KippsDeSanto & Co. Advises Alliance Spacesystems, a subsidiary of SolAero Technologies Corp., on its sale to Applied Composites

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KippsDeSanto & Co. advises Alliance Spacesystems, a subsidiary of SolAero Technologies Corp., on its sale to Applied Composites

KippsDeSanto & Co. is pleased to announce the divestiture of its client, Alliance Spacesystems (“Alliance” or the “Company”) from SolAero Technologies Corp. to Applied Composites, a portfolio company of AE Industrial Partners.

Headquartered in Los Alamitos, California, Alliance provides high-precision composite payload structures for use in satellite buses, antenna reflectors, booms, and support structures for use in both military and commercial satellite applications. As a qualified supplier for Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman, among others, the Company offers end-to-end composite manufacturing services, to include engineering, manufacturing, integration, and final qualification testing. The Company’s full suite of composite structure capabilities, state-of-the-art facilities in Los Alamitos and San Diego, and deep customer relationships uniquely position Alliance to complement Applied Composites existing capabilities and accelerate the combined company’s growth.

We believe this transaction demonstrates several key trends in the aerospace and defense M&A market:

  • Continued interest and investment in the space end market
  • Demand for companies with entrenched position on well-funded programs, and the customer relationships needed to maintain that positioning
  • Value creation through the realization of operational and production synergies
  • Sustained private equity M&A activity in essential industries despite COVID-19 and associated macroeconomic uncertainty

 About KippsDeSanto & Co.

KippsDeSanto & Co. is an investment banking firm focused on serving growth-oriented Aerospace / Defense, Government Services and Technology companies. We are focused on delivering exceptional M&A and Financing transaction results to our clients via leveraging our scale, creativity and industry experience. We help market leaders realize their full strategic value. Having advised on over 100 industry transactions, KippsDeSanto is recognized for our analytical rigor, market insight, and broad industry relationships. There’s no substitute for experience.  For more information, visit www.kippsdesanto.com.

Investment Banking products and services are offered through KippsDeSanto & Co., a non-bank subsidiary of Capital One, N.A., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Capital One Financial Corporation, and a member of FINRA and SIPC. Products and services are Not FDIC insured, Not Bank Guaranteed, May Lose Value, Not a Deposit, and Not Insured by Any Federal Government Agency.

Press Release

Applied Composites Acquires Alliance Spacesystems, a Leading Provider of High-Performance Composite Structures for the Space Industry

Lake Forest, CA – September 2, 2020 —  Applied Composites Holdings, LLC (“Applied Composites”), announced today that it has acquired Alliance Spacesystems, LLC (“Alliance” or “the Company”), a leading, vertically integrated provider of high-performance composite structures and assemblies for the commercial, civil and government satellite market. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

This marks the fifth acquisition of the Applied Composites platform created by AE Industrial Partners, LP (“AEI”), a private equity firm specializing in Aerospace, Defense & Government Services, Power Generation, and Specialty Industrial markets.

Alliance offers a full spectrum of composite structure capabilities for the satellite industry, from engineering to manufacturing, integration and final qualification testing. The Company is a premier supplier of high-precision payload structures for satellite buses, antenna reflectors, booms and support structures used for a wide variety of military and commercial applications. Alliance is a qualified supplier for Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and Ball Aerospace, among others. The Company also creates high-strength composite structures for launch vehicles, as well as produces high quality, affordable rigid composite solar array substrates. Alliance provides end-to-end composite manufacturing services through its state-of-the-art facilities in Los Alamitos and San Diego, California.

“We are excited to add Alliance, with its well-respected space heritage and its extensive line of composite products and services, to our growing company,” said David Horner, CEO of Applied Composites. “Interest and investment in the space industry is at an all-time high, and we look forward to working closely with the Alliance team as we look for ways to meet this growing demand and better serve our customers.”

“This is a highly strategic combination that significantly strengthens our market position and value proposition.”  said Rick Byrens, General Manager of Alliance.  “Together, we possess a unique set of capabilities and skills that will help us to accelerate our growth and continue to deliver the quality and complexity that our customers demand.”

“When we formed Applied Composites, our goal was to create a one-stop shop for complex composites, offering unparalleled products and services to the aerospace, defense and space industries,” said Kirk Konert, Partner at AE Industrial. “With the addition of Alliance, we have taken another step in building a uniquely diverse and vertically integrated composites platform.”

Kirkland & Ellis served as legal advisor and RSM served as financial advisor to Applied Composites. Blank Rome was the legal advisor and KippsDeSanto & Co. was the financial advisor to Alliance.

About Alliance

Headquartered in Los Alamitos, California, Alliance is a leading manufacturer and designer of high-performance composite structures for the space industry.  The Company’s derives its heritage from decades of producing demonstrated flight hardware, and experience in fabrication, assembly, and test of satellite structures. Alliance provides its end-to-end composite manufacturing services through its state-of-the-art facilities in Los Alamitos and San Diego. For more information, please visit https://alliancespacesystems.com/.

About Applied Composites

Applied Composites is a leading provider of complex composite components, assemblies, engineering, and tooling to the aerospace, defense, and space markets. Applied Composites was formed through AEI’s acquisitions of AC&A, Applied Composites Engineering (“ACE”), Applied Composite Structures (“ACS”), formerly known as EnCore Composite Structures, and San Diego Composites (“SDC”). Operating out of approximately 380,000 square feet across four facilities, Applied Composites is widely recognized as a leading supplier of advanced composite solutions for a diverse set of high growth aerospace, space and defense applications and platforms. For more information, please visit www.appliedcomposites.com/.

About AE Industrial Partners

AE Industrial Partners is a private equity firm specializing in Aerospace, Defense & Government Services, Power Generation, and Specialty Industrial markets. AE Industrial Partners invests in market-leading companies that can benefit from its deep industry knowledge, operating experience, and relationships throughout its target markets. Learn more at www.aeroequity.com.