Enstrom now owned by Chinese

[BirdDog]

Enstrom Helicoptor (based in Michigan) announced today that they have been sold to a Chinese investment company.

http://verticalmag.com/news/articles/22 ... rship.html

Now they have something else in common with Brantly.

[9121u]

THIS sounds like sad news to me copy of the... brantly buy out... hope I am wrong THO.....

[seneca2e]

An Enstrom on a pipeline run came in today(he's a regular once a month) and told me this news. He was positive it was good news but I'm not. If I can get up early enough tomorrow I'm gonna go with him for an hour or so as he runs the pipeline in this area. I hope it doesn't make me want an Enstrom lol.

[Brad Bowles]

Rotorcraft pro has a small link showing Enstrom has been sold to Chinese firm. I hope this is not the end of Enstrom now!

[tamflyer]

An Enstrom on a pipeline run came in today(he's a regular once a month) and told me this news. He was positive it was good news but I'm not.

I'm with you on that one. I am definitely not positive it is good news

The pipeline driver is entitled to his *opinion*.
But even a casual glance back at the history of what has happened to nearly all US enterprises bought by the Chinese makes his opinion more wishful thinking than informed knowledge.

My *opinion* is that looking back at anything from Lenovo Computers (Ex IBM) to Tupperware to Brantly, .....the Chinese have very little concern for product support.

The Chinese model is to immediately "reverse engineer" (SHAMELESSLY COPY) all the best features of the manufacturing products they buy from the US.
The Chinese then in the best capitalistic manner (also copied from US) apply the technology (that they have bought on the cheap and copied) to wherever they can make the most money with it.
The most money is rarely in supplying parts and product support to the past US purchasers.

Hope you had a nice bit of 'stick time' on the pipeline.
If you get bored, let your pal in on how the past history of the reported "good news"when Chinese purchased Brantly (very cheap) turned out for present US Brantly owners.


Best to ya'
Pat

[fixnfly]

I talked to the Enstrom factory Friday ( going back for a refresher tech course) and they were positive. There response was that it has had many owners in the past & most were foreign. With the contracts they have they didn't feel as though they would give up there FAA certificate. Bill

[seneca2e]

Short term Enstrom will probably be fine but the Chinese are well known for eventually building stuff in well China. And therein lies the rub. We've sold our country bit by bit. In the end it's about demand and money. Perhaps it's inevitable. Sure wish we'd build our own stuff like we used too. Robinson sells most of their machines overseas these days and manages to build them in the USA. You can only imagine the kind of offers Frank Robinson must have turned down from foreign(probably Chinese) buyers. Can't blame a company for going for the best deal especially if they are cash strapped but at this rate we'll soon be left with nothing but a service economy-building little to nothing.

[tamflyer]

I talked to the Enstrom factory Friday ( going back for a refresher tech course) and they were positive. There response was that it has had many owners in the past & most were foreign. With the contracts they have they didn't feel as though they would give up there FAA certificate. Bill

This Article seems to echo Bill's source as well as the Powerline Guy.
Seems positive indeed.
(bolding and are Pat's)



Chinese investors acquire Enstrom Helicopter
http://preview.tinyurl.com/bkst78c
Michigan-based Enstrom Helicopter has been acquired by a Chinese investment firm in a move aimed at helping the company grow in the rapidly developing Asian market.

The company has delivered 168 light helicopters over the past decade and has revealed plans to increase production rates in Menominee, Michigan, with capital provided by new owners Chongqing Helicopter Investment (CQHIC).

"This is a major step in moving Enstrom to a new level," says president Jerry Mullins.
The sale moves control from "one foreign owner to another"

The previous owner, who purchased Enstrom in 2000 from Segway inventor Dean Kamen, was never officially identified, but was reportedly a Swiss investor.

CQHIC acquires a manufacturer of two piston-powered aircraft - the F28F and the 280FX - and the 480B turbine-powered helicopter. The company has boosted staffing by 50% over 18 months as demand has picked up, particularly in Asian markets.

After delivering 17 helicopters in 2012, Enstrom has 25 helicopter orders on backlog, including four from China-based buyers, according to Flightglobal's Ascend Online database.

Enstrom, which was founded in 1975 by homebuilt helicopter designer Rudy Enstrom, becomes the latest US general aviation manufacturer to be bought by Chinese investors. It follows the acquisition of Cirrus and elements of Epic in 2011 by China Aviation Industry General Aircraft.

[Mark McDaniel]

If anyone thinks this Brantly forum in dead you ought to see the Enstrom forum. Not one word on it about the Chinese purchase or anything else since November.

[seneca2e]

Mark,
I check the Enstrom forum form time to time and even a Bell 47 and Hiller forum. It surprises me that they are so dead. You'd think there'd be plenty of interest in all these legendary machines.

[scrapper]

.What does the US have left in small copters? Hughes/Sweitzer and ? BTW I will be near Elmira NY soon, and wondering if you can tour the Huges/Sweitzer manufacturing plant, anyone ?
Ron is SO into all aspects of copters and especially Brantlys. At his sight you can see quite a number of ships he has sold. I sense ihe has a 6th sense, any ship shows up and he seems to be able to diagnose problems quickly. VS I can imagine someone with a problem and they are left wondering for a 1 or 2, what is the problem, Errors in misjudging problems has to be costly.

Bill, do you have a running ship in the H-dale area at this time? Can you give rides? Thx

*** BTW obvious but the root problem for brand closings has to be liability costs.We are becoming such a "nanny state" let us judge risks and limit ins payouts
OR have a system where we can contractually accept all risk, and thereby buy a small copter for say 200k vs. the person who wants to b able to sue, but pays 300k for the same craft.
THAT is what we need and in medical care as well.
But fat chance

[fixnfly]

I was out to Enstrom's factory a couple of weeks ago and there is a lot of action. Contrary to what a lot of people think & know, Enstrom has been owned by a few different co. over the last 50 years many of them foreign and it hasn't caused any problems. They are presantly more than doubling the size of the plant from 70,000 sq ft to 147,000. They are producing about 25 birds a year , hope to be at 50 in a year and 100 a year or so after that. most of there orders are for the 480 turbine but they were also working on several 280fx models. They are almost done with a new 2 place non turbo model for training using all of the same heavy duty parts of the standard piston models.If you want to see an impressive componet time sheet , take a look at this helicopter. So to answer your question Enstrom is & will continue to be built here in the US. by US workers. They are hiring like crazy.
The plant in Elmira N.Y. I believe was shut down several months ago.The 269 &300 helicopter is getting hard to get product support & new parts for.
At the present time I don't have a helicopter up & running , I sold both of mine in the last several months but did reciently purchased another to rebuild.

[8flyer]

Two of my friends and I went on a tour of the Enstrom factory during the Oshkosh flyin. They are building a 70,000 sq. ft. add on to their present building. Their production for all of 2014 is sold out and they plan to increase their total output for each of the coming years by at least 10 to 20 more units per year. Very nice people! They really don't have any plans to relocate the company at least not at this time.