HITEC Sensor Developments Acquires Aero Sense Technologies

HITEC Sensor Developments, a leading designer and manufacturer of custom load cells and strain gage based force and torque sensors, is pleased to announce the acquisition of Aero Sense Technologies, a leading manufacturer of custom sensors for aerospace and industrial customers. HITEC is a subsidiary of Safety Technology Holdings (STH), a holding company with well-known niche test and measurement sector companies including vehicle safety company, Humanetics Innovative Solutions and specialty optical fiber manufacturer, Fibercore.

Christopher J. O’Connor, CEO of Safety Technology Holdings & Humanetics commented, “We are very excited to welcome Aero Sense into our family of companies. Aero Sense greatly complements our corporate portfolio by expanding our growing range of custom, advanced sensor products and technical capabilities.”

Founded in 2009, Aero Sense has built a reputation as one of the most highly respected providers of advanced custom sensors, serving an impressive list of aerospace and industrial OEMs and Tier I suppliers. Aero Sense is headquartered in Exeter, UK and operates a state-of-the-art design and manufacturing AS9100 certified facility in Sri Lanka with over 90 full-time skilled employees. Their current product portfolio includes pilot control force sensors, load path sensors, tank level sensors, and brake actuator sensors as well as custom and build-to-print load cells and load pins. The company’s products are featured on a number of high-profile aircraft including the Airbus 350 and 220, Embraer 170, 190 and KC-390, Gulfstream G500/600-series, and Boeing CH-47.

“We have worked closely with the Aero Sense team for many years on a number of development projects and are excited to bring them into the HITEC family. They have been an important partner for us and are highly respected for providing high-quality, mission-critical, innovative solutions at a competitive price point,” said George Low, Managing Director of HITEC Sensor Developments. “Leading companies in the aerospace and other general industrial markets recognize that Aero Sense is able to do things that are unmatched by even the biggest competitors.”

Current Aero Sense CEO, Andy Royal, will remain actively involved with the business post-closing. Mr. Royal commented, “HITEC is a first-class organization with a long history of developing high quality, advanced customer sensor solutions and we have developed an excellent working relationship with them. They have the size and technical capabilities to build on our past success and to help to accelerate our growth plans. They are the perfect partner for us.”

Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

About Safety Technology Holdings Inc.

Safety Technology Holdings Inc. is a leading provider of precision test systems and sensor solutions through its subsidiaries Humanetics Innovative Solutions, HITEC Sensor Developments and Fibercore. For over 65 years, Humanetics has been the leading global designer, manufacturer and supplier of crash test dummies and calibration equipment, crash sensors and instrumentation and crash simulation software models. Humanetics also offers a growing portfolio of active safety testing products for ADAS and autonomous vehicles, including over-runnable test platforms and driving robots. Subsidiary HITEC Sensor Developments designs and manufactures custom force, load, torque and pressure electrical strain gage and fiber optic sensor solutions and provide advanced strain gage application services. Fibercore manufactures the most comprehensive suite of specialty optical fibers used in a broad and growing range of applications including fiber optic gyroscopes (FOGs), fiber optic hydrophones, fiber lasers, fiber amplifiers (EDFAs) and embedded sensors. Safety Technology Holdings has over 750 employees across 20 facilities strategically located around the world with the global corporate headquarters situated in Farmington Hills, Michigan, USA.