East-West Industries

What East-West Industries does

East/West Industries, Inc., founded in 1968 on Long Island, New York by Dom and Mary Spinosa and currently led by their daughter Teresa Ferraro as CEO and President, designs and manufactures lifesaving aircraft equipment. Its product portfolio spans three categories: aircrew safety and survival (crashworthy aircraft seats, restraint systems, emergency oxygen systems, and survival kits for ejection seats, qualified dynamically to up to 30G+); ground support equipment (the proprietary Master Crane portable floor crane and field service tool kits); and critical aircraft structures (doors, hatches, fairings, attachment fittings, harness adjusters, hoses and connectors). More than 28 patents underpin proprietary technologies including the Variable Load Energy Attenuator System (VLEAS), an Under Seat Air Bag System, a Self-Adjusting Shoulder Harness, ACES II Flip-up Pitots and an Inertia Reel Access Door Upgrade. Production takes place at the company's 75,000-square-foot Ronkonkoma, NY facility, with conventional and high-speed CNC machining, sheet metal, molding, oxygen testing, seat and crane fabrication and test areas, and a 3D printing lab with Stratasys Fortus 450mc and F370 systems.

The company operates as a Tier-1/2 defense supplier to all major U.S. aerospace primes (Boeing, Sikorsky, Bell, Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, BAE Systems) and the U.S. Department of Defense, supplying OEM and replacement parts for platforms including the F-35 Lightning II (Master Crane), CH-47 Chinook, CH-53K King Stallion, HH-60W Combat Rescue Helicopter, E-2D Hawkeye, MV-75 Cheyenne II, FLRAA, S-97 Raider, and Bell 505. As a woman-owned small business (WOSB/WBENC), it holds AS9100 Rev D, FAA Part 145 Repair Station certification, and has received seven consecutive Boeing Gold performance awards. Revenue is generated through contract-based hardware sales of OEM and spare parts to primes and the DoD, plus FAA Part 145 MRO/upgrade services for its own products; pricing is custom, quotation-based, and multi-year contract structured. International reach is served through an exclusive Nordic distribution partnership with Aviation and Survival Support (Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Netherlands) and a U.S. marketing license with AUTOFLUG GmbH for FLYWEIGHT crashworthy seating systems.

The business has grown from 75 employees in 2017 to roughly 85 in more recent reporting (firmographic range 101-250), expanded its manufacturing footprint 75% in 2017 and again to 75,000 square feet, and recorded 25% revenue growth in 2017 and a record year in 2018. No revenue, ARR, or institutional funding data is disclosed; the company is privately held, family-owned, and certified woman-owned.

Name

East-West Industries

Legal name

East/West Industries, Inc.

Website

https://eastwestindustries.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1968

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

East/West Industries, Inc. is a privately held, woman-owned small business founded in 1968 that designs and manufactures crashworthy aircraft seats, emergency oxygen systems, survival kits and ground support equipment for U.S. defense primes (Boeing, Sikorsky, Bell, Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, BAE Systems) and the U.S. Department of Defense.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Aerospace & Defense Manufacturing

NAICS

Other Aircraft Parts and Auxiliary Equipment Manufacturing (336413), Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing (33641)

SIC

Aircraft Parts & Auxiliary Equipment, Nec (3728), Aircraft & Parts (3720)

akta.pro primary industry

Rotorcraft Cabin Interiors & Mission Equipment (IMABABAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Aerospace Interior Materials & Components (Cabin) (IMABANAI)

Keywords

• Aircraft seat manufacturing
• Crashworthy aircraft seats
• Emergency oxygen systems
• Aircrew survival equipment
• Ground support equipment

Headquarters

HQ city

Ronkonkoma

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Aircraft Seats and Safety Equipment Manufacturing: Design, manufacture, and sale of crashworthy aircraft seats, emergency oxygen systems, survival kits, restraint systems, and other aircrew safety equipment to military and commercial customers. Products are sold directly to prime contractors and the Department of Defense as original equipment or replacement components.
2. Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) Services: FAA Part 145 certified repair station providing upgrade, refurbishment, and MRO services for all East/West products including aircraft seats, survival kits, emergency oxygen systems, aqueous cleaning, and periodic maintenance.
3. Ground Support Equipment: Manufacturing and sale of Master Crane portable floor crane systems for aircraft maintenance, along with test stands, field service tool kits, and custom solutions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

East/West Industries designs, engineers, manufactures, and supports crashworthy aircraft seating, emergency oxygen systems, aircrew restraint systems, survival kits, and related ground support equipment for military and commercial aerospace customers. The company operates as a tier supplier to major defense primes and the U.S. Department of Defense from its AS9100 Rev D and FAA Part 145 certified facility in Ronkonkoma, New York.

Product overview

East/West Industries is a manufacturer of lifesaving aircraft equipment with a portfolio spanning three main categories: Aircrew Safety and Survival (crashworthy aircraft seats for fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft, restraint systems, emergency oxygen systems, survival kits), Ground Support Equipment (Master Crane component hoisting system, test stands, field service tool kits), and Critical Aircraft Structures (doors and hatches, covers, access panels, fairings, equipment bays, attachment fittings, harness adjusters, hoses and connectors). The product portfolio includes over 20 unique products for approximately 25 military and commercial fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters. Key seat products include the CH-53D/E CACCS, CH-47 CCCS, CH-53K Troop Seat, Crashworthy VIP Seat, Crashworthy Utility Seat, Cargo Ramp Gunner Seat, Mobility Box Troop Seat System, Crashworthy Ceiling Stowable Seat, Improved Troop Seat, Rotating & Traversing Crashworthy Seat, and Operator/Pilot/Co-Pilot seats for the E-2D Hawkeye. The company also produces the Master Crane portable floor crane and various aircraft structural components and oxygen systems.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Seventh consecutive Boeing Supply Chain Performance Achievement Award (2022-2023)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature9 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and strategic.

