Rubix UK expand engineering capabilities
Electro-mechanical repair specialist acquires of south of England-based Knowlton & Newman
RUBIX UK have acquired Knowlton & Newman Ltd, specialist providers of electro-mechanical repair services across the south of England, as part of the Group’s network development strategy.
Knowlton & Newman specialize in the repair and replacement of electric motors, pumps and gearboxes, providing a ‘round-the-clock’ call-out service, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, to minimize downtime for customers and reduce costs.
Working out of sites in Southampton, Portsmouth and Chatham, Knowlton & Newman have been operating since 1973 and serve customers in a range of industries, including aggregates. They currently employ 65 staff and reported sales of £8.2 million in the year ended 31 March 2020.
Whilst continuing to operate independently, Knowlton & Newman will be ‘powered by Rubix’, playing a strategic role in extending the Rubix offering in electro-mechanical repairs services, a key growth area for Rubix in the UK.
Rubix are Europe’s largest supplier of industrial maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) products and services and were created from the merger of IPH with Brammer in 2017. They operate from more than 750 locations across 22 countries, have 8,500 employees and achieved combined sales of €2.4 billion in 2019.
The acquisition of family business Knowlton & Newman will add a southern regional hub to Rubix UK’s existing engineering service centres in the Midlands, South West and north of England.
Mark Dixon, chief executive officer of Rubix UK, said: ‘It is an excellent fit for both parties. As Europe and the UK’s number one multi-specialist provider of industrial supplies and services, we are keen to expand our offer in electro-mechanical repair solutions. The synergies in terms of sectors, geography and overall strategy offer huge potential.’
Mike Knowlton, managing director of Knowlton & Newman, who will now report to Nigel Banks, managing director of the Services Division at Rubix UK, said: ‘We are really looking forward to leveraging the Rubix UK network to accelerate sales, as well as capitalizing on Rubix’s technical expertise in providing other key maintenance and repair solutions to expand our offer to our customers here in the south of England.’
