Canadian Concern Acquires Tosington

Tosington Enterprises Inc., a Simi Valley company that produces furniture for luxury private aircraft and whose customers have included the king of Saudi Arabia, has been acquired by a Canadian aerospace concern.

Tosington, whose high-priced products must withstand rigorous testing by the Federal Aviation Administration, is being sold to Derlan Industries Ltd., a Toronto firm that has been actively buying up manufacturers of aircraft parts and equipment.

Terms of the all-cash deal were not disclosed, but Mark B. Shappee, president of Venture Management, a Ventura-based merger and acquisition consulting firm that assisted in the sale, said the Simi Valley company’s management will remain in place.

Shappee said he knew of no plans to lay off any of Tosington’s 35 employees. On the contrary, he said, the company is expected to accelerate its growth.

“The combination of the two companies should provide Tosington with additional sales and marketing support,” Shappee said. “It’s a good fit.”

He added that Tosington’s manufacturing costs probably will be reduced through consolidation with other Derlan aerospace businesses.

Tosington, established in 1979, is headed by Timothy Anding, its founder and president. He will continue in charge of operations, Shappee said.

Among other products, the company makes office furniture and other items used in converting airliners to corporate and private craft.

The items appear to be luxurious furniture, but their construction involves extensive engineering and testing, Shappee said. “It sounds morbid, but the government requires that these things must be strong enough to survive in a plane crash, even if the plane’s occupants don’t.”

Tosington’s products have been installed in such aircraft as Boeing 707s and 727s and Douglas DC-8s, Shappee said.

“Some of the largest corporations and some of the richest people in the world have had their planes outfitted by Tosington. Some of Tosington’s furnishings have been made for heads of state, including the king of Saudi Arabia.”

Tosington also produces beds and other equipment for helicopter ambulances. That business, too, will continue under the new ownership, Shappee said.

Shappee said he found Tosington’s buyer after conducting a worldwide search of potential suitors via a computer database.

In recent years, Derlan has acquired several manufacturing concerns in commercial and military aerospace as well as in other fields. Derlan’s shares are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange.