Forward Advises Landguard Engineering on sale to Northern Industries Group

Forward Corporate Finance is delighted to have advised Peter Wilson and Hannah March on their sale of Landguard Engineering Limited (“Landguard”), a specialist steel fabrication business based in Harwich, to Northern Industries Group, one of the UK’s fastest growing steel engineering groups.

Established in 2013 with a mission to provide sustained employment in the port of Harwich, Landguard now delivers end-to-end capabilities from in-house design with 3D modelling and CFD analysis, workshop fabrication and the production of custom acoustic enclosures, explosion controlled containers and ventilation attenuation systems.

This unique set of skills has led Landguard to be at the forefront in acoustic containerised solutions, data centre plant room systems and bespoke fabrication for industrial and energy applications.

The sale to Northern Industries Group, significantly broadens the enlarged Group’s engineering and manufacturing footprint and strengthens its ability to deliver integrated solutions across Northern Industries’ existing portfolio of companies, including the Steelway Family, CEL Sheet Metal and JHT Engineering. By bringing Landguard’s technical expertise into the Group, Northern Industries enhances its offerings to clients in high integrity sectors including energy, infrastructure and mission critical markets.

The Forward team, led by Rob Dukelow-Smith and Ollie Geddes-Smith, acted as lead advisors to Landguard throughout the process, from the initial meeting and pre-marketing preparation, to finding the right buyer and negotiation stages and on through due diligence to completion.

Commenting on the transaction, Peter Wilson, the former Chairman of Landguard said: “Since I started the business with my great friend Andy March, our intention was to provide local jobs for young, local people in Harwich. In Northern Industries Rob and Ollie have found the right business to take Landguard to its next stage of development. I cannot thank Rob enough for his unwavering commitment to finding a way to get the sale completed, and both Hannah and I are delighted with the outcome.”

Rob Dukelow-Smith, Director at Forward Corporate Finance, commented: “It was a pleasure working with Peter, Hannah and the management team at Landguard including Alf Hardes and Peter Etherden on the sale to Northern Industries. The business has an excellent reputation, an enviable customer base, and a highly capable team with a unique set of skills in the steel fabrication market. This transaction provides a great outcome for everyone involved, and we wish the team at Landguard and Northern Industries every success in the future.”

Legal advice for the sale was provided by Sarah Lewis and Zoe Zhang at Prettys Solicitors LLP.

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