Buying an equipment or electronics manufacturer in Space Coast and Volusia

• Products the company owns, with designs, software and patents documented and in the company's name.
• Customers spread across industries, including some on long-term contracts, so one program ending doesn't empty the order book.
• Repair, spare parts and service work on equipment already in use, which tends to repeat.
• Engineers besides the founder who understand the designs and can support customers.
• Current certifications that customers need: quality systems, safety listings, aerospace or medical standards.
• More than one source for critical parts, or enough stock to ride out shortages.
• Low warranty and return rates that are actually tracked.
• A backlog of firm orders, not just forecasts.
• Products designed so they can be updated when parts are discontinued.

• Who owns the designs, software and patents, and whether employees and contractors have signed agreements assigning their work to the company.
• How much of the business rests on a few customers, and contract terms, including warranties and limits on liability.
• Inventory: how old it is, how much is excess or obsolete, and how it's valued.
• Past product liability and warranty claims, and what the company has promised on products already sold.
• Certifications, their next audits, and whether they're tied to the site or to the company.
• How the products are classified for export, and any past export problems.
• Agreements with key engineers, and whether they're likely to stay.
• Parts that will soon be discontinued, and the cost of redesigning around them.
• For a shipyard: the waterfront lease or submerged land lease, Longshore insurance and claims history, and an environmental assessment of the yard.

• Which products do you own the designs for, and which do you build to customer designs?
• Who besides you understands the core designs?
• What share of sales comes from your top three customers?
• Do you sell to defense, aerospace or medical customers, and what do they require?
• Have you had any product recalls, failures or liability claims?
• Which parts are hardest to get, and who else makes them?
• Which certifications or registrations will need updating after a sale?
• For a shipyard: who are your main customers, and how do you handle Longshore insurance?

This region covers Brevard, Volusia and Flagler counties: Melbourne, Palm Bay, Titusville, Cocoa, Cocoa Beach, Merritt Island, Daytona Beach, Port Orange, Ormond Beach, DeLand, Deltona, New Smyrna Beach and Palm Coast. Brevard's economy is built around space. Rockets launch often from Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, and aerospace and defense manufacturers and their suppliers employ engineers, technicians and machinists across the county. Port Canaveral is a major cruise port.

Volusia depends more on tourism, beaches and big events, with Daytona's motorsports and motorcycle rallies drawing crowds. Health care and a large retired population matter too. Flagler County, around Palm Coast, is mostly residential. Machine shops, electrical and engineering firms, home service companies, marine businesses and restaurants all have a place here.

Brevard's fortunes follow the space and defense programs. A company that sells to aerospace firms should be able to show you how many customers it depends on and how secure their work is. Business in Volusia spikes around big events and the winter season, so look at revenue by month.

The whole coast faces storm risk. In 2022, Hurricane Ian brought flooding to much of Volusia, and Hurricane Nicole, which came ashore near Vero Beach six weeks later, washed away beaches and seawalls along the Volusia coast. Beachfront property needs careful insurance and structural checks. The Indian River Lagoon and the St. Johns River make boating and fishing part of daily life, which keeps the marine trades busy. Palm Coast and the Palm Bay area have added many new homes, and companies serving those areas have grown with them.