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Nuremburg-based Metrawatt International has purchased UK electrical safety testing firm, the Seaward Group, which will now become part of the GMC Instrumentation Division, a group of separate specialist test and measurement manufacturing businesses based in Germany, Switzerland and the USA. Directors see strong synergies in product ranges, geographical spread and markets served. By James Hunt:
Peterlee-based Seaward Group has been acquired by a multinational company headquartered in Germany. Seaward’s business, which employs around 170 people and is a market leading manufacturer of electronic test and measurement instruments, has been bought by Metrawatt International GmbH for an undisclosed sum. Metrawatt is part of the GMC Instruments Group.
Under the terms of the deal, the Seaward name and its brands will remain intact and manufacturing will continue at its County Durham facility, supported by overseas sales offices in the USA and Malaysia.
Metrawatt International also owns GMC-I-ProSys in Skelmersdale, a manufacturer of current probes, clamp meters and power quality instrumentation.
The directors of both Seaward and Metrawatt say that there’s a strong synergy between the two companies, not only in the product ranges, but also in the main markets served and the geographical spread – not least because Seaward currently supplies products to over 60 countries, recently breaking into Japan and China, and also into a number of South American countries.
‘Bright prospects’
Rod Taylor, Seaward’s founder, feels that this move is a very positive development for both companies, and one that will bring new opportunities in terms of enhanced technical capabilities and stronger global market presence.
“Seaward”, he commented, “has been very successful as an independent T&M business, but developing a global presence is a significant challenge and being an important part of a larger multinational group brings the opportunity for the business to achieve this much more quickly and effectively.
He continued: “Our presence in the UK will remain as strong as it always has been. In fact, one of the attractions of linking up with GMC means that Seaward can make the most of the high global growth potential of its products without losing its brand identity or the core values that have contributed to the company’s success.”
Dr Hans-Peter Opitz, chairman of Metrawatt International, echoed this and said: “We are delighted to have added Seaward to our portfolio of instrumentation companies.
“There are parts of the world and specific markets where Seaward products are already strong that have the potential for GMC growth, and, similarly, there are areas where GMC’s presence can now provide a platform for expansion of Seaward’s technology.
“The prospects for both Seaward and the enlarged GMC Instrumentation Division are therefore very bright and we look forward to a successful future together,” concluded Hans-Peter Opitz.
And a new MD…
The Seaward Group, which is generally regarded as the UK market leader in portable appliance testing (PAT), manufactures instrumentation products under the Seaward, Clare, Cropico, Rigel and Seaward Solar brands. Export has increasingly become an important part of the company’s development, representing around 50 to 60% of turnover.
Seaward, which has grown significantly in recent years and now reports annual turnover of around £16m, has tended to concentrate on electrical, medical, industrial and energy sector applications.
Metrawatt is a worldwide market leader in the development and manufacture of test products and systems used in the electrical, energy and related sectors. The GMC Instruments Group is reported to employ around 600 people and has an annual turnover of around £65m.
As part of the deal, Rod Taylor has announced his retirement from the business. The new Seaward MD is Andrew Upton, who joined the company as sales director in 2006.