MB Aerospace Holdings Ltd, which last month completed the acquisition of Gentz Aerospace (Gentz Aero) has announced that senior US aerospace executive Mike Smith has been appointed Executive Vice President & Managing Director of the Michigan-based company.
Craig Gallagher, chief executive officer of MB Aerospace Holdings Ltd, warmly welcomed the appointment. He said: “The arrival of such a senior and highly-respected leader for our Michigan operation is great news for the company as a whole.
“Mike’s outstanding track record at GE Unison Engine Components and Smiths Aerospace made him the stand-out candidate in our search for a dynamic and experienced figure to help drive our business forward in the US.
“His experience as a senior executive at two of the US’s major aerospace businesses underscores his impressive capabilities, and his broad range of skills and deep industry knowledge will be major assets as we grow the group’s current $80m turnover.”
Smith will be based at the Gentz Aero facility in Michigan and will work closely with the MB Aerospace board to help execute the group’s North American strategy of substantially growing its existing component manufacturing and repair activities.
Gentz Aero, based in Detroit, Michigan, has an outstanding reputation within the global aerospace industry, manufacturing complex, high-precision engine components to an established customer base, comprising some of the leading names in the global aerospace market.
Key customers of Gentz Aero include Pratt & Whitney, Hamilton Sundstrand, Rolls-Royce, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Volvo Aerospace and the US Department of Defense.
Smith, who has a Masters Degree in Aerospace from University of Tennessee in addition to a Bachelor of Science in Manufacturing Engineering from the University of Western Carolina, has 26 years of manufacturing, marketing and business leadership experience within the US aerospace industry. An engineer by trade, he has a deep understanding of the advanced manufacturing technologies involved in the complex aerospace components market and has been at the forefront of global aerospace sales for the last five years.
Smith said: “This is a hugely exciting opportunity and I’m confident we can significantly grow the Gentz Aero operation and the MB Aerospace Group in the years ahead. We have many tremendously talented and ambitious people within the company and a strong strategic growth plan.
“The investment in the acquisition of Gentz by MB Aerospace is a huge vote of confidence in the business and one which I am sure everyone at Gentz Aero will vindicate.”
MB Aerospace’s strategic acquisition of Gentz Aero has doubled the size of the group, which focuses on the supply chain management, manufacture and repair of highly complex machined and fabricated components for global aerospace and defence original equipment manufacturers.
Speaking at the time of the acquisition in December, Craig Gallagher said: “This acquisition is part of our long-term strategy to grow our core aerospace business internationally.
“We see strong synergies between the US and UK operations with two very distinct customer bases providing the opportunity to leverage the capabilities and strengths of both businesses into new markets, whilst securing employment and supporting the rapid growth of the business on both sides of the Atlantic.”
MB Aerospace Holdings Ltd is an international aerospace engineering group providing complex engineering solutions to some of the key names in the aerospace and defence market.
