Lord Acquires SKF Fly-By-Wire Subsidiary

Lord Corp. has agreed to acquire SKF’s Fly-By-Wire Systems France (FbW) subsidiary, which designs and manufactures cockpit controls, sensors, dampers and electromechanical actuators primarily for fly-by-wire systems on commercial fixed-wing aircraft. FbW collaborated with Airbus for its introduction of fly-by-wire technology on the A320 commercial jetliner. Lord believes its current product line will complement Lord’s mechanical, electromechanical and dynamic systems. The acquisition will position both entities to expand into new markets and regions, as well as provide Lord with an aerospace engineering and manufacturing presence in Europe. Lord and SKF teams will work over the next three to four months to close the acquisition. Under Lord ownership, FbW will continue to operate out of its current location in France while retaining its current workforce.