The latest in a series of acquisitions by RSE (Ross-shire Engineering) has been hailed by its managing director as a landmark in the company’s growth.
Allan Dallas said the addition of Blackburn Starling was a “pivotal move” in establishing the group as the UK’s leading mechanical, electrical, instrumentation, control and automation (MEICA) contractor in the water treatment and recycling sector.
With a workforce of around 100 and a 4.5-acre purpose-built factory in central Nottingham, the company is one of the country’s largest designers and manufacturers of low and high-voltage switchboard and control systems.
Earlier this month, Muir of Ord-based RSE announced it had acquired Leeds firm Technical Control Systems (TCS), taking its number of employees to more than 1,000.
No financial details were given on the latest deal, which involves RSE taking a majority share in the company, backing a management buyout led by Blackburn Starling’s operations director, Jason Smith.
Mr Dallas said: “When added to previous acquired businesses Saftronics and TCS, the Blackburn Starling deal establishes RSE as the largest control systems capability in the UK market.
“The additional technical skills and manufacturing capacity will enable RSE to fulfil demand for its innovative modular treatment plants, whilst opening up new doors to customers in England and Wales.”
Company with an ‘amazing heritage’
Launched in 1997, specialist mechanical and electrical engineering business RSE is now one of the portfolio of companies of Inverness-based investment group Envoy & Partners, which emerged from a carve-up of the Global Energy Group (Geg).
Described as “one of the UK’s oldest engineering companies,” Blackburn Starling was established in Nottingham in 1870. In the early 1900s, its reputation was built on electrical lighting switchboard contracts for London’s West End theatres.
Mr Smith said: “The Blackburn Starling brand has an amazing heritage and many of our 100-plus staff have served the company for multiple years.
We are expecting the transition into RSE to create new opportunities to grow the business and create opportunity for our employees.
“Whilst keeping the brand and heritage of the company intact, I’m excited to more closely integrate with the RSE teams throughout the country.
“We believe RSE’s modular technology offering is game changing in the UK water sector, which was the management’s primary attraction to supporting the acquisition.”
Iain MacGregor, chief executive of Inverness-based Envoy, said the acquisition was the third of four lined up for RSE in the current year, which “should take the company to over £130million in revenue.”
The owners plan to build the group into a business with annual turnover of more than £250m.
RSE bought Leeds-based Saftronics in 2019, starting a mergers and acquisitions campaign designed to position the company deeper into the UK, and to build its technical offering.
It has since acquired English firms Aciem, WES and Murray Technical Services as well as TCS.
