Jan 8, 2019   SOURCE: BusinessWire

D.A. Davidson & Co. Serves as Exclusive Financial Advisor to Supplier Management Solutions, Inc. in Its Sale to TRIGO Group, a Portfolio Company of Paris-Based Ardian

D.A. Davidson & Co. announced that it served as financial advisor to Supplier Management Solutions, Inc. (SMS), a provider of fully integrated supplier management services to primes, tier-1 and tier-2 manufacturers across the aerospace and defense supply chain, in its sale to TRIGO Group. TRIGO is a multinational provider of operational quality management solutions, primarily serving the aerospace and automotive manufacturing sectors. TRIGO is a portfolio company of Ardian (formerly AXA Private Equity), a world-leading private equity group.

This cross-border transaction strengthens SMS’s position as a quality partner in the aerospace supply chain by providing global coverage, and extending SMS’s service offering into quality inspection and conformity management. It also provides TRIGO with access to a high-growth aerospace platform in North America, and is a major step in the company’s efforts to increase its presence in the value-added global aerospace supply chain and quality management services industry.

“SMS is a special company in the aerospace ecosystem. D.A. Davidson’s sale process was shaped to sharply consider the fit and finish with the buyer,” said Paul Weisbrich, managing director at D.A. Davidson. “Through D.A. Davidson’s global process, we identified and secured TRIGO a sophisticated European counterparty, who truly understands SMS’s critical role in the challenging super-cycle expansion period going on in A&D.”

“With TRIGO, we found the perfect acquirer to further expand SMS’s services into quality solutions worldwide,” said Steve Clarke, SMS founder and CEO. “The addition of SMS to the TRIGO platform will provide our customers with a unique and fully integrated service solution in both on-time-delivery and on-quality-delivery performance for the aerospace supply chain. D.A. Davidson was instrumental in guiding SMS through a complicated cross-border transaction that included navigating us through the new CFIUS process.”

D.A. Davidson’s investment banking division is a leading full-service investment bank that offers comprehensive financial advisory and capital markets expertise. The group has extensive transaction experience serving middle market clients worldwide across five industry verticals: consumer, diversified industrials, financial institutions, real estate and technology.

Together with its European strategic partner, MCF Corporate Finance, D.A. Davidson originates and executes transatlantic M&A transactions under the common brand of D.A. Davidson MCF International.

About D.A. Davidson Companies

D.A. Davidson Companies is an employee-owned financial services firm offering a range of financial services and advice to individuals, corporations, institutions and municipalities nationwide. Founded in Montana in 1935, with regional headquarters in Great Falls, Denver, Los Angeles, Portland and Seattle, the company has approximately 1,350 employees and offices in 25 states coast to coast.

Subsidiaries include: D.A. Davidson & Co., the largest full-service investment firm headquartered in the Northwest, providing wealth management, investment banking, equity and fixed income capital markets services and advice; Davidson Investment Advisors, a professional asset management firm; D.A. Davidson Trust Company, a trust and wealth management company; and Davidson Fixed Income Management, a registered investment adviser providing fixed income portfolio and advisory services.

For more information, visit dadavidson.com, Twitter: @DADavidsonCo, or LinkedIn: D.A. Davidson Companies.