Carlisle Interconnect Technologies, a key integrator of inflight entertainment and connectivity systems to aircraft, expects its engineering and supplemental type certification (STC) work for IFC will return to pre-Covid volumes next year, as airlines increasingly adopt next-generation antenna systems. The St. Augustine, Florida-based cable and wiring specialist is also benefitting from the “strong rebound” in-seat IFE.

The backlog for IFC work “is very deep and we’re going to be back to over 1,000 installations a year”, company director, product line management Jeff Behlendorf revealed to Runway Girl Network at the APEX/IFSA Global EXPO, just two weeks after parent Carlisle Companies announced plans to sell CarlisleIT as it pivots to a ‘pure play building products company’.

“We probably do more STC work than any other one provider, but the truth is that isn’t always as the STC holder,” Behlendorf explained to RGN at the exhibition in Long Beach, California. “Quite often we just provide an engineering and production service for our customers. Even when we are not doing the STC, we’re still contributing to the STC. It’s a little hard to judge based on what ends up with Carlisle’s name on the product because, quite often, our name doesn’t end up on anything the end customer receives.”

RGN asked if there is any additional business to be had for the more traditional legacy gimbaled antenna systems in aero. After all, as an integrator that supports large IFC suppliers with their prime installations, CarlisleIT knows the lay of the land.

“I don’t know if there’s a whole lot of new” business for legacy systems, Behlendorf confided. “There are a lot of ongoing installations. Everyone has made their fleet commitments and those installations are ongoing. But we really don’t see anybody with a strong appetite to do that as new. Everybody is shopping for next generation.”

Indeed, it seems as if new electronically steerable antennas (ESA) are largely squaring off against ThinKom Solutions’ VICTS antennas as part of nextgen IFC packages. Behlendorf “mostly” agreed that this is the sort of race that CarlisleIT is seeing as well, noting: “Everybody’s doing an equipment roll. We’ve got new antennas from ThinKom. We’ve got new ESAs being rolled out by Intelsat and Panasonic this coming year. So, we are seeing generational updates of all fleets. Everybody is pursuing that work.”

While it’s still early days for ESA rollouts, the CarlisleIT executive reckons they’ll get better with time. “[I] think what people are rolling out right now, they’re kind of chasing that convergence point where there are enough low altitude satellite constellations in place, and the technology and the antennas are just good enough that they can start doing installations and meet airline expectations for throughput. They’re right at that cusp where you know the technology has gotten there. I think we’ll see those roll out, and I think a lot of airlines are ready to make that selection.”

In commercial aviation, CarlisleIT’s products include seat cabling, fiber optic assemblies, equipment racks, large antenna structures, leaky line assemblies, cabin Wi-Fi components, equipment enclosures and more. The company has strong content placement on Airbus and Boeing aircraft, and is involved in a lot of retrofit work. Whilst there was an admitted lull in business during the Covid pandemic, everybody is now trying to catch up. The introduction of new NGSO satellite constellations — and with them, the need for new nextgen IFC systems to be certified — has added to the upswing.

“We had three years of very little happening and now everybody is in this rush. So, we definitely feel that. We service almost all the tier ones, and we see that rush to make up for lost time. There’s a big surge of activity,” said Behlendorf.

CarlisleIT is also seeing “a strong rebound in seatback IFE”, he added. “We do the harnesses for that as well. And we see a very strong and growing demand. That activity is alive and well.”

Everybody still wants that screen in front of them.

He noted: “A lot of airlines took it off and passengers revolted, and they’re putting it back on. We see big spends with major airlines that are doing whole fleet upgrades and that obviously flows through to us. We’ll see it second and third hand. “

To support this surge in IFEC activity and demand for its interconnect solutions, CarlisleIT is spending capital. “We’ve bought more capital equipment, opened more machining centers, and invested in more facilities and manpower. So, we’re scaling up to meet the demand. And the demand is growing. We’re seeing probably 50% year-over-year growth in demand next year. So that’s a lot of kits for a lot of airplanes,” said Behlendorf.

In addition to its work in commercial aviation, CarlisleIT designs and manufactures high-performance wire and cable, including optical fiber, for military and defense electronics, and is involved in medical device, industrial, and test & measurement markets. On 7 September, parent Carlisle Companies announced a process to sell CarlisleIT, also known as CIT, with chairman, president and CEO Chris Koch explaining at the time, “Our announced plan to sell CIT and completion of a transaction will be the final step in accomplishing Carlisle’s pivot to a pure play building products company employing a superior capital allocation approach to investments.

“CIT is an excellent business operating in the highly desirable aerospace and medical segments with excellent growth prospects.”

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