Story ID: 
Continental Eyes MRO Expansion 
By: Kerry Lynch
Caption: The company recently finalized its purchase of Danbury Aerospace, marking the fourth acquisition in the last 24 months.
Word Count: 411
Continental Motors Group rounded out its portfolio with the recent acquisition of Danbury Aerospace assets, but is continuing to eye expansion in the maintenance, repair and overhaul arena.

Continental recently finalized the purchase, which included Danbury units Engine Components International (ECI), Precision Machined Parts, Airmotive Engineering, Aircooled Motors, Sterling Machinery and Process and EC Services located in San Antonio, Texas. The acquisition closed just a few months after Continental announced it had entered into an agreement to purchase the Danbury Aerospace assets.

The purchase gives Continental an entrance into the kit and experimental market, said Rhett Ross, vice president, Avic International, and director of Continental Motors Group. “We’ve always wanted to be in that market and never had been successful in getting there.” It also provides it access to Lycoming PMA parts.

The company plans to retire ECI’s production of Continental PMA parts, since it overlaps with its work at its home base of Fairhope, Ala., but Ross said Continenal will use the capacity in San Antonio expand the Lycoming work.

The acquisition was Continental’s fourth in the past 24 months, filling out the product line of experimental, piston and diesel engine products for the general aviation market. Other acquisitions included Thielert, Southern Avionics and United Turbine and UT Aeroparts Corporations.

The Southern Avionics and Communications and United Turbine purchases expanded Continental’s MRO capabilities, particularly in the avionics, interiors and Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 markets. Ross said expansion in this arena remains a focus of the company. “We are a tiny player,” he said. “We believe we can be a large one.”

Achieving this goal includes adding new facilities, as well as adding on to existing facilities. The company is eying possible MRO additions in Europe and China, Ross said, but also has not ruled out potentials in the Western U.S.

The company also is investing nearly $2 million both in its Mattituck MRO facility in Fairhope, along with the Southern Avionics facility in Mobile. The investments include additional hangar space, along with tooling, manuals and other infrastructure for expanded capabilities.

As Continental expands its reach, it also is continuing to progress on its engine lines. The company in June certified its CD-230 diesel engine, and Ross said Continental is working with two original equipment manufacturers for potential platforms. It expects certification in late 2016 on the CD-300 diesel engine.