News: Cooper & Turner's fast growing profits

Historic global manufacturer, Cooper & Turner, which has significant operations in Sheffield and Rotherham, has been named amongst Britain's private companies with the fastest-growing profits over three years.

One of Europe's leading manufacturers of bolts, nuts and washers used in the energy, rail, construction and other engineering sectors is a new entry in the 19th annual Sunday Times BDO Profit Track 100 league table.

Cooper & Turner has facilities at its Templeborough Works in Sheffield and at Canklow in Rotherham, where the focus is on the wind energy sector.

With profits growing by an average of 57% a year to £9.2m in 2017, the firm is ranked at 86th in the table which is compiled by Fast Track, the Oxford-based networking events and research company, which champions the UK's top-performing private companies and entrepreneurs.

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The group manufactures its products in South Yorkshire, Pueblo, in Colorado, and Ningbo, in China, and international expansion has boosted sales to £52.6m.

In August last year, chief executive Tony Brown led a buyout backed by US private equity firm Watermill Group, which acquired a majority stake for an undisclosed sum. The aim was to uncover new opportunities and accelerate the company's growth in the booming international wind sector and beyond.

Cooper & Turner acquired the former home of Manheim Motor Auctions in 2012 and, to support further growth, a new extension was completed in 2013 to infill the space between the two existing units and create substantially more floorspace. As well as the Wind division, the site incorporates a 120,000 tonne stock holding facility and the group moved towards a full distribution network. Cooper & Turner and McLean Buchanan and Wilson (MBW) joined forces in March 2007.

Joseph and James Turner founded a gun barrel business in Birmingham in the 1800s. Having expanded the business into other areas, including rivet production, the company was amalgamated with Henry Cooper & Co in 1912.

Production was moved to Sheffield and the company continued to be successful, supplying products for a wide range of applications including battleships and Ford's Model T cars. Recent projects have seen its products used in the construction of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai and the redevelopment of Liverpool FC's Anfield stadium.

Cooper & Turner website

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News: Cooper & Turner going for growth in wind sector following acquisition

Historic global manufacturer, Cooper & Turner, which has significant operations in Sheffield and Rotherham, has been acquired by The Watermill Group, an American private investment firm.

Family-owned, Cooper & Turner, is one of Europe's leading manufacturers of bolts, nuts and washers used in the energy, rail, construction and other engineering sectors. It has facilities at its Templeborough Works in Sheffield and at Canklow in Rotherham, where the focus is on the wind energy sector.

Based in Lexington, Massachusetts, The Watermill Group, targets "businesses at a pivotal turning point," bringing in investors with the aim of helping companies achieve their full potential through strategic transformation.

The deal, for an undisclosed amount, sees the acquisition of Cooper & Turner by taking on Andaray (Holdings) Limited and its direct and indirect subsidiaries.

Mid Cap Financial Services, LLC provided debt for the transaction and Grant Thornton UK LLP provided corporate finance, debt advisory, tax and financial due diligence advice to Watermill. K&L Gates LLP provided Legal Counsel to Watermill. Mazars LLP advised Cooper & Turner and Mincoffs Solicitors provided legal counsel.

The vision is to create: "The world's first, truly global mission-critical-fastener supplier with a seamless, one-stop shop solution for the manufacture and distribution of industrial fasteners that meet the highest levels of quality."

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Cooper & Turner senior management, including group CEO Tony Brown and head of group production David Brown, will remain in their current positions and retain a significant shareholding in the company. The Watermill Group are set to introduce complimentary systems and procedures and provide strategic guidance as the company manages the growth in wind energy. Another aim is to support the launch of manufacturing and distribution operations in the United States.

Julia Karol, president and COO, Watermill Group, said: "Cooper & Turner's reputation and track record is virtually unmatched. We are impressed with the company's unwavering commitment to quality and safety, its high customer service levels, as well as its global manufacturing and distribution footprint. Combining Watermill's strategy-driven approach with Cooper & Turner's highly experienced management team, the company has an exciting opportunity to become the world’s first, truly global mission-critical-fastener supplier."

