Few qualities help a company through tough times more than diversification, and few come more diversified than Curtiss Wright. After making some 30 acquisitions in the past 10 years, the US company is now a $2 billion enterprise and is focusing increasingly on geographic diversification to bolster its wide range of product lines.

Ray New, vice-president integrated sensing of Charlotte, NC-based Curtiss Wright Controls, says the company decided late last year to forego its normal chalet at the show and instead base itself in the US Pavilion (hall 3 A72) out of caution about the business outlook.

But it has no shortage of business opportunities to chase and has already secured a series of deals in the past few months. Recent wins for the Controls busines alone include data concentrator units on the Sikorsky CH-53K heavylift helicopter planned for the US Marine Corps; linear variable displacement transducers for Hamilton Sunstrand as part of the fly-by-wire system for the upgraded Sikorsky UH-60M and CH-53K; and ground-penetrating radar technology to aid the US Army's battle against improvised explosive devices.

New says: "The diversification across markets which Curtiss Wright has makes us resilient. That is an intentional strategy. A lot of our military programmes for example are not affected this year. Some of our commercial programmes are affected but the diversification that we have is paying dividends. So what we are doing now is diversification geographically which will give us a much more stable business platform."

Much of its current activity is focused on Asian programmes. Curtiss Wright has secured work on the Korea Helicopter Programme, has the ice detection system on the Indian Light Helicopter, and has created two facilities in China. "We are mainly trying to support customers in China but also to get a foothold in the market. The question is how fast it will grow," says New.

The company is closely following opportunities on the planned Chinese Comac C919 mid-sized airliner officially due to fly in 2014-16. New comments: "It will probably be the later of those or later still. My own view is that it will take a while to develop the industry."

And in the West, Curtiss Wright is waiting on a flurry of imminent decisions on the Airbus A350 where it has a series of opportunities to provide flight-control and engine-control sensors plus various other sensors and solenoids around the airframe.

Source: Flight Daily News