1990 - 2000
In 1992, the company formed Signature Flight Support by merging Page Avjet and the Butler fixed-base operations (FBO) for business aviation. BBA also took full control of Reemay that year and in 1993 Roberto Quarta became CEO and initiated restructuring of BBA by cutting costs and selling non-core businesses.
This BBA logo, used throughout the '80s was phased out in 1994
In 1995 BBA purchased two more nonwoven manufacturers, Terram, UK and the Fiberweb Group, USA and Europe, as part of Holvis. This year also saw the disposal of the Scandura conveyor business in North America, and of the Automotive Products division.
First flight of the two seat Gripen in April 1996, for which APPH provided the landing gear
In 1996 the company purchased the remaining shares in Signature that it did not already own. The same year it purchased Trinity Aerospace Engineering, doubling BBA's landing-gear repair and overhaul business. Also in 1996 it won a contract with the US Air Force to supply F-16 aircraft canopies. BBA further enlarged its nonwovens business with its purchase of Corovin, a German company, including its joint venture interests in Saudia Arabia and Thailand. BBA sold its non-core carpet-underlay manufacturer Duralay in 1996. In this year too BBA embarked on an innovative streamlining of its manufacturing processes for friction material.
Corovin manufacturing facility and headquarters in Peine, Germany
By 1997 BBA was focused on two major divisions — Aviation and Materials Technology (Nonwoven Fabrics and Friction Materials); in that year it sold non-core P C Cox (sealants) and Haefely-Trench (specialist electrical business). BBA acquired more FBO's and aircraft repair and overhaul businesses in that year. The year also saw expansions with the purchase of Italy's Korma (super-absorbent hygiene materials), Brazil's Bidim (polyester nonwovens), and Germany's Becorit (rail-friction products).
In 1998 BBA completed its exit from the electrical business market with the disposal of its Ajax Magnethermic subsidiary. That same year, BBA purchased the jet engine overhaul businesses H&S Aviation (UK) andUNC Airwork (US), and other FBO's in USA. Materials Technology acquired Veratec, the nonwovens business of International Paper. In 1999 the company set about bedding down and integrating its new businesses and acquired AMR Combs, the aviation services chain. It also began work on a new nonwovens plant in Tianjin, China.
At Dallas Airmotive a test bench for the Bendix fuel control ensures complete operational checkout after repair and overhaul
In 2000 it bought Oxford Aviation, a UK-based pilot training company and also FBO and aviation engineering businesses in UK. Materials Technology acquired Snow Filtration and the outstanding stake in AQF, both in USA, reinforcing its position in the growing filtration market. That year it also sold its automotive friction materials division to HSBC for £389.2 million, although it retained the rail friction business acquired in 1997. In this year BBA Group moved from the Engineering to the Transport sector on the London Stock Exchange.
