Just over a year after completing its biggest acquisition to date, Meggitt group has, according to chief executive Terry Twigger, made significant strides in its ongoing goal of achieving meaningful synergies between a diverse product range spread among its three core divisions: sensing systems, aerospace equipment and defense systems. The UK-based group bought K&F Industries for $1.8 billion right after the 2007 Paris Air Show, with the most visible impact being its ascent from number five to number two in the aircraft brakes market. The deal has also boosted Meggitt’s presence in the defense sector with the addition of specialized technology such as flexible, bullet-proof fuel bladders.
The addition of K&F has also significantly boosted Meggitt’s manufacturing presence in the low-cost dollar-zone of the U.S. and neighboring Mexico. In the group’s 2007 financial results, the takeover accounted for about one third of the 31-percent increase in revenues to £878.2 million ($1.7 billion). At the same time, Meggitt is increasingly sourcing materials and components from Asian suppliers, including sensor packages made at its own factory in China.
