Survitec Group


Survitec Group is a British manufacturer of personal survival equipment for usage after ejecting from aircraft or when at sea.

History

RFD

formed RFD in 1920 in Surrey. Beaufort had been founded in 1852.
RFD liferafts and dinghies were used extensively in World War II for allied aircrew.
RFD Beaufort pioneered submarine escape technology in the 1950s, known as Submarine Escape Immersion Equipment.

Survitec

The Survitec Group was actually formed in 2000. In 2001 it bought DSB. In 2009, The Shark Group closed its Northumberland site and production was moved to Birkenhead.
In 2004 it was bought by Montagu Private Equity for £146 million.
In January 2010 Survitec was bought by the private equity firm Warburg Pincus from Montagu Private Equity for £280 million.
In December 2010, it bought Revere Supply Inc of Florida, to become SSPI.
In May 2011 Survitec began the process of acquiring two further companies; Grimsby-based Cosalt Marine, for £31 million. and the commercial liferaft and MES business of Bordeaux-based Zodiac. Cosalt Marine, employed over 450 people at 21 worldwide sites, with a turnover of £57 million.

Structure

Its headquarters and registered office is on Beaufort Road in Birkenhead. The RFD Beaufort factory in Birkenhead is on the A5030 between Poulton and Claughton, next to the Great Float. The RFD Beaufort factory in Dunmurry is on the A1.
It has servicing plants around the world:
Customers include