Acquisitions key to north company’s growth plans

● Ross-shire Engineering banks on demand for water treatment units

The owners of north business Rossshire Engineering (RSE) see further acquisitions and growing demand for its innovative water treatment units as key to major expansion.

Iain MacGregor, managing partner of the Inverness-based Envoy group, said RSE had looked at as many as 84 potential acquisitions and three would be concluded within months.

One will be of a similar size to the recent deal securing a majority stake in English firm Aciem, which has annual turnover of £14 million and provides engineering services to UK water authorities from its facilities near Bath, in Leeds, and Port Talbot in Wales.

Mr MacGregor said RSE also had an acquisition of US technology in its sights as the Muir of Ord-based business inches towards £100m-plus annual turnover.

Ambitions for RSE are for it to grow – helped by at least two to four acquisitions every year

– into a business turning over in excess of £250m annually, with more than 2,400 employees, within five years.

Last year, RSE acquired Leeds firm Saftronics – a specialist in the design and manufacture of processcontrol systems and lowvoltage switchboards for a wide variety of applications in the oil and gas, chemical, power and utility markets – for an undisclosed sum.

Organic growth is also expected to help make RSE the largest specialist mechanical, electrical, instrumentation, control and automation contractor to the UK water industry.

Mr MacGregor said RSE’s award-winning transportable treatment units (TTUs) were in “huge demand”.

He added: “We’re trying to establish new bases in England to support the growth opportunities.”

RSE recently opened a 28,000sq ft manufacturing centre in Dewsbury, Yorkshire.

The company’s TTUs can be up and running for water treatment operations within weeks, compared to the two years it traditionally takes to construct plant.

One was installed on North Harris earlier this year in a mammoth logistical exercise.

GROWTH: One of the transportable water treatment units, which can be up and running within weeks, landing at a beach on North Harris