• Bell Textron Inc. (Team Cheyenne)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 April 2026East/West Industries was selected by Bell Textron to equip the U.S. Army's MV-75 Cheyenne II Assault Aircraft with state-of-the-art Troop and Gunner Seats as part of Team Cheyenne partnership. This is a significant milestone for the company contributing to development of an innovative aircraft designed to go twice as far twice as fast. The company successfully met the U.S. Army's acceleration requirements for the Cheyenne II program.
• Bell Textron Inc. (FLRAA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 August 2024Selected by Bell Textron to equip the U.S. Army's Future Long Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) with state-of-the-art Troop and Gunner Seats. This represents a significant milestone and positions East/West for long-term involvement in next-generation military rotorcraft programs.
• Aviation and Survival Support (A&SS)strategicChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 February 2024Exclusive distribution/reseller agreement with Norwegian Aerospace Company to distribute East/West products in all Nordic countries including Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, and the Netherlands. Strategic partnership aims to deliver high-quality aviation safety and survival equipment in the northern European market.
• AUTOFLUG GmbHstrategicOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 25 August 2021Teaming agreement with German aerospace company AUTOFLUG for mutual marketing support. Includes license agreement for East/West to market AUTOFLUG's FLYWEIGHT seating systems in the USA, while AUTOFLUG gains better market penetration in the U.S. Focus on crashworthy seats for civil helicopters with lightweight FLYWEIGHT designs. Both companies share core mission of protecting aircrew.
• Team ChinookcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of Team Chinook consortium supporting Boeing CH-47 Chinook helicopter program. Supplies troop seats, crew chief seats, and other safety equipment for Chinook platforms including Mobility Box Troop Seat System developed in conjunction with Boeing for Canadian CH147 program.
• Team RaidercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProud member of Team Raider as cabin seat supplier for Sikorsky S-97 Raider demonstrator aircraft. Active participant in celebrating program's achievements and milestones.
• Team FLRAAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of Team FLRAA consortium supporting Bell's Future Long Range Assault Aircraft program for the U.S. Army.
• Team DefiantcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of Team Defiant supporting Sikorsky/Boeing SB>1 DEFIANT helicopter development for U.S. Army's Joint Multi Role Helicopter Program evaluation.
• Team HawkeyestrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of Team Hawkeye supporting E-2D Hawkeye program with pilot, co-pilot, and operator seats designed with state-of-the-art materials for increased structural capability and longer mission endurance.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• AUTOFLUG GmbH: German aerospace company specializing in crashworthy aircraft seats and aircrew safety equipment. Direct peer — East/West holds a license to market AUTOFLUG's FLYWEIGHT seating systems in the USA, and both serve the same niche of crashworthy seating for military and civil helicopters.
• CPI Aerostructures: Long Island-based Tier 2 aerospace supplier of structural assemblies and airframe components to defense primes including Boeing, Northrop Grumman, and Lockheed Martin. Direct peer in geographic, customer, and capability profile — East/West's own advisory board chair (Doug McCrosson) is CPI Aero's former CEO.
• AMSafe: Manufacturer of aviation safety and restraint systems including seatbelts, airbags, and child restraint systems for commercial and military aircraft. Direct peer in aircrew safety equipment, with overlapping customer base in commercial aerospace and defense.
• Martin Baker: UK-based manufacturer of ejection seats and escape systems, dominant in military aviation. Adjacent peer — East/West explicitly designs survival kits and components for the Martin Baker NACES ejection seat, making them a complementary supplier in the same aircrew safety value chain.
• RECARO Aircraft Seating: German manufacturer of aircraft seats primarily for commercial aviation (economy, business, and premium classes). Direct peer in aircraft seating category but skewed to commercial rather than military crashworthy — represents a credible competitor if East/West expands into commercial markets.
• Geven S.p.A. Italian aircraft seat manufacturer serving commercial airlines, business jets, and military operators. Direct peer in aircraft seating, including business and VIP seat categories where East/West also competes.

Broad incumbents

• Collins Aerospace: RTX subsidiary and major Tier 1 aerospace supplier with broad portfolio including ejection seats, oxygen systems, and life support equipment. Broad incumbent — overlapping in many of East/West's product categories but operating at much larger scale across full aircraft systems.
• Zodiac Aerospace (now Safran Aerosystems): Safran subsidiary supplying oxygen, safety, and fluid management systems for aerospace. Broad incumbent in aircraft emergency oxygen and safety equipment — competes with East/West's EOS product line at higher volume commercial tiers.
• Stelia Aerospace (Airbus Atlantic): Airbus subsidiary manufacturing premium and economy aircraft seats for major commercial OEMs. Broad incumbent — large-scale aircraft seating competitor but focused on commercial, not military crashworthy applications.

Regional players

• Avibank Manufacturing: Specialty aerospace fastener and latch manufacturer serving defense and commercial aerospace. Regional player in aerospace structural components — overlaps with East/West's attachment fittings and structural product lines but is more focused on fasteners and latching mechanisms.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/EAST_WEST_IND

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about East-West Industries