CAMP Systems International, a division of Hearst Corp, based in New York, has agreed the purchase of Inventory Locator Systems (ILS), the aviation marketplace for parts, spares, service and stock planning, from Boeing.
The deal is believed to value the company at about $2bn including debt. ILS was founded in 1979 and has grown to be a major aviation marketplace. CAMP provides maintenance tracking services for 20,000 aircraft. The company itself was acquired by Hearst in 2016 as part of the strategy to expand in B2B data and information. This was demonstrated by last year’s acquisition of the final 20% of the $14bn Fitch.
The global ratings company is now Hearst’s largest subsidiary. B2B media and information is the New York-based company’s most profitable division. In addition to subsidiaries in aviation and other transport sectors, Hearst has a substantial medical information division.
After decades of generating most of its profit variously from newspapers and magazines, the returns of Hearst‘s print-centric subsidiaries are now far below those of the company’s investments in B2B, TV and streaming.
