Aerospace: Poggipolini acquires the Californian firm Saturn Fasteners

The aim is ambitious: to create a global platform that serves as a benchmark within the aerospace and defence supply chain. Not bad for a company which, just 15 years ago, had a turnover of 4 million euros and is now set to close 2026 with revenues of around 80 million, thanks to the organic growth of its facilities and a policy of targeted acquisitions which, just recently, has seen a new company added to the group’s portfolio.

Bologna-based Poggipolini – which specialises in the design and manufacture of critical fasteners, precision components and advanced solutions for the aerospace and defence sectors – has acquired the Californian company Saturn Fasteners, based in Burbank, in the Los Angeles area. This is the company’s second acquisition in the United States, following its takeover of Houston Precision Fasteners in 2024. “The two companies complement and reinforce one another, strengthening the group’s offering in a strategic market such as the US, which accounts for 80 per cent of demand in the aerospace sector,” explains CEO Michele Poggipolini. “This transaction represents a further step in Poggipolini’s international growth strategy and strengthens our presence in California, one of the world’s most important aerospace ecosystems,” he adds.

Two aspects in particular characterise the acquisition, which was announced on 17 July and finalised on Monday: “This is an industrial transaction, now a rarity in a sector where private equity funds have come to play a leading role,” explains the CEO. “We are adopting an investment-driven approach, with the aim of increasing the production capacity of a long-established American company to meet the high demand in the sector.”

The move forms part of the development strategy embarked upon 15 years ago by the Bologna-based company, which, until 2010, had 90 per cent of its business focused on Formula 1: “After a difficult period, we decided to invest in transferring our expertise to the aeronautical sector,” says the entrepreneur. “It is a highly complex sector which, in order to compete, requires critical mass, certifications and very specific expertise.” This led to the launch of an M&A strategy, which began in 2022 with the acquisition of Aviomec in Mornago, thanks to which Poggipolini became a supplier to Leonardo Helicopters, followed in 2024 by the acquisition of Houston Precision Fasteners and a majority stake in Aero Fasteners, based in Rothak, India. Today, the group generates around 75 per cent of its revenue abroad and 25 per cent in Italia.

But Italia, with our plant in San Lazzaro di Savena, near Bologna, remains strategic to the company’s development, which envisages organic growth – driven precisely by the Bologna plant – and growth through acquisitions, with a focus on the European and North American markets. “We are only just getting started,” assures Poggipolini, reiterating the aim of creating a platform capable of providing customers with all the ‘components’ of the supply chain that they need.