India’s Lohia Group buys Israeli maker of aerospace components
Gedera-based Light & Strong specializes in carbon fiber and glass fiber products for aerospace and military use; clients include Defense Ministry
Shoshanna Solomon was The Times of Israel's Startups and Business reporter
India’s Lohia Group, a manufacturing conglomerate headquartered in Kanpur, India, said Tuesday it has entered the aerospace and defense sector with the acquisition of Israel-based Light & Strong Ltd., a maker of aerospace and military carbon fiber and glass fiber composite components.
The Israeli firm’s “established pedigree in military technology manufacturing is a synergistic fit with Lohia Group’s decades long expertise in large scale manufacturing across sectors,” Lohia said in a statement.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Light & Strong sells its products to local customers, including the local Defense Ministry, for a variety of purposes. Its products include antennas, instrument panels, glare shields, air-conditioning ducts and liners for military and civil aviation clients.
The firm was founded in 2007 and is based in Gedera.
The acquisition will allow the Lohia Group to match its engineering experience with the “cutting-edge technologies” developed by the Israeli company, with the group aiming “to become the leading supplier of choice for global OEMs [original equipment manufacturers]in the aerospace and defense sector,” the statement said.
With its operations in India supporting its Israeli facilities, the Lohia Group hopes to transform Israel into “a key export hub to the American and European markets,” with the local facilities “serving as a strategic base for customers in those markets.”
Anurag Lohia, a director of the Lohia Group, said in the statement that he believes the acquisition will help the Indian firm to grow new markets. “We believe this marks the beginning of our growth in this sector on a global scale. We will continue to look at other synergistic opportunities in this space towards our aim to be a key participant in the global defense and aerospace domain.”
The Lohia Group is a manufacturer of machinery and equipment for the plastic woven sack industry, and provides end-to end solutions to customers in 85 countries, employing more than 5,000 people. Other business interests include textiles and auto components.
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