Hampson Industries plc of Brierley Hill, England, acquired fast-growing Composites Horizons Inc. of Covina, Calif., on Jan. 4. Terms were not disclosed.
Jeff Hynes continues as president and chief executive officer of CHI, now a wholly owned subsidiary within Hampson's aerospace business segment.
``Hampson is highly involved in the [aerospace] gas turbine market'' in the United Kingdom, Hynes said. Hampson ``understands our customer needs.''
CHI employs 135 in a 50,000-square-foot plant in Covina. Of the firm's 2006 sales of $15.7 million, aerospace accounts for about 75 percent and medical products the rest.
Hynes projects that 2007 sales may exceed $22 million, with growth in both markets. And 2008 will have similar growth: ``We have programs identified, and we are growing organically,'' he said.
Hampson will ``give us the financial wherewithal to support that,'' Hynes said by telephone.
For aircraft gas turbine engines, CHI primarily builds fan blades, variable stators and nozzle composites. CHI processes highly heat-resistant polyimide, including bismaleimide and AFRPE-4, a fluorinated resin system developed by the U.S. Air Force.
In the medical market, CHI manufactures specialized surgical and treatment beds, accessories and head holders using polymer matrix composites.
Other U.S.-based Hampson subsidiaries include Texstars Inc. of Grand Prairie, Texas; Lamsco West Inc. of Santa Clarita, Calif.; and Coast Composites Inc. of Irvine, Calif. Hampson operates at 15 sites in the U.S., the United Kingdom and India.
``We will work with sister [Hampson] companies, for prime [aerospace] customers, to build larger assemblies'' and climb the value chain, Hynes said.
In November, CHI undertook a process-specifications audit by Nadcap, a program of the Performance Review Institute in Warrendale, Pa. Hynes said the firm expects to be certified in January.
