OREANDA-NEWS. Platte River Equity (“Platte River”) announced today that it has acquired CTS Engines (“CTS” or the “Company”) in partnership with the CTS senior management team.  Headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, CTS provides a full spectrum of maintenance, repair and overhaul (“MRO”) services for established engine platforms, specializing in the overhaul of the General Electric CF6-80C2, CF6-80A and CF6-50 engines, as well as the Pratt & Whitney PW2000.  CTS also performs developmental testing on next generation aerospace engines utilizing the highest thrust independent commercial test facility in the world, located in Jupiter, Florida.  CTS will continue to operate out of its two Florida-based facilities.  The investment by Platte River represents a continuation of the firm’s efforts in aerospace and transportation. 

“We are delighted to have the opportunity to partner with Brian Neff and his team as they continue to serve as a critical partner to customers such as Boeing, GE, DHL, Air Transport Services Group, Atlas Air, Western Global Airlines and other operators of the CF6 engine,” commented Platte River Managing Director Greg Sissel.  “As a firm with deep aerospace sector experience, we have looked at numerous MRO businesses over the years and believe CTS’ combination of mature engine MRO expertise and next generation engine testing capabilities uniquely positions the Company in the aircraft engine services market.” 

Brian Neff, Chief Executive Officer of CTS, said, “Over the years, we have made significant investments in our capabilities, our people and our equipment, becoming a truly one-stop shop MRO solution for our customers.  With the collaboration and support of Platte River, we look forward to executing on our growth plans to better serve our legacy engine customers and to address the wave of next generation engine programs as they enter the market.” 

Platte River invested out of its third fund, Platte River Equity III, L.P.  Bartlit Beck Herman Palenchar & Scott LLP served as legal counsel to Platte River, and Houlihan Lokey served as debt placement agent.  Annaly Middle Market Lending provided financing for the transaction.  BlackArch Partners served as sell-side advisor to CTS. 

About CTS Engines
CTS Engines is a world leader in mature jet engine maintenance.  The Company provides MRO and testing services to owners and operators of commercial jet engines worldwide, specializing in the overhaul of the General Electric CF6?80C2, CF6-80A, CF6-50 engines, as well as the Pratt & Whitney PW2000.  In its 60,000 square foot Ft. Lauderdale engine service center, CTS utilizes a complete set of in-house machinery and tooling to provide its customers with full-service MRO support.