Liberty Hall Capital Partners, a Charleston, S.C., private equity firm that invests in global aerospace and defense businesses, announced Monday it had acquired Vancouver-based Onboard Systems, Inc., a global provider of external cargo handling equipment for civil and military helicopters.
Onboard Systems represents the firm’s newest strategy to acquire niche suppliers of proprietary products into both the original equipment and aftermarket segments of the aerospace industry, the company said in a news release. Transaction terms were not disclosed.
Founded in 1975 in Portland, Onboard Systems moved to Vancouver around 2002. The company provides external cargo handling equipment for civil and military helicopters, with factory installed proprietary products on over 30 helicopter models serving more than 1,000 original equipment and aftermarket customers. Onboard Systems has been family owned and operated since inception. Almost all of the company’s sales are derived from its proprietary designs.
Onboard Systems’s management team — led by Jason Lemmon, president — will remain in their roles following the acquisition and together hold a significant equity position.
