Story ID: 
Canadian Engineering Firms Airhawke, Berletex Merge
By: James Wynbrandt
Caption: Airhawke acquired Berletex Aero Design and intends to deliver "an enriched portfolio of options" in the conversion, completions and refurbishment markets.
Word Count: 235
Airhawke has completed its acquisition of fellow Montreal-based airframe engineering specialist Berletex Aero Design, with the aim of “delivering an enriched portfolio of options” to customers in the conversion, completions and refurbishment markets, the firm said Monday.
“We have admired Berletex for a number of years and appreciated the incredible depth and breadth of the knowledge within the company,” said Airhawke CEO David Vanderzwaag in announcing completion of the roll up. During the year-long acquisition process, the two companies “discovered even more potential than we originally anticipated,” said Vanderzwaag. “We are excited to continue providing high-quality services to our valued existing customers, as well as new ones.”
Clients of the newly joined Canadian companies include Airbus, Boeing, Bombardier, Dassault and Gulfstream. The merged companies will operate under the Airhawke name, with a combined team of some 25 employees. Berletex founder and v-p of customer relations, Ross Bellingham, will remain with the organization, and Airhawke v-p marketing Rachel Vanderzwaag will lead the brand transition and marketing strategy.
Integration of new technology has already begun with “state-of-the-art solutions and certification services being incorporated into design projects,” Airhawke said. The firm has also introduced an internationally distributed workforce, which leverages collaborative tools to support customer projects with employees located close to or at customer facilities onsite across the globe.