Aresia is a French civil and defense aeronautical engineering group. On the commercial side, Aresia is a Tier 1 subcontractor to Airbus, supplying rudders for the A320 and A330 ranges. In defense, Aresia designs, develops and manufactures load-carrying systems for combat aircraft, including those used on the Rafale for the French Ministry of Defense and for Dassault Aviation.
In June 2018, HLD acquired a majority stake in Aresia alongside Jacques Rafaut, a longstanding shareholder, the management team and minority shareholders. While the company was initially not on the market, we succeeded in establishing a relationship of trust with Mr. Rafaut and Mr. Berthet, which persuaded them to enter into exclusive discussions, pre-empting the transaction and avoiding a competitive process.
Our investment thesis centers on build a leading European manufacturer of civil and defense aeronautical equipment. This ambition is paired with a targeted external growth strategy that maintains a balanced exposure to civil and defense aviation. Aresia is the result of mergers combining five aerospace companies: Rafaut, Alkan, AEds, Secapem and Lace. The acquisition of Rafaut’s main historical competitor, Alkan, in 2021, was a key step that made Aresia the European leader in lift and ejection systems.
