SOLD : Engineering Business : Design and Manufacturing of Measuring Equipment.
Seiche Furthers Expansion with Acquisition of Ashridge Engineering of Okehampton. Ashridge Engineering was established in 1975 and was acquired in 1993 by Alan Orchard who had been an employee of the company. Ashridge Engineering Ltd. is a leading designer and manufacturer of control, protection and measurement systems largely for the water industry but also for the electricity distribution and other industries. Through investment in research and development and listening to its clients and responding with innovative solutions and unsurpassed customer service the company grew and expanded in to foreign markets.
However, Alan was looking to retire and instructed specialist business transfer agency, Beardsley Theobalds of Exeter to act for him. A promotional campaign was carried out and interest was shown from other specialist engineering firms as well as engineers aiming to own their own business and business investors. A deal was brokered with a relatively local firm Seiche Ltd.; which was formed in 1996. Seiche specialises in the design, development and manufacture of Underwater Acoustic Solutions for the oil and gas and renewable energy industries. Roy Wyatt, MD of Seiche, comments: “This is a great opportunity for two complementary engineering businesses to join forces. The combined Seiche and Ashridge product portfolio has instrumentation at its core. Investment in R&D is vital for both businesses and we will build the next generation of solutions in our chosen fields. We at Seiche are looking forward to working with the Ashridge team in order to continue to provide innovative and high quality products to the UK and global client base as well as delivering first class customer service and reliability.”
Alan, who is now retiring, comments: “Thank you to all our customers for their loyalty and support over the years. This is an exciting time for Ashridge. I will be leaving the company in excellent hands. Seiche will take Ashridge to the next level of growth through increased partnerships and opportunities, particularly in the global marketplace.”Alan will continue in the new company for three months on a part-time basis and will be on hand in an advisory role for the foreseeable future. Ashridge will continue to run as a separate business line within Seiche and there will be no personnel or name changes.
Seiche is now the leading worldwide supplier of PAM equipment to the oil and gas and renewable energy industries with a proven track record exceeding 125,000 days of deployment. Seiche’s clients include BP, Shell, Exxon Mobil, RPS Energy, PGS and Fugro. Strong partnerships are maintained with industry, academics and government agencies around the world. Seiche has a global reach via three main offices in the UK, USA and South Africa.
Charles Webb, Beardsley Theobalds