Ronald M. Krisanda, an advisor at Watermill and former president and COO at manufacturing firm, Milacron Holdings Corporation, will serve as the chairman of the Board of Advisors for the organisation. He said: "Cooper & Turner is a compelling business with a highly experienced senior management team, led by brothers Tony and David Brown, whose entrepreneurial vision and operational expertise have been paramount to the organisation's success. We look forward to working with them and their team to uncover new opportunities and accelerate the company's growth in the booming international wind sector and beyond."

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Tony Brown, Group CEO, Cooper & Turner, said: "We are thrilled to join Watermill for this next chapter in the history of Cooper & Turner. For nearly two centuries, this organisation has evolved and thrived – innovating alongside cutting-edge customers and developing industry-leading service levels across established and emerging sectors. Watermill's strategic guidance will be invaluable to us as we continue in this tradition of growth and progress."

Cooper & Turner acquired the former home of Manheim Motor Auctions in 2012 and, to support further growth, a new extension was completed in 2013 to infill the space between the two existing units and create substantially more floorspace. The site incorporates a 120,000 tonne stock holding facility and the group moved towards a full distribution network. Cooper & Turner and McLean Buchanan and Wilson (MBW) joined forces in March 2007.

Joseph and James Turner founded a gun barrel business in Birmingham in the 1800s. Having expanded the business into other areas, including rivet production, the company was amalgamated with Henry Cooper & Co in 1912.

Production was moved to Sheffield and the company continued to be successful, supplying products for a wide range of applications including battleships and Ford's Model T cars. Recent projects have seen its products used in the construction of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai and the redevelopment of Liverpool FC's Anfield stadium.

Cooper & Turner website

Images: Cooper & Turner

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News: Apprentice numbers to hit 650 at AMRC

650 apprentices are expected to make use of the state of the art facilities at the AMRC Training Centre in Rotherham during the next academic year, as demand for apprenticeships continues to grow and young people realise their dreams to pursue an exciting career in engineering.

Based on the Advanced Manufacturing Park (AMP) in Rotherham the centre forms part of the The University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) with Boeing, and focuses on advanced machining and materials research for aerospace and other high-value manufacturing sectors. It operates a £20.5m Training Centre on the site to train the next generation of engineers.

Since taking on its first 140 apprentices in autumn 2013, the AMRC Training Centre has grown rapidly into an award-winning centre of excellence with over 400 employed-status apprentices.

Dan Swift, programme manager at the AMRC Training Centre, said: "More and more young people are choosing to earn and learn, seeing the value in getting real hands on experience alongside their qualifications, free from the burden of student-debt.

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"We are also seeing a positive push from the region's local schools and colleges, who are starting to recommend apprenticeship training as a first choice option to their higher-level achieving students. This increases demand and awareness of apprenticeships across the sector, and we have witnessed our apprentice numbers growing at an astonishing rate."

In preparation for the September 2016 start dates, the centre is holding extra "assessment centre" dates throughout the year to manage the amount of new applicants interested in taking advantage of the new apprenticeships, higher apprenticeships and degree level opportunities.

After putting in an application, potential apprentices are put through the assessment centre day, which includes a job style interview and series of tasks to determine suitability. Successful applicants then go onto employer-matching events, where they speak to the various employers to find a role which suits them.

Local employers are already advertising their vacancies and companies offering apprenticeships with the centre vary from major global businesses to local small and medium-sized enterprises, such as Rolls-Royce, Nikken, AESSEAL, Gripple, Cooper and Turner and Technicut.

65 assessment centre days have been held at the centre since it opened in January 2014, assessing a total of 1,820 potential apprentices. As demand is increasing, a further 18 additional assessment centre days are to be held between now and September 2016.

Swift added: "Engineering and manufacturing apprenticeships open doors to a wide range of exciting careers in mechanical manufacturing, fabrication and welding, technical support, design, electronics and maintenance; and our new degree and masters level apprenticeships means there are more career options than ever for young people."

Securing National College status, the AMRC Training Centre is set to become a key part of the UK's new National College for Advanced Manufacturing, but Government funding has yet to be secured.

The AMRC Training Centre has plans to grow the number of apprentices it is training and expand into new areas. These will include process control engineering, polymers, automation and robotics for food manufacturing and electronics and instrument control, which supports the strategic partnership with the new HS2 railway engineering college being set up in Doncaster.

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News: Cooper & Turner planning Rotherham expansion

A manufacturing firm with over 100 years of heritage, Cooper & Turner, is planning to invest in a new office building at their existing premises at Canklow Meadows Industrial Estate, Rotherham.

