base.

chris lawler nf2“Desser is an established market leader with unparalleled name recognition among customers for aircraft tires and unique capabilities; we look forward to partnering with Desser’s management team to build upon Desser’s record of success as a specialized aviation product supplier,” said Chris Lawler, Managing Principal at Graham Partners.

Graham Partners seeks to acquire companies with EBITDA between $5 million and $50 million, and will invest in smaller companies as add-on acquisitions to existing portfolio companies. The firm is sponsored by the Graham Group, an industrial and investment concern with interests in plastics, packaging, machinery, building products and outsourced manufacturing. Graham Partners was founded in 1988 and is headquartered in Philadelphia (www.grahampartners.net).

“After being a family-owned business for nearly 100 years, we believe Graham Partners will provide resources to facilitate Desser’s growth and deliver expertise that will allow us to achieve our vision for Desser’s future potential,” said Steve Chlavin, CEO of Desser.

2014 PEPD • Private Equity’s Leading News Magazine • 8-21-14

To search in site, type your keyword and hit enter