Suir Engineering has announced the acquisition of leading Scottish mechanical engineering firm Taylor & Fraser, providing the Waterford-based company with a further foothold into the UK market.

The transaction comes shortly after Suir opened its first UK offices in London and Manchester, and the firm is seeking to expand its operations and customer base in Britain by strengthening its local presence.

Based in Paisley, Taylor & Fraser has been operating as a family-run business for 114 years, providing mechanical and electrical engineering to private and public organisations.

Taylor & Fraser will continue to operate under its own name, and there will be change for the firm's 180 employees.

“The acquisition of Taylor & Fraser is part of our ambitious growth strategy,” said John Kelly, CEO of Suir Engineering. 

“The team brings with it a wealth of mechanical and electrical engineering (M&E) expertise, and an outstanding legacy built over three generations of this highly regarded family business.

“The acquisition strengthens our presence in Scotland and across the UK, allowing us to build on established local market relationships while providing a platform for future growth. 

"We now have a UK presence at three key locations and have further plans for expansion in line with the multi-billion pound market demand that we are seeing in our sector.“

Scott Taylor, director of Taylor & Fraser, said: ”We are delighted to become part of a thriving international engineering enterprise that will ensure Taylor & Fraser remains at the heart of providing mechanical and electrical engineering services in the UK for generations to come.

“We are extremely proud of our heritage which has stood us in very good stead for 114 years. Our clients have always rightly expected the highest standard of services and we know that operating within the Suir Engineering group will give clients great confidence that it will be business as usual and quality of service will be maintained.”

Suir Engineering reported turnover of €429m, up 41% year-on-year, and EDBITA growth of 5% in 2023, and has forecast 2025 revenues of €550m on the back of a strong project pipeline and strategic talent acquisition pipeline.

Some €180m in revenue is expected to be derived from data centre projects, a key area of growth for the business, which is considered a top-five mechanical and engineering firm in Ireland.

“By the end of 2025 we anticipate that Suir Engineering will already be among the top ten mechanical & electrical (M&E) contractors in the UK by revenue," Kelly continued.

"The UK presents huge opportunities in two of our four specialist sectors, data centres and  energy, power and renewables, and it is one of the biggest data centre territories in Europe.

"The recent Critical National Infrastructure designation highlights the fundamental importance of data centres to the UK government, the local economy and society, generating billions of pounds in revenue each year.

“The UK's 'Great Grid Update' represents a major shift in infrastructure development with significant buildouts planned for on and offshore projects.

"This presents a significant opportunity for companies like ours, which is why aligning Suir Engineering with a company of Taylor & Fraser’s calibre is crucial to our business, alongside establishing a physical presence to support our market penetration," he concluded.

Suir Engineering employs more than 1,600 people in Ireland, the UK, Germany, Denmark and Sweden and is exploring further markets in which to establish operations as part of its growth strategy.

The company, which was acquired in 2022 by private equity Duke Street from Dalkia and EDF Energy, counts life sciences; energy, power and renewables; food and beverage; and data centres as its four core sectors and now has offices in Waterford, Dublin, London, Manchester, Stockholm, Copenhagen and Frankfurt.

The latest available accounts for Taylor & Fraser Ltd show the company had turnover of £38.4m in the 12 months to June 2023 with profit nearly doubling from £650,500 to more than £1.2m. Accumulated profits rose to £4.7m.

Photo: John Kelly. (Pic: Colin Shanahan - DigiCol Photography)