Signature Aviation is a multinational aviation services company with registered office in Luton, Bedfordshire. The company has been known by numerous names over the years, having been founded as W. Wilson Cobbett Ltd in 1879; it was renamed to Scandinavia Belting during 1911, British Belting & Asbestos in 1925, and BBA Group during 1967. It has been a long term specialist in the manufacture of industrial supplies, particularly in the automotive and aviation sectors. During the Second World War, the company produced materials for British military aircraft, such as the Supermarine Spitfire, Hawker Hurricane, and Hawker Typhoon. By the early 1980s, BBA Group was the world's largest supplier of brake pads within the automotive industry, supplying multiple vehicle manufacturers with its products. During the 1980s and 1990s, the firm decided to increasingly orientate itself towards the aviation industry via a string of acquisitions and divestitures, starting with the purchase of British aircraft undercarriage specialist APPH in 1986. By 1998, the firm's wholly-owned subsidiary, Signature Flight Support, had expanded to possess the world's largest chain of fixed base operators (FBOs). In 2007, the company adopted the name BBA Aviation to indicate its identity as an aviation specialist. During late 2019, following the sale of its Ontic division to CVC Capital Partners in exchange for $1.365 billion; the company rebranded itself as Signature Aviation. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange until it was acquired by Cascade Investment, Blackstone Group, and private equity firm Global Infrastructure Partners in May 2021. History Early years Signature Aviation can trace its origins back to W. Wilson Cobbett Ltd, an industrial belting works originally based in Scotland. Its early name came from its two founders, Sir William Fenton and Walter Cobbett, who established the company during 1879 to manufacture textile belts for use on industrial machinery. For its first thirty years, the production and sale of these belts comprised the company's main commercial activity; over time, Wilson Cobbett expanded into numerous specialist industrial niches and developed a global presence. During 1911, as an indication of its international expansion, the company was renamed Scandinavia Belting; it continued to be rebranded throughout the twentieth century, becoming British Belting & Asbestos in 1925. During the interwar period, it manufactured numerous products for the automotive industry; the company was a supplier of the Ford Motor Company on its Model T vehicle as well as to other manufacturers, including Jaguar