Nov 2, 2017   SOURCE: BusinessWire

AC&A, a Portfolio Company of AE Industrial Partners, Acquires Applied Composites Engineering

AC&A Enterprises, LLC, (“AC&A”), a leading supplier of composite and metallic parts in the aerospace, defense, space, and specialty automobile markets, announced today that it has acquired Applied Composites Engineering, Inc. (ACE), a leader in advanced composites engineering and manufacturing for aerospace and defense applications. Terms of the transaction – which closed November 1, 2017 – were not disclosed. AC&A is a portfolio company of AE Industrial Partners, LLC (“AEI”), a private equity investor specializing in aerospace, power generation, and specialty industrial companies.

Located in Indianapolis, Indiana ACE provides advanced composites solutions to many of the most well-known aerospace and defense original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).

“ACE is a perfect fit with AC&A, combining our complementary set of composites engineering and manufacturing capabilities,” said Leigh Sargent, President of ACE. “As part of AC&A, and backed by AEI’s deep industry experience and financial resources, we will be able to provide even greater value to our customers and significantly increase our growth.”

“AC&A has accelerated its investments in growth through our partnership with AEI, including facility expansions, new equipment and now strategic acquisitions,” said Justin Uchida, CEO of AC&A. “We are excited about the ACE acquisition which will expand our capabilities, enable us to better serve our customers and greatly enhance our competitive market position.”

“Advanced composites represent a large and growing opportunity within AEI’s target markets,” said Jon Nemo, Partner of AEI. “We are building a unique composites platform with strong leadership, scale and highly specialized engineering, design and manufacturing capabilities designed to serve our diverse and growing set of customers. We expect to continue to build this platform organically and through additional highly strategic acquisitions.”

Kirkland & Ellis LLP served as legal advisor and PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP served as financial advisor to AE Industrial Partners. John Rowell of Aaron, Bell International* acted as ACE’s exclusive M&A advisor.

About ACE

Applied Composites Engineering (ACE), based in Indianapolis, IN is a leader in aerospace composites engineering and manufacturing providing advanced composites technologies and solutions to some of the largest and most well-known aerospace and defense organizations in the world. ACE is recognized for its collaboration with customers to deliver innovative, high-tech composites solutions, supported by the relentless pursuit of excellence. For more information, please visit www.appliedcomposites.com.

About AC&A

AC&A, based in Lake Forest, CA and acquired by AEI in 2016, is a leading provider of composite and metallic parts and tooling to the aerospace, defense, space and specialty automobile markets with exceptional carbon composite capabilities. AC&A is highly proficient in both tool generation and component part manufacturing for its core markets as well as emerging, high-growth end markets such as space and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). With a reputation for producing solutions for difficult-to-manufacture parts, AC&A continues to grow its list of blue-chip customers in its key markets. For more information, please visit www.acamfg.com.

About AE Industrial Partners

AE Industrial Partners is a leading private equity firm specializing in control-oriented investments in aerospace, power generation, and specialty industrial businesses. AEI invests in market-leading companies that can benefit from its deep operating experience, industry knowledge, and relationships. Learn more at www.aeroequity.com.

* Securities transactions conducted through StillPoint Capital LLC (Tampa, FL), member FINRA / SIPC Aaron, Bell International is not affiliated with StillPoint Capital, LLC, however, members of Aaron, Bell International are registered representatives of StillPoint.