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Commercial Aerospace
December 22, 2017
AC&A, a Portfolio Company of AE Industrial Partners, Acquires EnCore Composite Structures

LAKE FOREST, CA – December 22, 2017 — AC&A Enterprises Holdings, LLC, (“AC&A”), a
leading provider of composite and metallic parts in the aerospace, defense, space and specialty
automobile markets, announced today that it has acquired EnCore Composite Structures, Inc.
(“ECS”), a division of the EnCore Group. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

AC&A is a portfolio company of AE Industrial Partners, LLC (“AEI”), a private equity investor
specializing in aerospace, power generation, and specialty industrial companies.

Located in a 110,000 square foot facility in Brea, CA, ECS is a leading designer and
manufacturer of highly complex composite parts and assemblies for a large and growing set of
commercial aerospace programs including the A320, A350, 737 MAX, and 787 as well as
several military programs. ECS is AC&A’s second add-on acquisition and follows the recent
acquisition of Applied Composites Engineering, Inc. (“ACE”), a leader in advanced composites
solutions for aerospace and defense applications, in November 2017.

“The acquisition of ECS represents a strategic addition to the unique composites platform that
we are building,” said Bill Boisture, Chairman of the Board of AC&A and Operating Partner of
AEI. “ECS provides us with a powerful combination of high-growth aerospace programs, strong
OEM relationships, and unique manufacturing capabilities while also transforming our scale and
market presence. We are excited to have completed this acquisition and to be adding the more
than 260 talented ECS employees to our team.”

“AC&A and AEI are investing significantly in aerospace composites and are the ideal strategic
partner for ECS,” said Tom McFarland, CEO of the EnCore Group. “We are excited to see these
best-in-class composite structures suppliers come together and strongly believe ECS’s customers
and people will benefit from this combination.”

Kirkland & Ellis LLP served as legal advisor, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP served as financial
advisor and Rothschild, Inc. served as debt advisor to AEI. Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP
served as legal advisor and Houlihan Lokey served as financial advisor to ECS.

About EnCore Composite Structures
ECS is a leading designer and manufacturer of complex composite components and assemblies
for the aerospace industry. Based in Brea, CA, ECS is widely recognized as a leading supplier of
advanced composite solutions for airframes, auxiliary power units, nacelle structures and wings
with expanding content on high growth aerospace programs, including the A320, A350, 737
MAX, 787, as well as several military aircraft including the V-22.

About AC&A
AC&A, based in Lake Forest, CA and acquired by AEI in 2016, is a leading provider of
composite and metallic parts and tooling to the aerospace, defense, space and specialty
automobile markets with exceptional carbon composite capabilities. AC&A is highly proficient
in both tool generation and component part manufacturing for its core markets as well as
emerging, high-growth markets such as space and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). With a
reputation for producing solutions for difficult-to-manufacture parts, AC&A continues to grow
its list of blue-chip customers. For more information, please visit www.acamfg.com.

About AE Industrial Partners
AE Industrial Partners is a leading private equity firm specializing in control-oriented
investments in aerospace, power generation, and specialty industrial businesses. AEI invests in
market-leading companies that can benefit from its deep operating experience, industry
knowledge, and relationships. Learn more at www.aeroequity.com.

 

Media Contacts
Owen Blicksilver Public Relations

Jennifer Hurson
(845) 507-0571
jennifer@blicksilverpr.com


Carol Makovich
(203) 622-4781
carol@blicksilverpr.com