Aliter-backed company acquires air compressor maintenance specialist

Engineering services provider Edwin James Group, which is backed by private equity buy-and-build specialist Aliter Capital LLP, has acquired a Staffordshire-based air compressor maintenance firm.

Motivair, the target company, is a maintenance service provider and turnkey supplier of low and high-pressure air compressors. The company services a blue-chip customer base across the UK, with a focus on the defence, infrastructure, utilities and industrial sectors.

The deal is Edwin James Group’s second bolt-on acquisition this year, following its takeover of control systems specialist ACS in January. Edwin James Group is a critical engineering services provider that supports infrastructure, process and digital environments for customers across the UK.

Aliter’s second fund completed a significant secondary investment in the group in February 2023. This followed an initial investment in the group by Aliter’s first fund in 2017. In the group’s most recent accounts, for the year ending February 2023, it reported turnover of £175 million, up by 22 per cent from the previous year, and an order book growing to £800 million.

Earlier this year, Edwin James Group appointed Daniel Langdon, formerly of K3 Capital Group and JLA Group, as its first Head of Corporate Development as it seeks to accelerate its acquisitive growth.

Following the acquisition, Motivair will continue to be led by Managing Director Iain Beadle, Operations Director Nigel Paton and Finance Director Greg Smout, with the leadership team working closely with Edwin James Group’s management team to further develop the business.

Christopher Kehoe, Edwin James Group CEO (pictured above, right, with Motivair MD Iain Beadle), said: “Motivair’s specialist skills, knowledge and experience are a perfect complementary fit for our business. In becoming part of the Edwin James Group, they enhance our asset care proposition through the service, maintenance and upgrading of such a critical asset to many of our current and future customers.”

Aliter partner Greig Brown commented: “The acquisition of Motivair supports Aliter’s strategy of developing a scaled, UK leading provider of technical and process engineering services to blue chip customers across a range of non cyclical sectors. The team at Aliter is excited to work with the company in the next phase of its development, including further strategic acquisitions.”

The deal was described as being consistent with Aliter’s buy-and-build investment strategy which focuses on acquiring and integrating high-quality businesses “to create sophisticated, professional operators of scale within fragmented markets.”

Utilising “deep industrial expertise and broad networks”, Aliter seeks to drive organic and acquisitive growth at its businesses to gain scale and a national footprint.


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