Aberdeen-based mechanical engineering group EnerMech said on Monday it has been acquired from Lime Rock Partners by Nasdaq-listed global alternative asset manager The Carlyle Group in a deal believed to be worth about £450 million
“The transaction is expected to close in Q4 2018, subject to customary anti-trust and regulatory approvals,” said EnerMech.
Capital for the investment will come from Carlyle International Energy Partners (CIEP), a $2.5 billion fund that invests in the global oil and gas sector outside North America.
The fund’s mandate includes exploration and production, mid- and downstream and oilfield services.
EnerMech employs 3,500 staff across 40 locations in the UK, Norway, the Middle East, Caspian, Asia, Africa, Australia and Americas.
The company works on large scale projects across the oil and gas, LNG, renewables, defence, power, infrastructure and petrochemicals sectors.
Last month EnerMech revealed annual accounts for the full year to December 2017 with revenues of £361 million and profits (EBITDA) of £43.6 million, and forecast that 2018 revenues are expected to reach £430 million with profits in the region of £59 million.
EnerMech was formed 10 years ago by CEO Doug Duguid and chief financial officer Michael Buchan, both of whom will remain with the company in their current positions.
Duguid said the deal was positive news for staff and clients and said newly available capital would lead to further acquisitions which will strengthen EnerMech’s services portfolio and geographic presence.
Duguid said: “This transaction marks the beginning of a new chapter for EnerMech as we continue to develop our business, grow our global footprint and enter new markets.
“We are excited to be partnering with CIEP, whose expertise and track record in the energy space will provide valuable support for our strategy and next phase of growth.
“We are very pleased with the strong support we have enjoyed from Lime Rock over the last decade in building a thriving and sustainable business.
“This transaction is a natural progression in the life of any ambitious company and with the backing of Carlyle Group, which enjoys extensive relationships in the upstream and downstream sectors, we will be focussed on doubling the size of the business in the next five years.
“Our strategic diversification in to large scale infrastructure projects and new geographic markets, allied to our lengthy track record in energy and the renewed confidence in that sector, were significant drivers in attracting a heavyweight investor such as Carlyle Group.
“For our staff and clients, it is very much business as usual, with the caveat that we will be identifying target businesses which will strengthen our integrated offering and introduce increased efficiencies for our end-users.”
This acquisition is CIEP’s first investment in an energy services business, complementing its current portfolio of investments in exploration, midstream and downstream and storage sector companies.
Marcel van Poecke, head of Carlyle International Energy Partners, said: ““EnerMech is an attractive, well-positioned international integrated energy, infrastructure and industrial services company, led by a strong team.
“The company has multiple avenues for growth.
“We believe potential synergies across CIEP’s portfolio companies as well as the broader Carlyle family are attractive. We look forward to working with the team and supporting EnerMech’s continued growth.”
John Reynolds, co-founder and managing director of Lime Rock Partners, said: “We have greatly valued our partnership with Doug Duguid, Michael Buchan, and the entire EnerMech team as we supported the business’s growth and transformation since inception.
“We are confident that the company will continue to thrive under Carlyle’s ownership.”