Houlihan Lokey Advises MB Aerospace

Houlihan Lokey is pleased to announce that the Sterling Heights operations of MB Aerospace, a subsidiary of MB Aerospace Group, Ltd. (MB Aerospace), portfolio company of Blackstone, has been acquired by an affiliate of American Industrial Acquisition Corporation to form Vital Engineered Components Company (VECCO). The transaction closed on April 15, 2022.

Headquartered in Sterling Heights, MI, MB Aerospace’s Sterling Heights business unit is a leading provider of machined high-value cast components for the aerospace and industrial markets with a broad industrial customer strategy.

MB Aerospace is a leading supplier of precision aero-engine components directly serving major aero-engine OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers. MB Aerospace’s focus on complex, performance-critical components leverages a depth of technical engineering and supply chain understanding across the full range of materials, manufacturing processes, and customer approvals to be a trusted and scaled partner to the main aero-engine OEMs. MB Aerospace has developed a highly attractive global operating footprint, with more than 1,400 employees across nine locations (including three FAA-approved Repair Stations) in the U.S., Europe, and Asia, with proximity to all key OEMs, overhaul networks, and Tier 1 customers.

Founded in 1996, AIAC is a closely held industrial group of 78 operations with more than 8,500 employees in 24 countries in North America, Europe, and Asia. AIAC's companies manufacture and install precision products and equipment for a wide variety of end markets, including food, pharmaceutical, petro-chemical, aerospace, defense, security, appliances, automotive, rail, refrigeration, construction, and medical devices.

Houlihan Lokey served as the exclusive financial advisor to MB Aerospace. Houlihan Lokey’s Aerospace, Defense & Government (ADG) practice within the global Industrials Group is a leading M&A advisor to aerospace, defense, and government services companies. Since 2020, the team has closed 60 transactions worth an estimated $12 billion in enterprise value. With a staff of approximately 30 investment bankers in Washington, D.C., London, and Los Angeles, Houlihan Lokey’s ADG practice is among the largest dedicated industry banking groups worldwide. In 2021, the Industrials Group was once again ranked as the No. 1 M&A advisor for all U.S. industrial transactions, according to Refinitiv.