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Survitec Group Limited, one of the global leaders in safety and survival equipment, has completed its acquisition of the Zodiac® commercial SOLAS liferaft business from Zodiac Marine & Pool. The acquired business comprises Zodiac SOLAS in Chevanceaux, France and its Vancouver based sister company, DBC Marine Safety Systems in Canada. This further enhances Survitec’s plans for global expansion in the marine industry.
The Zodiac® brand was established in 1909 and has become a world leader in the manufacture of liferafts for merchant ships, ferries and cruise ships. The acquisition of Zodiac’s SOLAS business enhances Survitec’s existing marine safety product range. In particular the addition of Zodiac® Liferafts & Marine Evacuation Systems to Survitec’s existing offering creates a broader group of complementary products, as well as extending its geographic footprint into France, Spain, South America, the Middle East and Asia.
Zodiac Marine and Pool will continue to own and operate Zodiac® recreational liferafts and its military, professional, leisure inflatable and semi-rigid boats.
Survitec Group CEO Doug Baxter commented on the transaction; “Bringing the Zodiac® commercial liferaft business into the Survitec group is an extremely complementary acquisition that reinforces our position in the marine safety sector. Both companies have a history of technical innovation in the manufacture and supply of high quality products. Together we can build on this to ensure our continued growth in the marine industry.”
Zodiac SOLAS and DBC Marine Safety Systems include the French, Canadian and UK Navies amongst their customer base, in addition to serving the global commercial marine market. The businesses will be integrated into the Survitec Group under the brand Survitec-Zodiac®, joining the other established brands of RFD, DSB, EV Beaufort, Crewsaver and Elliott.
Survitec was acquired by global private equity firm Warburg Pincus in 2010. With the backing of its new shareholders, Survitec is pursuing its global expansion strategy and strengthening its position in the marine, defence and aerospace safety markets by growing organically and through acquisitions both within existing and new territories.
Survitec has recently completed the acquisition of the Marine Division of Cosalt incorporating Crewsaver, a leading manufacturer of commercial and leisure marine products. In 2010, Survitec also acquired two other marine business; Seaweather Marine in the UK, and also the commercial marine business of Revere in the USA.