What Arnott makes

Arnott designs and builds aftermarket air suspension parts that replace the factory equipment on luxury cars, SUVs, light trucks, EVs, and motorcycles. The core catalog covers air struts and shocks, including magnetic (MagneRide-style) and electronic eRide units, along with air springs, air suspension compressors, valve blocks, ride height sensors, air helper springs, and control arms. For owners who want out of air suspension entirely, Arnott sells coil-spring conversion kits that swap an air system for standard steel springs. The company describes its parts as delivering original equipment form, fit, and function at prices below dealer parts, and sells both new and remanufactured units.

The catalog has grown to more than 1,000 products covering over 800 vehicle applications, up from the roughly 450 the company listed a few years ago. Arnott says it engineers its parts in the United States at an in-house research and development center, where engineers analyze original-equipment cores to find weak points, then design improved versions using 3D modeling and CNC machining and validate them on an in-house test fleet. Assembly runs at facilities in the United States and in Waalwijk, Netherlands, which also anchors the European business. The applications span OEM platforms from Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Cadillac, Land Rover, Porsche, and Tesla, though these are aftermarket fitments rather than factory-supply contracts.

Ownership and history

Arnott traces back to a family garage in Punta Gorda, Florida, where Adam Arnott and his father Donald traveled the state repairing air suspension problems, often for little or no fee. That work became a business in 1989. The company is now headquartered at 100 Sea Ray Drive in Merritt Island, Florida, and describes itself as the leading aftermarket air suspension manufacturer.

Arnott is privately held and backed by private equity. In November 2024, MidOcean Partners, a New York middle-market private equity firm, acquired Arnott from Calera Capital, marking MidOcean's fourth investment in the auto aftermarket. MidOcean described Arnott as the number-one air suspension replacement brand, with more than 800 products and coverage of roughly 90 percent of the addressable air-equipped vehicles in operation. Joe Santangelo is CEO. In a newly created role announced in September 2026, Aalok Joshi joined as Chief Revenue Officer to coordinate sales, marketing, and customer experience; Joshi brings more than 15 years in the automotive aftermarket, including prior roles at MotoRad, First Brands Group, and Cardone Industries. Arnott employs roughly 200 people, a headcount that has grown over the past two years.

Certifications and quality

Arnott operates a documented quality management system and posts an ISO 9001 certificate on its site, accredited by ABS Quality Evaluations under ANAB. Its published quality policy commits to producing air suspension products that meet or exceed customer requirements and to continual improvement of the quality system. The company also displays TÜV validation and is listed in the TecDoc and TecCom aftermarket catalog standards, which distributors use to match parts to vehicles. Because Arnott sells safety-relevant ride-control parts through national retail channels, this catalog-standard and certification posture is what its distribution customers expect.

Known customers

Arnott sells primarily through the aftermarket distribution channel rather than to vehicle manufacturers. Its national retail and distribution partners are shown on its own site.

Beyond these named retailers, Arnott's private equity owner describes a customer base of wholesale distributors, national and local retailers, e-commerce resellers, and independent jobbers and installers. WorldPac and Parts Authority also appear as distribution partners on the company site.

Sourcing evidence

Arnott's US import record is that of a manufacturer that assembles finished suspension parts from imported subcomponents. US customs bill-of-lading records show 1,542 sea shipments since January 2015 from 50 foreign suppliers, with the most recent landing in July 2026. The imported goods are the building blocks of an air strut: shock absorbers and inserts, top mounts and plates, crimp rings, air springs, and compressors, classified mostly under automotive parts (788 shipments), iron and steel articles, plastics, machinery for compressors, and rubber for air springs. That tooling-and-components-in, finished-units-out pattern fits a US and EU assembler, not a reseller of finished goods.

Six shown of 50 recorded suppliers.

By origin, China leads at 1,021 shipments, followed by Germany at 333, the Netherlands at 44, and Taiwan at 29. The German and Hungarian lines are notable: ContiTech and AMK are established European air suspension component makers, consistent with Arnott building to a high specification. Import activity has cooled from its 2015 to 2022 peak, with roughly 27 shipments in the trailing 12 months against 33 the year before, a decline of about 18 percent, though three Chinese suppliers were still shipping into mid-2026. The lighter recent flow is consistent with more European sourcing and higher-value, lower-count containers as the product mix shifts toward electronic and eRide units. Buyers weighing nearshoring or tariff exposure can read the origin split directly: this is a China-and-Germany supply base feeding US and Dutch assembly.

Coverage caveats: these are US ocean-freight records only. Air, truck, and rail movements, and most intra-European flows, do not appear; some records name freight intermediaries rather than the actual manufacturer; and product categories come from declared manifest codes, which are noisy. Absence of a record is not evidence of absence.

Frequently asked questions

What does Arnott make?

Arnott manufactures aftermarket air suspension parts: air struts and shocks (including magnetic and electronic eRide units), air springs, air suspension compressors, valve blocks, ride height sensors, air helper springs, control arms, and coil-spring conversion kits. It offers more than 1,000 products across over 800 vehicle applications for luxury cars, SUVs, light trucks, EVs, and motorcycles.

Who owns Arnott?

Arnott is privately held and owned by MidOcean Partners, a New York middle-market private equity firm that acquired the company from Calera Capital in November 2024. Financial terms were not disclosed. The company was founded in 1989 and had been under Calera's ownership before the sale.

Who are Arnott's customers?

Arnott sells through the auto aftermarket distribution channel. Its national retail partners, displayed on its own site, include AutoZone, NAPA, O'Reilly Auto Parts, and Advance Auto Parts, along with distributors such as WorldPac and Parts Authority. Its owner describes a base of wholesale distributors, retailers, e-commerce resellers, and independent installers. Arnott is an aftermarket supplier, not a factory (OEM) parts supplier.

Where is Arnott located?

Arnott is headquartered at 100 Sea Ray Drive, Merritt Island, Florida 32953. It runs a US research and development center and assembly operations, plus a European facility in Waalwijk, Netherlands, which anchors its European business.

What certifications does Arnott hold?

Arnott holds an ISO 9001 certification accredited by ABS Quality Evaluations under ANAB, posted on its site, and displays TÜV validation. Its parts are listed in the TecDoc and TecCom aftermarket catalog standards used by distributors to match components to vehicles.

Is Arnott an OEM supplier?

No. Arnott is an aftermarket manufacturer. Its parts replace factory air suspension components at original-equipment form, fit, and function, and it covers roughly 90 percent of the air-equipped vehicles in operation, but it sells replacement parts through distributors and retailers rather than supplying vehicle manufacturers on the assembly line.

Last verified September 27, 2026. Is this your company? Request a correction.