B/E Aerospace - Aerospace Fasteners

B/E Aerospace, Inc. is an S&P 400 and NASDAQ listed manufacturer of aircraft passenger cabin interior products for the commercial and business jet aircraft markets. B/E Aerospace has leading worldwide market shares in all of its major product lines and serves virtually all of the world's airlines, aircraft manufacturers and leasing companies through its direct global sales and customer support organizations. Based in Wellington, Florida, the company was capitalized as a $4.2 billion corporation as of January 2016.

History

Founded by Amin Khoury in 1987, B/E Aerospace has evolved from a $3 million company to $2.6 billion in revenue, making it the world’s leading manufacturer of aircraft interior products and solutions for the commercial, business jet, and military markets. B/E’s history has been one of multiple acquisitions coupled with strong internal growth.

In December 2014, B/E announced that it had completed the spin-off of its aerospace fasteners and consumables business, creating KLX, Inc. (Nasdaq: KLXI).

On June 1, 2005, Air Canada awarded a $50-million (U.S.) contract to Florida-based B/E Aerospace Inc., to upgrade seating in 143 aircraft.

In 2012, B/E's ALCI division became the sole source for all future lavatories on new build Boeing 737 aircraft. Introducing their patented Spacewall lavatory, airlines can take advantage of space provided to add up to 6 passenger seats per aircraft. Delta Air Lines was the launch customer, with the first aircraft delivery on 9/27/2013.

B/E Aerospace was bought for $6.4 billion by the avionics and aircraft connectivity provider Rockwell Collins based in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, which competes with Honeywell and more recently with Garmin. B/E shareholders would own 20% of the new Rockwell which would have $8.1 billion in revenues and $1.9 billion in pre-tax earnings with nearly 30,000 employees.

Products

The company is a major provider of airline seats to many airlines worldwide. Some significant customers include United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Emirates Airlines, Qatar Airways, Air France, KLM, Lufthansa, Qantas, Japan Airlines, and Southwest Airlines. Customers using the company's most popular product - Diamond Business Class Seat, include Aeroflot, Aeromexico, Air Canada, Air China, American Airlines, China Airlines, Delta Air Lines, KLM, Qatar Airways, Thai Airways, United Airlines and Virgin Australia. Some of B/E Aerospace's rivals in the airline seating industry include Acro Aircraft Seating in the UK, Zodiac Seats U.S. in Gainesville, Texas, Zodiac Seats France, STELIA Sogerma Seats in France, Geven in Italy, Recaro in Germany, and Aviointeriors in Italy.

In the Business Jet Seating segment, B/E Aerospace's main competitors are United Technologies Corporation's Decrane Aircraft Seating in Peshtigo, Wisconsin, Iacobucci in Italy, and PAC Seating Systems in Palm City, Florida.

B/E Aerospace also manufactures beverage makers, oxygen systems, lavatories and interior lighting for commercial aircraft and business jets. B/E Aerospace's Interior Structures division based in Leighton Buzzard UK, manufactures and supplies galley monuments for the Airbus A350.

Oxygen Systems

The FAA announced on 11 August 2008 that it would investigate why "almost half the masks either did not deploy or failed to provide oxygen" during a pan-pan event on American Airlines Flight 31 The FAA had recently issued airworthiness directives regarding problems with defective inline flow indicators obstructing the BE Aerospace oxygen masks on several Boeing commercial aircraft models. B/E had identified a repair in February 2006. Boeing then issued a "Special Attention Service Bulletin" to inspect and if necessary repair the masks in April 2007. The directives only require action by April 2013 unless already done.