India based Lohia Group has acquired Israeli company Light and Strong that specialises in aerospace and military carbon fibre and glass fibre composite components production. The acquisition will allow Lohia Group to become a supplier for global original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in aerospace and defence sector by operating out of its India facilities.

“Light & Strong’s established pedigree in military technology manufacturing is a synergistic fit with Lohia Group’s decade long expertise in large scale manufacturing across sectors,” Lohia Group’s director Anurag Lohia told a news agency.

Lohia Group’s Indian facility will be based out of Kanpur in northern India and will be part of the state government’s defense corridor. With this arrangement, the Group expects to receive strong support from the state government and establish India as an exporter for customised composite products.

Light and Strong’s customer base includes a list of defence companies like the Israel’s Ministry of Defense Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), Elbit systems, Rafael and several others. With Lohia Group acquiring it, the Group wants to make Israel a key export hub to the American and European markets. The Group further wants to utilise Israel’s capabilities in aerospace R&D and engineering to leverage its expertise globally.

“We look forward to establishing a firm international footprint and further growing new markets through this acquisition,” said Lohia. “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 defence 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. Its other business interests include textiles and auto components. (PC)