South Shields' Ford Aerospace Ltd acquired by global manufacturing group

South Shields based Ford Aerospace Ltd has been acquired by SPIROL, a family-owned manufacturing group headquartered in the USA.

The sale comes after almost 30 years of collaboration between the two businesses, with SPIROL committing to bring significant investment to Ford Aerospace as well as new jobs for the region. SPIROL is a successful, family-owned company with a rich history also closely tied to aviation development.

Founded in 1948 by Herman Koehl, the grandfather of the current chief executive officer, Jeff Koehl, SPIROL has grown from a single manufacturing facility in the United States to a global enterprise with manufacturing or distribution locations on four continents and twelve countries across North America, South America, Europe and Asia.

With a legacy spanning 75 years as an expert in fastening, joining and assembly, SPIROL’s well-established global footprint will take the UK based Ford Aerospace’s products to a wider international market. In addition, one of SPIROL’s core principles is to continuously reinvest back into the business to ensure long-term, enhanced success and better serve its customers.

This principle is also firmly held by Ford Aerospace and therefore the synergies in markets, products, history and approach to providing value to its customer’s ties SPIROL and Ford closely together.

Speaking about the sale, Chris Ford, managing director of Ford Aerospace said, “Ford Aerospace is, and always has been, here for the people, especially our dedicated and skilled team, and it was important that any new Ford Aerospace owner share the values that have been at the heart of the company for over 100 years.

“Our two companies have a long history of working together, dating back to 1980 where SPIROL licensed a specialized manufacturing process from Ford Aerospace, which is still in use today. SPIROL respects Ford’s strong position in the UK market and our product manufacturing knowledge.”

Ford Aerospace was founded at Tyne Dock in 1910 by Robert Ford, and the family business has most recently been led by the founder’s great-grandson, Chris Ford. The company specialises in manufacturing high precision metal components and sub-assemblies for the aerospace, industrial, and high-technology sectors.

Ken Hagan, a division president at SPIROL said, “SPIROL is an engineering, manufacturing and sales driven company, and as such we seek to grow and expand in our product space. Where appropriate, this includes acquiring and holding exceptional companies which fit well with our overall business, global strategy and culture of excellence.

“We are excited to have Ford Aerospace join SPIROL and to be able to offer a more complete solution to our customers in Europe and beyond. We anticipate running Ford as a standalone business unit within the SPIROL group of companies. By combining the capabilities of both companies, our objective is to enhance our value-added offering to our customers both in technical expertise and products.

“We are now in the process of recruiting a new managing director to join the senior leadership team here in South Shields.”

By Mark Adair – Correspondent, Bdaily

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