For Wesco Aircraft Holdings Inc. in Valencia, it's all about making the right connections.

And those connections with customers are helping keep many of the world's civil, commercial and military aircraft safe in the air.

Wesco Aircraft manages supply chains for the aerospace industry and is one of the world's biggest sellers and distributors of aerospace parts and components.

Its more than 525,000 parts and components include fasteners, fittings, nuts, bolts, bushings, clamps, collars, pins, screws and washers. It's also an authorized distributor for just about every manufacturer of precision engineered aerospace bearings.

Lately, Wesco has been going full throttle. It posted record sales of $230.2 million for its fiscal third quarter ended June 30, an increase of 21.6% compared with the year-earlier period. Net income rose 30.6% to $29.5 million.

"During the quarter, we continued our strategy of pursuing new customers, selling new product lines to existing customers and gaining long-term relationships," said Randy J. Snyder, Wesco's chief executive.

"Contract signings and contract bid opportunities remained at a very high level, which will bode well for the future," he noted.

Snyder's father, Jack, founded the company in 1953 as a business dealing in scrap metal and hardware. Wesco wasn't focused fully on aircraft parts and components until Randy Snyder took over as chief executive in 1977. He was named chairman in 2006.

In 2006, asset management firm Carlyle Group became a majority owner. Five years later, Wesco raised $315 million in an initial public offering, selling 21 million shares at $15 each.

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Aerospace supply chain manager Wesco Aircraft at full throttle