In 1994 MEL acquired the civil safety equipment division of Autoflug GmbH in Hamburg. In 2006 MEL ventured into Serbia and approved a facility for low cost manufacturing now known as Laurence Walter Serbia. A number of further companies were acquired in the UK and two operations opened on the East and West Coasts of America to give us a global presence.
The Group grew as government departments, primes and airlines looked to reduce their supplier bases and created a niche for an adaptable, quick acting engineering solution provider that was service driven.
We transformed by continually investing in the business and not forgetting our roots, where if we didn’t offer a service we’d have nothing.
Using our range of cost-effective engineering products, services and solutions, we help customers overcome problems. That combination of expertise, ingenuity, and variety is why we’ve been able to evolve – and it underpins our success as a self-sufficient, financially stable business.
Through both acquisition and steady, organic growth – we’ve become a total engineering solutions provider to the global aerospace and defence market, and to industry in general.
To that end, we’ve embedded service and value within the DNA of this company and have a presence on both coasts of the USA and across Europe – including a low-cost manufacturing and assembly facility in Serbia.
The new generation of Smith’s and Harvey’s already working for the company fully understand the importance of keeping The MEL Group as a family-run business.
This means they will continue to ensure that we are never for sale.