Cooper & Turner is one of Europe's leading manufacturers of bolts, nuts and washers used in the energy, rail, construction and other engineering sectors. It acquired the former home of Manheim Motor Auctions in 2012 and, to support further growth, a new extension was completed in 2013 to infill the space between the two existing units and create substantially more floorspace. The site incorporates a 120,000 tonne stock holding facility and the group moved towards a full distribution network.

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Cooper & Turner has local operations consisting of a manufacturing business near Magna on Sheffield Road, Sheffield, and the distribution / light manufacturing business at Canklow Meadows, Rotherham. Recently submitted plans show that the light manufacturing and distribution facilities, office and training space is now inadequate and disjointed relative to the main operations of the business.

Having continued success in exporting products for wind turbines and in structural engineering, the firm is branching into new sectors including direct line feed and oil & gas. Over the past 12 months, 20 new jobs have been created as capacity has increased by 36,800 sq ft at Canklow Meadows. If approved the new offices could see staff relocating from Sheffield Road, providing the opportunity to remove internal works offices and create more manufacturing space, which would ultimately lead to extra job creation.

Architects, Race Cottam Associates, have now drawn up plans for a new office on the Canklow site that will be used to bring together sales, purchasing, finance, marketing, CPU and HR departments in the same building. It is also set to house a training centre for the firm's apprentice academy.

Just over 9,000 sq ft of office space is planned and is likely to be considered ancillary by planners. A two storey structure would sit alongside Cooper & Turner's current buildings, and the adjacent Wickes outlet, onto West Bawtry Road.

The planning documents state: "The new development is required to provide Cooper and Turner Ltd with additional and modern office and training accommodation, which is urgently needed to allow the company to continue to grow.

"The development will create new facilities and new jobs in Rotherham and bring significant enhancements to the site and to Canklow Meadows Industrial Estate as a whole."

Cooper & Turner and McLean Buchanan and Wilson (MBW) joined forces in March 2007. Joseph and James Turner founded a gun barrel business in Birmingham in the 1800s. Having expanded the business into other areas, including rivet production, the company was amalgamated with Henry Cooper & Co in 1912.

Production was moved to Sheffield and the company continued to be successful, supplying products for a wide range of applications including battleships and Ford's Model T cars.

Cooper & Turner website

Images: Race Cottom

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News: Cooper & Turner acquire Rotherham premises

Sheffield manufacturing firm, Cooper & Turner has acquired the freehold of a former vehicle motor auctions site in Rotherham for £1.8m.

Units 1 and 2 at Canklow Meadows Industrial Estate, previously the base of Manheim Motor Auctions which closed last year, have been sold by the National Industrial and Logistics Team at the Leeds office of property consultants, Jones Lang LaSalle and the Leeds office of property consultants GVA.

Cooper & Turner is one of Europe's leading manufacturers of bolts, nuts and washers used in the energy, rail, construction and other engineering sectors.

They began life in the 1800's when Joseph and James Turner founded a gun barrel business in Birmingham. Having expanded the business into other areas, including rivet production, the company was amalgamated with Henry Cooper & Co in 1912.

Production was moved to Sheffield and the company continued to be successful, supplying products for a wide range of applications including battleships and the Model 'T' Ford cars.

They currently have a Templeborough base which is just on the Sheffield side of the border with Rotherham.

The new 4.6 acre site comprises two industrial or warehouse units totaling 62,913 sq ft. It will be home to around 50 staff.

Jones Lang LaSalle and GVA acted for Cluttons Investment Management, London, representing Harmsworth Pooled Pension Fund.

Richard Harris, director and head of the Jones Lang LaSalle National Industrial and Logistics Team, who brokered the deal, said: "In spite of uncertain economic times and a shortage of funding in the property market, this is a manufacturing business which is trading successfully as it was able to fulfil the freehold acquisition out of its own funds.

"Manufacturing businesses, and particularly those which export, clearly need to be supported as part of moves to re-balance the UK economy and we are pleased to have helped this business to expand in the current tough economic climate which shows that there is an appetite for well-located, good-quality existing property with plenty of land. Several parties were bidding for this site and we had to go to two closing dates."

Cooper & Turner website

Images: Cooper & Turner / GVA

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