Lucas Aerospace acquires Peugeot's SAMM

June 14th, 1999

Lucas Aerospace has purchased French flight Systems supplier, SAMM, a subsidiary of the PSA Peugeot Citroen Group, a high technology niche flight systems supplier serving Airbus Industrie, with a 1998 turnover of $68 million and $9 million operating profit. The acquisition of SAMM is a strategic move by Lucas Aerospace to increase its presence in Europe and enhance its existing capability to meet the needs of multinational collaborative projects.. The company has said it will continue to invest heavily to retain its leadership position in the market.

The international market for flight control actuation is highly fragmented with more than 10 companies competing in a market of approximately $50 million annually. The market continues to evolve toward more demanding, technically sophisticated solutions resulting in the inevitable emergence of larger, more capable suppliers.

Employing 500 people in two facilities located in Bievres and Vernon, France, SAMM designs and manufactures flight controls, hydraulic generators, electrohydraulic components and man/machine interfaces for the aerospace industry Additionally, SAMM produces a range of products for land and sea application, including turret drives, auto-loading systems, and hydraulic, electrohydraulic and electromechanical components.

"We are excited about this important acquisition which makes Lucas Aerospace the world's leader in the design and manufacture of civil flight control actuation," said Ken Maciver, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Lucas Aerospace. "We are looking to provide our customers with a comprehensive range of services, whether it be complete systems or flight control components. And this is our goal in all of our product areas.

Lucas Aerospace hopes that the addition of SAMM will give the company the added engineering and management strength to compete successfully for new programmes such as the A3XX, as well as strengthen its position in the helicopter market in which SAMM has had significant success.

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