NEW YORK PRIVATE EQUITY HOUSE JLL PARTNERS PURCHASES MCKECHNIE AEROSPACE FOR $855.6 MILLION

NOV. 20, 2007— Placentia, California … Leading aviation and aerospace component and systems manufacturer McKechnie Aerospace announced today that it has been purchased by New York private equity house JLL Partners for a reported $855.6 million. According to Tariq Jesrai, CEO of McKechnie Aerospace, the agreement was signed and ratified late last month, following a number of record years of growth by the now California based group. McKechnie Aerospace currently consists of 11 leading niche companies serving the global commercial and military aerospace market, but Mr. Jesrai noted that the charter given by the new ownership is to grow through acquisition. He added, “We’re already fairly far along in talks with a select few companies that are centered along our growth path. In terms of both long-term vision and support, JLL is the best partner we have had to date — this is going to have an increasingly positive effect on both our customers and our employees.”

Brett Milgrim, a managing director at JLL, said his firm was drawn to McKechnie Aerospace’s strong performance. “We specialize in finding concerns that are fundamentally strong and that can ‘break out’ so to speak with the right support. We’re excited about what’s already in place, and are confident that with our support they’ll become a top performer in the industry.”

Headquartered in New York, JLL opened its doors in 1988 and quickly rose to become one of the leading private equity investment firms in the country. Since inception, the company has managed a series of private equity funds aggregating approximately $4 billion in committed capital. JLL Partners seeks to make control equity investments in a wide range of middle market companies by extricating good companies from complicated situations or building strong companies in partnership with exceptional managers. In addition to aerospace, the company has holdings in healthcare services, medical products, food and consumer products, chemicals, broadcasting, transportation, automotive, industrial manufacturing, and distribution.

McKechnie Aerospace is comprised of companies that are niche leaders in the design, manufacture and logistic support of a wide range of structural components, systems, and assemblies for the Aerospace industry. Through McKechnie Aerospace, OEMs, supporting systems manufacturers, operators and MROs have access to an industry renowned source for problem solving, engineering excellence, rapid prototyping, manufacturing, and global program support. Through a process the company calls Solutioneering®, each of the Companies work independently and in concert to support customers worldwide with “first to market” solutions in a wide range of engineered products.

For more information or to arrange for an interview, contact Christine A. Weissinger, phone: 1.949.769.6100.  Email: cwessinger@mckechnieaerospace.com