Rhinestahl Corporation announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire HYDRO Systems KG to form the clear industry leader in the aviation support equipment and services market. The agreement plans were announced at Aviation Week Network’s MRO Americas in Chicago during a presentation by Dieter Moeller, CEO and President of Rhinestahl, and by Thomas Elsner, CEO of HYDRO.
Combined, the organizations will become RH Aero Systems, and will set the new standard in comprehensive life cycle solutions. This covers engine and airframe tooling, ground support equipment and innovative engineered products and services along with asset management and sustainment. Further, through an extensive local services presence including strong onsite technical expertise and assistance, RH Aero Systems will reshape capability and support expectations for OEMs, MROs, and Operators worldwide.
With more than a century of combined industry experience, RH Aero Systems, through its strong Rhinestahl and HYDRO businesses, will redefine what OEMs, MROs, and Operators can expect from a single solution provider. By bringing the strengths of Rhinestahl’s leadership position in the GE and CFM Tooling market driven by its systems integration and technical support capability together with HYDRO’s leadership position in the Rolls-Royce Tooling market along with its high-quality engineered products and reliable worldwide services competence, the synergies of the new RH Aero Systems organization will deliver new capabilities and support options to OEMs and their customers worldwide that were never before possible in the aviation industry and are much needed in today’s complex and aggressive aviation growth markets.
RH Aero Systems will set the new standard for OEMs and their customers through:
- Global, OEM-based, comprehensive engine tooling coverage and support for all CFM, GE, and Rolls-Royce engine programs representing more than 85% of the overall engine market
- Strong commitment to high quality with ISO 9001 and comprehensive, specialized industry certifications with over a century of delivering proven reliability
- Support from more than 15 global service centers for engine and airframe tooling and GSE repair, upgrades, calibrations and load testing
- Worldwide OEM-approved airframe tooling coverage for major airframer platforms
- Expertise in more than 3,000 GSE products, engine transport and maintenance stands, and over 100,000 maintenance tools for countless different types of aircraft and engines for commercial, military and power programs
- Unparalleled, OEM leading, technical support services across all OEM-approved engine and airframe programs
- Innovative engineered products including the industry leading COBRA engine change and FutureDrive NG+ digital turning tool systems along with new enabling technology solutions such as Readiness Hub
- Competitive offerings delivered from a global OEM-quality compliant supply chain further strengthened by a superior manufacturing capability to deliver best-in-class standards of quality, reliability, availability, and value
- A global team of more than 750 skilled professionals operating with shared values to reshape the experience and support of OEMs and their customers and other stakeholders across the aviation industry
- Tremendous scale and unprecedented capacity to serve OEMs and their customers in more countries and with stronger local presence than ever before
From day one, customers can expect a deeper, broader, and superior array of products, support, and services tailored to their needs as they operate in the fast-growing aviation market.
“When you take Rhinestahl which is #1 in GE and CFM OEM-approved engine tooling, customer responsiveness, large shop experience and onsite technical support and combine it with HYDRO which is #1 in Rolls-Royce OEM-approved engine tooling, innovative engineered products, Airbus and Boeing airframe tooling, precision manufacturing expertise and global support services, you are creating the world-class leader uniquely positioned to serve the growing demands of OEMs, MROs and Operators around the world,” stated Thomas Elsner, CEO of HYDRO. “The synergies between these two industry leaders will fundamentally shift what the market can expect from a one-stop-shop solution provider.”
“Previously, when you assessed the tooling and GSE market, there were a handful of significant players. But now, in combining Rhinestahl and HYDRO, the two largest and most comprehensive industry leaders, along with the synergies that will be available to all our customers by leveraging the two business’s complimentary expertise, competencies, and resources, game changing value will be created for our customers. These synergies are holistic, providing new and upgraded support and services where the sum is so much greater than the simple sum of the two parts,” stated Dieter Moeller, CEO and President of Rhinestahl. “With OEM leading positions, shared passions in innovation, strong commitments to high-quality and responsive support, plus proven technical execution competence across the support equipment and services lifecycle, I am excited to see how these two industry leading teams will work together to redefine and set new industry standards of customer and industry support.”
As the two companies integrate, RH Aero Systems will continue working through its strong operating businesses of Rhinestahl and HYDRO. Customers of both Rhinestahl and HYDRO will continue conducting business, without interruption, working with their current teams, yet will immediately have access to the full scope of the synergies provided by the combined businesses. RH Aero Systems’ global headquarters will be in Mason, Ohio, USA, while Rhinestahl and HYDRO’s headquarters will remain in the USA and Germany, respectively.
As privately held companies, the financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
