Montreal, Canada – October 21st 2019 - DART Aerospace (“DART”) is pleased to announce that it has recently acquired key product lines from Canadian helicopter mission equipment manufacturer Aero Design Ltd (“Aero Design”), as well as its brand trademark.
Based in Powell River, British Columbia, Aero Design has been developing and manufacturing aerial cargo expansion products since 1999 and has created an extensive catalogue of helicopter baskets, steps, bearpaws and bicycle racks for a wide range of OEMs including Airbus, Bell, MD Helicopters and Robinson.
The addition of key Aero Design product lines to DART’s portfolio will allow DART to deepen its product offering, acquire over 30 STCs and optimize its current Canadian operational capabilities to contribute to its overall growth strategy. Following the acquisition, DART will remain the leading manufacturer of helicopter cargo expansion products globally.
This is DART’s second acquisition of 2019, following its purchase of Portland-based mission equipment manufacturer Simplex Aerospace at the beginning of October. As a result, DART’s portfolio has grown from 900+ STCs earlier this year, to over 1,100+ STCs today.
“Acquiring Aero Design’s key product lines will enable DART to offer baskets to a wider range of aircraft models and gain market share as the main provider of helicopter cargo expansion products worldwide” stated Alain Madore, DART Aerospace’s President & CEO. “Alongside our current aerial utility and heli-ski product offering, we are also looking forward to furthering our footprint in the adventure tourism sector with the addition of Aero Design’s helicopter bicycle racks.”
“The aerospace industry is changing at an astonishingly rapid pace. It is important to adjust our strategies and pool resources so we can help ensure that our industry meets the coming challenges as quickly and effectively as possible. I’m excited to see what comes next as we join the DART family and move forward together” continued Jason Rekve, Aero Design’s President and General Manager.
Jeff Clarke, Vice President and Quality Assurance Manager at Aero Design added: “For the past 18 years, Aero Design has strived to create innovative, user-friendly products that meet the needs of operators worldwide. This transition to DART is very positive as we have seen their desire to maintain our product lines and their plans to expand on them by integrating the best parts of both companies’ capabilities. I am confident that Aero Design's current and past partners will continue to see the quality and features they have come to expect moving forward.”
Terms of the transaction have not been disclosed.
About DART Aerospace
DART provides industry-leading design, manufacturing and market-certified solutions for the helicopter and aerospace industry. With an impressive line-up of over 1100 STCs, DART offers a comprehensive portfolio of mission equipment and related services, replacement parts and tooling for civil and military operators, all major rotorcraft OEMs, completion centers and MR&O facilities. DART's key products include: flotation systems, landing gears, interior and exterior accessories, cargo expansion, external loads, cable cutters and filters. All this, in addition to extensive engineering capabilities and manufacturing centers delivering fast time-to-market solutions with superior customer support in over 120 countries worldwide.
Additional information may be found at dartaerospace.com.
About Aero Design Ltd.
Aero Design has been developing, manufacturing and marketing approved helicopter cargo baskets since 1999 and has created an extensive catalogue of helicopter cargo baskets and steps of various sizes and configurations for a range of aircraft including Bell, Airbus, Robinson and MD Helicopters. In addition, Aero Design also provides the current replacement for the Bell 206/407 Cyclic Friction and the Bell 205/212/412 Rappel Mount and Cargo Deployment System. Its mission is to share its passion for helicopters along with its knowledge and experience in the Canadian utility helicopter industry through the products and solutions it creates and provides.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Katherine Martineau
Email: kmartineau@dartaero.com