Cobham is pleased to announce that it has acquired the Cropmead facility of the British aerospace and defence company, Tods Aerospace.
Established in 1932 as W&J Tod Limited, Tods Aerospace specialises in the design and manufacture of specialist composite structures for use in the aerospace and defence industries and has over a long period supplied products to many of the sector’s leading companies.
A partial sale of a Somerset-based Tods Aerospace Cropmead business has safeguarded 40 skilled jobs. The joint administrators of Tods Aerospace have completed the partial sale to defence engineering group Cobham Mission Systems (Cobham).
However, 56 redundancies have also been made after a buyer could not be found for the remaining parts of the company.
Placed into administration by its previous owner, in March 2020, the acquisition by Cobham will ensure the preservation of around 40 high-value engineering, design and manufacturing jobs at Tods’ Crewkerne site in Somerset, UK.
The purchase of the Cropmead facility of Tods Aerospace is aligned with Cobham’s strategy of strengthening its core aerospace and defence capabilities and is the first acquisition by Cobham under the ownership of Advent International. Commenting on the announcement, Kevin McKeown, CEO of Cobham Mission Systems, said: “We are pleased to have been able to safeguard the future of this high quality British aerospace and defence business and its employees. Tods Aerospace’s capabilities in specialist composite structures are highly complementary to Cobham’s core aerospace and defence business. We are confident that through the right investment, and leveraging the world-class engineering expertise within Cobham, we can build a foundation for long-term success.”
Andrew Sheridan, the Joint Administrator and Partner at FRP, said: “Operating through administration is a challenge for any business, let alone a cutting-edge manufacturer during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is an incredible achievement for all the team at Tods Aerospace. Cobham offers an exciting new future for Tods Aerospace’s defence division and we wish the team all the best as they join the fold at a world-class global engineering
group.”
