ArcGen Hilta buys genset and lighting specialist SMC

UK equipment distributor and pump manufacturer ArcGen Hilta has acquired Sandhurst Manufacturing Ltd (SMC), the lighting tower and genset manufacturer. The purchase price was not disclosed.

ArcGen said that SMC, which is one of the largest UK manufacturers of portable lighting towers, will continue to operate and manufacture from its base in Gosberton, Lincolnshire, and the SMC brand will also be retained. The deal will boost ArcGen's revenues by 30% and profits by 25%.

Mark Hodgkins, chief executive of ArcGen Hilta, said: "Even though our sector has been hard hit during the economic downturn we have had a long held focus on a strategy for growth and development which includes investing in our product portfolio to meet the needs of our customers.

Sandhurst's owner, Tim Dean, and managing director, Nick Hodges, have agreed to "make themselves available and assist with the transition", said ArcGen. Ten year SMC veteran Iain Curran, who was international sales and UK account sales manager, will become general manager of the site at Gosberton and will join the ArcGen Hilta management team.

ArcGen said the rest of the SMC workforce will stay on, boosting ArcGen's staff from 36 to 45.

The SMC acquisition is the latest of several since ArcGen was acquired by Morris & Co. ArcGen bought pump manufacturer Hilta two years ago and its product range now includes mobile generators, welder generators, lighting towers, variable messaging boards, pumps and pressure washers.

SMC's lighting towers are used in construction, events management, quarries and petrochemical sites in the UK and worldwide, including Australia and New Zealand. It also makes a range of portable generator sets in the 20 to 500 kVA range.