Rockwell Collins last week closed on its single-largest acquisition to date—B/E Aerospace—in an $8.6 billion merger that creates a company with nearly 30,000 employees, annual revenues of $8 billion and a portfolio that spans a spectrum of cabin and cockpit offerings for both business jets and commercial airliners.

B/E Aerospace is taking on the Rockwell Collins branding and Werner Lieberherr, former B/E Aerospace president and CEO, is now executive vice president and COO of the newly created Rockwell Collins Interior Systems business.

“The industry-leading products and solutions being brought together by this acquisition give us a much broader offering, increasing value for our customers and ultimately driving long-term, profitable growth and shareowner value,” said Rockwell Collins chairman, president and CEO Kelly Ortberg.

The combined entities will provide a range of services from avionics, cabin electronics, communications, information management systems and training to seating, food and beverage preparation and storage equipment, lighting, oxygen systems and galley and lavatory systems.

Rockwell Collins expects that the merger will generate $125 million in after-tax cost synergies, with 90 percent of those achieved by the end of Fiscal Year 2019. The merger further is expected to be double-digit accretive to GAAP earnings per share in Fiscal Year 2018.

Ortberg last fall stressed that the business jet aftermarket would be one of the prime focus areas of the merger. At the time he said that opportunities could range anywhere from $200,000 to more than $1 million per aircraft in potential additional business, depending on the size of the aircraft. This could double the discretionary avionics modifications business, he said.