Tank track maker bought by US' HEICO Corporation

A tank track maker has rolled into a new era after being snapped up by a US firm.

Cook Defence Systems has joined HEICO Corporation.

Hollywood-headquartered HEICO Corporation has taken a majority stake in the business to create the HEICO-Cook Defence venture.

The deal includes Cook’s plant in Stanhope, County Durham, and an intermodal division known for making shipping container locks and fittings.

Bosses say the agreement – completed for an undisclosed sum – will see managing director William Cook continue to lead the North East-based operator alongside its management team.

Founded in the mid-1990s, 130-staff Cook Defence Systems forms part of the wider William Cook Holdings rail parts and foundry business.

Known for supplying tracks to support British Army combat missions, it previously secured orders to send parts to support the manufacture of Challenger 2 and Ajax tanks, and Warrior and Scimitar fighting vehicles.

Sir Andrew Cook, William Cook Holdings’ chair, said: “We are proud to have built Cook Defence Systems into a trusted partner to governments, armies and armoured vehicle manufacturers worldwide.

“In HEICO, we have found a long-term partner that values our independence, supports our growth ambitions and shares our commitment to engineering excellence, quality and service.

“We are confident about the future of Cook Defence Systems under the joint ownership of HEICO and William Cook Holdings.”

Eric A Mendelson and Victor H Mendelson, HEICO co-chairs and co-chief executives, added: “Cook Defence represents a distinctive addition, with many of the attractive attributes we look for in our businesses.”

William Cook Holdings’ wider portfolio includes a cast products operation in Sheffield and Chesterfield; a rail division in Leeds; and a ceramic casting business in Alston, Cumbria.

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